Learn How to Cure Disrupted Sleep and Fix Sleep Problems
Disrupted sleep, often referred to as sleep disturbances or sleep fragmentation, encompasses a range of sleep problems that interfere with the natural sleep-wake cycle. It can manifest in various forms, including difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep, or experiencing non-restorative sleep. Disrupted sleep can be caused by numerous factors, such as stress, anxiety, lifestyle habits, medical conditions, or sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea, and is generally identified by broken sleep symptoms. Once you’ve identified your symptoms and attributed them to poor sleep quality, you can start to cure disrupted sleep. In this article we will discuss sleeping problems, sleep disorders, how age affects sleep, and treatments to consider.
How Do You Fix Sleeping Problems?
The first step to fixing sleeping problems is to recognize and identify the symptoms you are experiencing. Symptoms can be subtle and start gradually so it may take some time to recognize the signs and determine you have a sleeping problem. One such example is the treatment of insomnia in females. Sleep quality can change with age and hormonal changes, specifically during major life events like the beginning of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause.
Research indicates that females generally report more sleep problems than males. Several factors contribute to this disparity, including biological, hormonal, and psychosocial differences. While circumstances vary by gender, the underlying causes are similar such as poor sleep hygiene, unmanaged stress, and medical conditions.
What Are the 5 Types of Sleep Disorders?
Sleep disorders are conditions that impair sleep quality, duration, or timing, leading to daytime distress and impairment in functioning. Here are five common types of sleep disorders, each with distinct symptoms and treatment approaches:
1. Insomnia: Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep. It can be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term).
- Causes: Stress, anxiety, depression, poor sleep habits, and certain medications.
- Symptoms: Trouble falling asleep, frequent awakenings, waking up too early, and feeling tired upon waking.
2. Sleep Apnea: Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), where the throat muscles intermittently relax and block the airway.
- Causes: Obesity, anatomical factors, and certain medical conditions.
- Symptoms: Loud snoring, episodes of breathing cessation, abrupt awakenings with gasping or choking, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
3. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS): Restless legs syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease, is a neurological disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs, typically during the evening or night.
- Causes: Often idiopathic, but can be associated with genetic factors, iron deficiency, or chronic diseases like kidney failure.
- Symptoms: Uncomfortable sensations in the legs, relieved by movement, and difficulty falling or staying asleep.
4. Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to regulate the sleep-wake cycle, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks.
- Causes: Genetic factors, lack of the brain chemical hypocretin, and autoimmune mechanisms.
- Symptoms: Excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone), sleep paralysis, and hallucinations.
5. Parasomnias: Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that occur during arousals from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep or partial arousals from non-REM sleep. Common parasomnias include sleepwalking, night terrors, and REM sleep behavior disorder.
- Causes: Genetics, stress, sleep deprivation, and certain medications.
- Symptoms: Unusual behaviors during sleep such as walking, talking, or violent movements.
What Causes Sleep Disorders?
Various factors can contribute to the development of sleep disorders, including:
- Lifestyle Factors: Irregular sleep schedules, poor sleep environment, and use of stimulants.
- Psychological Factors: Stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Medical Conditions: Chronic pain, respiratory issues, and neurological disorders.
- Hormonal Changes: Hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause.
- Genetic Factors: Family history of sleep disorders.
What Is the Best Treatment for Sleeping Disorder?
Effective treatment for sleep disorders in adults involves disorder-specific treatment (such as medication for Restless Leg Syndrome) and general healthy lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes, such as improving sleep hygiene, establishing a consistent sleep schedule, and effectively managing stress complement and strengthen treatment plans.
Stress and sleep have a bidirectional relationship where each can significantly influence the other. Stress can contribute to the onset of and exacerbate existing sleep disorders, making them more severe and harder to manage. Effective, all-natural stress management is essential to improving sleep quality as it will resolve barriers to sleep (stress) and won’t contraindicate with medications.
Why Can’t I Sleep In Anymore?
Waking up earlier than desired and being unable to “sleep in” can be influenced by a variety of factors, including both sleep disorders and age-related changes. As people age, their sleep patterns often change. These changes can make it harder to sleep in and maintain prolonged periods of sleep. There are also several sleep disorders that can cause difficulties with sleeping in and maintaining consistent sleep such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
To determine whether your inability to sleep in is due to age or a sleep disorder, consider the following:
- Sleep Quality and Daytime Functioning: If you are waking up early but still feel well-rested and can function effectively during the day, it may be a natural part of aging. However, if early awakenings are accompanied by fatigue, daytime sleepiness, or impaired functioning, a sleep disorder may be the cause.
- Consistency and Onset: Gradual changes in sleep patterns over time are more likely due to aging. Sudden changes or consistent difficulty sleeping in may indicate a sleep disorder.
- Presence of Other Symptoms: Look for additional symptoms such as loud snoring, gasping for air, frequent nighttime awakenings, leg discomfort, or a strong urge to move your legs. These could point to a specific sleep disorder.
How Do You Treat Disrupted Sleep?
Rare sleep disorders, while less common, can significantly impact sleep quality and overall health. If and when you are diagnosed with a specific sleep disorder, there are treatment specifics to follow. Additionally, and just as important is to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle:
- Good sleep hygiene
- Healthy diet
- Hydration
- Maintain a consistent sleep-wake schedule
- Get regular exercise
- Effectively manage stress
Effectively managing stress may be the hardest to accomplish on this list, since most people utilize unreliable and unpredictable techniques and practices. Traditional meditation, yoga, breathwork, journaling, or gentle exercise can work for some people sometimes; it will likely not work in the middle of a stressful episode and requires effort. There is an easier, effort-free way to stop stress in your mind and body so you can feel relaxed, rested, and restored. NuCalm Rescue’s patented neuroacoustic software ** ** predictably ** ** guides you to a relaxed state. It will feel like a nap, you will lose track of time, and your body will feel heavy while you are in an immersive experience listening to a Rescue journey. It’s so much more than music! If you have a data wearable, you can monitor your HRV and sleep data over time to see quantitative results.
Addressing disrupted sleep requires you to recognize and identify symptoms, seek medical help as needed, and incorporate a comprehensive healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, enough water, good sleep hygiene, and effective stress management. Sign up for the NuCalm 7-day free trial today to get started on effective stress management right away.