Are you worried about your Sleeping schedule? Are you frustrated because you are not able to sleep? Then, you are at the right place. There has been a prominent increase in Sleeping disorders, especially in adults. In this article, you will get to know the reason for your low sleep quality. Let us first get sleep into the light.
Sleep is the periodic state that reoccurs on a daily basis. In addition, countless processes are going on in the body during the time we are sleeping. Therefore, sleep is essential for everyone for the proper functioning of the body and mind the next day. Sometimes if we do not get enough sleep for some days due to work or other reasons, we experience frustration, fatigue, and have no concentration or mood to do anything. Because sleep helps us regulate our mind and body, making them active for the next day.
So, if you are not getting enough sleep regularly you are likely to feel that way. Sleep not only affects us but also our environment and external factors. It can cause low performance at work, school, or athletics. Moreover, it can cause distance in relationships. Now let us move next to the reason for your low sleep.
What is a sleeping disorder?
Any disruption in your usual sleeping schedule that is affecting your duration or quality of sleep is a sleeping disorder. However, there are reasons why you can get a temporary low sleeping schedule. The reasons can be jet lag, late-night working, the effect of medication, etc. But sleeping disorders can get serious if:
- You are taking too much time sleeping or not getting even after a long day
- You have disturbances during sleep or wake up in between
- Not feeling like sound sleep next morning after sleeping for around 7 hours
- Sleep is affecting your daily activities and performance at work
Apart from the above reasons, teenagers or adults nowadays have a bad circadian rhythm. Having late-night parties, drinking alcohol, or night time screen exposure are some of the reasons for sleeping disorders.
Types of Sleeping Disorders – how to identify?
If you think you may have a sleeping disorder, then knowing the types will help you understand it better. There are various disorders and read below to find out about yours. So, different sleeping diseases are:
- Insomnia
- Sleep apnea
- Narcolepsy
- Restless leg syndrome
- Parasomnias
- Hypersomnia
- Sleep related movement disorder
Let us know about these in detail individually.
Insomnia:
It is a condition that can make it difficult for people to fall asleep or stay asleep for long periods. The common causes of insomnia are poor lifestyle, anxiety, stress, depression, and poor sleeping habits. However, things like jet lag or over-exhaustion can cause insomnia. But this is temporary and goes away on its own. Insomnia can get worse and lasts for weeks to months. Then, one must get proper treatment for it.
Symptoms of Insomnia:
Knowing the symptoms will help you identify your disorder. The symptoms are:
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Waking up too early
- Low attention span and concentration
- Irritability
- Depression
- Not feeling fresh the next day
- Waking up between sleep
Sometimes insomnia can be a result of any medication or some other health condition. If you are experiencing insomnia for some time now, make sure to consult your doctor.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes a person’s breathing to stop and start at any time during sleep, especially during light sleep. The symptoms of sleep apnea are morning headache, loud snoring, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, dry mouth, and stopping breathing during sleep. In addition, this condition is more common in men than women.
Types of sleep apnea:
There are two types and a person can suffer from any type. These are:
- Obstructive sleep apnea: The muscles in the back of the throat relax and narrow down to such an extent that it gets difficult to sleep. As a result, it affects sleep to get more oxygen.
- Central sleep apnea: This is less common but happens when the brain is unable to give signals to the muscles for breathing.
The causes of sleep apnea include excess weight, age, smoking, narrow airway, and medical conditions like diabetes, hormonal disorder, asthma, etc.
Narcolepsy: This condition gives sleep attacks in a person without any particular time. When a person gets sleep attacks, a person becomes extremely tired and results in sleeping suddenly. A person does not have control over sleeping and a sleep attack can make them sleep without any alarm. Common symptoms include hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Is Restless Leg Syndrome a sleeping disorder?
Restless leg syndrome makes a person have low sleep. It is a neurological disorder that causes a person to face sleeping problems. A person feels a sudden urge to move their legs especially in the evening or night. So, when a person relaxes the urge gets more to move or shake legs continuously. This hinders a person’s quality sleep.
The causes can vary for everyone. It can also affect genes as this syndrome can run in the family. Also, low iron levels in the brain or disturbance in dopamine chemicals. However, RLS can increase your risk for diabetes, chronic diseases, kidney failure, heart disease, depression, stroke, and early death.
What is Parasomnias?
Parasomnias are of different types and they disrupt sleeping. Due to different behavior patterns before, during or after sleeping it can affect your sleep abilities. Different parasomnias affecting sleep are bedwetting, sleep terror, nightmares, sleep walking, sleep paralysis, sexomania and other. Parasomnias are common in children especially under the age of 15. However, there can be various causes for parasomnias to happen. Some of them are irregular sleep schedules, medications, narcolepsy and other such sleeping disorders.
Hypersomnia:
It is a condition that causes excessive sleepiness especially during daytime. A person feels drowsy or tired even after sleeping for a long time. It can make it difficult for a person to function normally during the day. Because they are constantly tired and can have low energy levels. The symptoms of hypersomnia are restlessness, irritability, anxiety, loss of appetite, difficulty remembering, slow thinking and low concentration. This condition can be primary or secondary.
What is sleep related movement disorder?
There are some repetitive movements in the body that do not allow a person to sleep peacefully. However, these movements are different from parasomnias that are more complex. Some of the sleep related movement disorder includes:
- Sleep related leg cramps
- Periodic LIMB movement disorder (PLMD)
- Sleep related Bruxism
- Sleep related Rhythmic movement disorder
Causes of Sleep deprivation:
Apart from sleeping disorders, other health conditions can result in sleep deprivation. If you are suffering from these conditions, you may have a sleeping disorder or low sleep quality. Here are some medical conditions that can cause sleep deprivation:
- Depression
- Chronic pain syndrome
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Schizophrenia
- Diabetes
- Anxiety
Other factors contributing to sleep deprivation:
- Illness
- Age
- Stress
- Lifestyle choices
- Night shift working time
- Poor sleeping hygiene
- Elongated screen time during night time
- Genetics
Diagnosis for sleeping disorder
If you think you have a sleeping disorder, consult your doctor. The doctor will ask you about your symptoms, sleeping schedules and other lifestyle questions. They may also ask you to write down the timing of your sleeping and waking time. If they suspect something, they can perform some tests. These tests are:
- Polysomnography (PSG)
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT)
These tests record your brain activity, electrical activity, oxygen levels and other aspects to know the reasons behind your sleep disruption.
Lifestyle changes for better sleep
Some simple changes in your routine can improve your quality a lot which are:
- Maintain a healthy diet with low sugar intake
- Limit your caffeine intake especially late in the day
- Avoid using alcohol and tobacco
- Reduce your stress and anxiety. Therefore, try medication, yoga and other relaxation techniques
- Eat light meals during night
- Drink less water before bedtime as this can lead to disruption in sleep for urination
- Maintain a healthy sleep schedule and follow it on a regular basis.
- Exercise and eat healthy including green vegetables
- Limit your screen exposure before bedtime
Medical Treatment for Sleeping disorders
There can be a range for treatments that your doctor will prescribe. Every condition may require different treatment. Therefore, your doctor can treat you by:
- Sleeping pills
- Allergy or cold medication
- Dental guards for those who have teeth grinding issues
- Breathing device
- Surgery
- Medications for health conditions causing sleep disorders
- Melatonin supplements
Sleeping pills are the common treatment that doctors can use if you are not suffering from other health conditions. Some of the most used sleeping pills are Ambien generic with zolpidem tartrate generic name. Ambien or Zolpidem are sedatives that reduce the unusual excitement in the brain causing relation and calm. This helps in sleeping better for longer durations. You can buy Ambien online from a trusted pharmacy. Rite Aid Pharmacy is one of them, also you can get Ambien online overnight delivery and other offers.
Conclusion
A normal adult requires at least seven or more hours of sleep for proper functioning. However, a low or poor sleeping schedule can affect our whole lives. Therefore, if you feel a certain way, consult your doctor and treat your sleep cycle as soon as possible.
Sleeping disorders sometimes can get difficult to recognize. But if you notice anything unusual or are not sure, there is nothing wrong with consulting a doctor. Now you also know about the different sleeping disorders and their symptoms. It will help you identify your or your loved ones’ sleeping disorder. Also, sleeping disorders may not look severe but can cause other medical health conditions and bad functioning of body and mind.
At last, following lifestyle changes with or without medications will help you get better quickly. Everyone can follow these tips and it will help stay away from sleeping issues.