Sleep disorders - Causes and Care
Sleep plays an essential role in our overall physical and mental health. It is important to understand our sleep patterns and habits to ensure that we get enough sleep to maintain health and wellbeing. Maintaining a good sleep cycle has a number of benefits such as reducing stress, improving memory and enhancing immunity to fight infections and inflammation.
While experiencing issues with your sleep cycle it is important to know the underlying causes and possibility of having a sleep disorder. It is also one of the causes for uncontrolled blood sugar and hypertension. After understanding the cause of the sleep disorder, there are various steps that can be taken to improve the condition, in order to get more sleep.
Listed below are some of the symptoms of this disorders:
-
Snoring
-
Daytime sleepiness
-
Laziness
-
Early morning headaches
-
Choking sensation and disturbed sleep
-
Lack of concentration during the day
Causes for sleep disorders
1. Medical Conditions
There are a number of medical conditions that impact the quality and ability to sleep well. Some health concerns such as fibromyalgia, asthma, arthritis and migraines are accompanied with chronic pain which disrupt sleep. These medical conditions need to be taken care of with the assistance of a medical professional in order for a sound sleep and alleviation of the pain caused by the condition. Once the condition is tended to, your body will be better equipped to deal with the condition and its impact on your sleep will reduce immensely.
2. Medications
There are certain medications which disturb the natural sleep cycle, the most common ones are blood pressure medication, antidepressants and over the counter medication for cold symptoms. As these medicines interfere with your sleep, you need to understand if the exact dosage and time of the day the medication needs to be taken. After you are prescribed medicines for any of the above mentioned health problems, consult your doctor regarding its impact on your sleep. If you notice that you feel drowsy during the day after making your medication in the morning you will need to check with your doctor if the medication dose needs a change or if your medication can be replaced for another one, which does not impact your sleep.
3. Aging:
As someone’s age increases, the probability of a sleep disorder increases with it, adults over the age of 65 have sleep disorders such as insomnia. It is important to detect the sleep disorder early and ensure that the necessary medical steps are taken to cure it as it may lead to many other serious health issues. Some of the health issues that follow insufficient and disturbed sleep are: risk of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
4. Psychiatric disorders
Psychiatric disorders such as depression, hypertension and anxiety disorders are linked with related sleep disorders. It could be a key reason behind distubed and insufficient sleep at night. It is important to note that psychiatric disorders and sleep disorders go hand in hand and both are treatable health concerns. As both these impact each other, it is important to seek medical advice for both to avoid chronic health concerns.
Solutions to get take care of sleep disorders:
1. Sleep Routine
In order to sleep well it is important to create a nighttime routine for yourself to enter the mindset of relaxing and eventually sleeping. Around 10:00PM you should start keeping your devices away and prepare to fall asleep. Remove electronics such as laptops, smart phones from the bedside. Instead of devices, you can read a book, try deep breathing, prayer, gentle stretching, meditation, or journaling. Once your body begins to relax and unwind, sleep will soon follow.
2. Chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is highly suggested as it has a number of health benefits, it reduces anxiety, inflammation and insomnia. It has a calming effect on the body and induces sleep after drinking it. A key component of chamomile tea is apigenin which binds with specific sleep receptors and helps to fall asleep faster. It will also improve overall health as it promotes a clean digestive tract, improves heart health and reduces blood sugar. One cup of warm chamomile tea can be had in the evening for best results and to ensure a long sleep cycle.
3. Making lifestyle changes
Some lifestyle changes will need to be made to maintain a healthy sleep cycle, these changes will also benefit overall health. Some habits to start letting go off are smoking, drinking, nicotine, caffeine intake. These are stimulants and can interfere with your sleep, for example caffeine in the afternoon can have an impact for as long as 8 hours, which makes it difficult to sleep at night.
4. Rule out a sleep disorder
An underlying health condition may be the cause of your sleep problems. For instance, sleep disorders are very common among patients of obesity. If you have struggles with sleep, there is a possibility of a sleep movement disorder or a circadian rhythm disorder. There are several sleep disorders that a patient can have, it is important to consult a doctor to understand the solutions and medication that are required to control it.
In order to get your sleep cycle under control it is important to understand the cause and make changes in your daily routine to optimize your sleep. Incorporating these tips into your routine will improve the conditions to fall asleep early and have a night of sound sleep.
In case of sleeplessness for a long period of time you must consult your doctor to understand the causes in more detail and to get medication or medical advice to improve your sleep.