This upset often produces sleep disturbances. Common physical causes of transitory sleep loss include heartburn and restless leg syndrome. Restless leg syndrome produces a crawling feeling inside the legs. These odd sensations force the affected person to get up and walk around until the feeling stops. Insomnia in women sometimes appears during pregnancy or menopause, which is the life stage when a woman stops menstruating.
Sleep apnea is the sudden stoppage of breath during sleep.
This seldom causes the person to awaken but disrupts normal sleep patterns, producing restless and unfulfilling sleep. Narcolepsy is a condition in which a person falls asleep several times a day for short periods. A person with narcolepsy may suddenly fall asleep even while talking, eating, or driving a car. Although this is quite the opposite of insomnia, any temporary insomnia from another source makes the narcoleptic attacks more frequent and prolonged. Some other conditions, particularly asthma , ulcers , and the pain of arthritis , migraine , or angina , may cause interrupted sleep.