Health Advice
- Weight Management
- Quit Smoking
- Acne
- Child Health
- Pain
- Oral Care & Hygiene
- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
- Tummy ache
- Abscess
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- First aid
- Reflux
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- Acupuncture
- Gallbladder, inflammation
- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
- Air embolism
- Alcohol misuse
- Alcohol poisoning
- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lazy eye
- Macular degeneration
- Memory loss
- Amniocentesis
- Amputation
- Motor neurone disease
- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
- Anal fissure
- Brain aneurysm
- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
- Angina
- Angioedema
- Arteriography
- Stent insertion
- Dog bites
- Fractured ankle
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anorexia nervosa
- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
- Penicillin
- Anticoagulant medicines
- Antidepressants
- Antifungal medicines
- Antihistamines
- NSAIDs
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Hypochondria
- Anxiety disorders in children
- Stress
- Appendicitis
- Wrist, broken
- Arterial thrombosis
- Arthritis
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- Asthma
- Astigmatism
- Eczema
- Atrial fibrillation
- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
- Blisters
- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
- Semen, bloody
- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
- Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
- Hip fracture
- Leg, broken
- Fractured nose
- Rib injuries
- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
- Cancer
- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
- Nasal congestion
- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
- Sore lips
- Chemotherapy
- Chest infection, adult
- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
- Leukaemia, chronic myeloid
- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
- Cluster headaches
- White coated tongue
- Gluten intolerance
- Herpes simplex virus
- Cold
- Colic
- Colostomy
- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
- Heart failure
- Conjunctivitis
- Constipation
- Contact dermatitis
- Corns and calluses
- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
- Steroid medication
- Cosmetic surgery
- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
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- Swallowing pills (problems)
- Undescended testicles
- Lacerations
- Cystic fibrosis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
- Hearing impairment
- Dehydration
- Tooth abscess
- Teething
- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- False teeth (dentures)
- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes
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- Diabetic retinopathy
- Dialysis
- Traveller's diarrhoea
- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
- Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
- Thirst
- Dyslexia
- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
- Swallowing problems
- Dyspraxia (adults)
- Swimmer's ear
- Earache
- Earwax
- Eating disorders
- Ebola virus disease
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- Endoscopy
- Threadworms
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
- Watering eyes
- Nosebleed
- Impotence
- Tremor (essential)
- Ocular cancer
- Eye injuries
- Red eye
- Falls
- Family planning
- Fever, childhood
- Fibromyalgia
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- Wind
- Seasonal flu
- Nail patella syndrome
- Food allergy
- Foot pain
- Frostbite
- Gallstones
- Stomach removal surgery
- Gastroenteritis
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- General anaesthetic
- Genetics
- Herpes, genital
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- Gestational diabetes
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- Iron overload disorder
- Haemophilia
- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Piles (haemorrhoids)
- Ingrown hairs
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- Hamstring injury
- Hand pain
- Tendon repair, hand
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- Hangover
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- Head and neck cancer
- Head injury, minor
- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
- Heart block
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- Heart transplant
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- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- Sweat rash
- Periods, heavy
- Hepatitis A
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- Hepatitis
- Herbal medicines
- Hernia, femoral
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- Herpes simplex eye infections
- Hip pain in adults
- Hip replacement
- HIV and AIDS
- Welts
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- Homeopathy
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Huntington's disease
- Rabies
- Hyperglycaemia
- Sweating, excessive (hyperhidrosis)
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- Sleepiness in the day (severe and unexplained)
- Thyroid, overactive
- Hypnotherapy
- Testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism)
- Underactive thyroid
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
- Shoulder tendon, trapped
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- Infertility
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- Inquest
- Insomnia
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- Jet lag
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- Knee replacement
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- Rubeola
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- Selective mutism
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- Polyps, nose
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
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- Night sweats
- Nightmares
- Rhinitis, non-allergic
- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
- Swollen ankles
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- Organ donation
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- Paracetamol
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- Panic disorder
- Pins and needles
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- Ulcer, peptic
- Ruptured eardrum
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- Periods
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- Personality disorder
- Whooping cough
- Strep throat
- Phobias
- Physiotherapy
- Pilonidal sinus
- Plastic surgery
- Pleurisy
- Pneumococcal infections
- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
- Pre-eclampsia
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- Radiation
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- Red blood cell count
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- Roundworm
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
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- Salmonella infection
- Scabies
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- Scars
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- Self-harm
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- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
- Shingles
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
- Sleepwalking
- Urine, smelly
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- Snoring
- Spina bifida
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- Squint
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- Stroke
- Stye
- Suicide
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- Swollen glands
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- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
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- Testicular lumps and swellings
- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
- Tinnitus
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- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
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- Traction
- Travel vaccines
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- Urinary tract infection, children
- Urinary tract infection
- Vaginitis
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- Varicose eczema
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- Vertigo
- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
- Bowel cancer screening
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Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >
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Read moreNHS Choices - Causes of insomnia
(13/12/2013)
Insomnia can be caused by many different things, including stress, underlying health conditions, and alcohol or drug misuse.
The causes of insomnia are discussed in more detail below.
Stress
Some people develop insomnia in response to a stressful event, and it continues even when the stress has been resolved. This is because they have become used to associating the sleeping environment with being alert.
Worrying about things, such as work and health, is likely to keep you awake at night. Worrying about not being able to fall asleep can also stop you from actually falling asleep, creating a 'vicious circle'.
Psychiatric problems
Underlying psychiatric problems can often affect a person's sleeping patterns. For example:
- mental health conditions – such as depression or bipolar disorder
- anxiety disorders – such as generalised anxiety, panic disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder
- psychotic disorders – such as schizophrenia
Health conditions
Insomnia can also be caused by underlying physical conditions including:
- heart disease
- respiratory disease – such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma
- neurological disease – such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease
- hormonal problems – such as an overactive thyroid
- joint or muscle problems – such as arthritis
- problems with the genital or urinary organs – such as urinary incontinence or an enlarged prostate
- sleep disorders – such as restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy or sleep apnoea
- long-term pain
Alcohol and drug misuse
Drinking too much alcohol and taking drugs can affect a person's sleeping pattern.
Stimulants, such as nicotine and drinking too much caffeine (contained in tea, coffee and energy drinks) can also affect your sleep.
Medication
Some prescribed treatments or medicines available over-the-counter can cause insomnia. These include:
- antidepressants
- epilepsy medicine
- medication for high blood pressure (hypertension), such as beta-blockers
- hormone replacement therapy
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- stimulant drugs, such as methylphenidate, which is often used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or modafinil, which is used to treat narcolepsy (a long-term sleep disorder that disrupts normal sleeping patterns)
- some medicines used to treat asthma, such as salbutamol, salmeterol and theophylline
Jet lag
A disturbed sleep pattern is one of the most common symptoms of jet lag.
After a long-haul flight, you may find it difficult to sleep at the correct times. For example, you may be awake at night and sleep during the day.