The effects of sleep pattern disturbance you are not aware of

It is a common knowledge that sleep is essential for human beings. 6-7 hours of daily sleep is necessary because sleep helps in keeping the heart healthy, it reduces stress and also helps in improving memory. However, sometimes, people have a difficulty in falling asleep for the adequate amount of time every day. They may sleep for very short period or for too long. This is known as sleep pattern disturbance, and can be caused due to several reasons.

Sleep Disorder Causes

Due to the modern-day lifestyle, stress has become an integral part of people's lives. Stress is the number one cause of disturbances in sleep patterns in people. Increasing anxiety and stress, people have difficulty in falling asleep every day. Along with stress and anxiety, fear, depression or any illness can also cause disturbances in sleep.

Consumption of caffeine containing products like coffee, sodas also lead to insomnia or lack of sleep.

There are several sleep disorders that can cause disturbance in the sleeping pattern. For e.g., disorders like insomnia, parasomnia, dyspnoea, can also be the potential causes for this condition. Therefore, we observe that this condition can be caused by as simple a condition as lack of physical activity, disturbances in the environment; or due to complex disorders like side effects of certain medication, illness or anxiety.

It should also be noted that sleep pattern and depression are related to each other. Depression can be one of the major causes if a person suffers from sleep disorders for a long time, without any known abnormality.

Sleep Disorder Symptoms

Difficulty in falling asleep is the most common and obvious symptom of sleeping disorders. The person may also wake up very early than usual, feeling of exhausted. These symptoms are accompanied by several other symptoms like feeling sleepy during the day, irritability, lethargy, fatigue, weakness, disorientation, inability to concentrate, frequent yawning and having dark circles under eyes. They look exhausted, have a blank expression on their face; and may show short temper and agitation.

Sleep disorders can also give rise to symptoms like bed wetting, sleep talking, sleepwalking in toddlers.

Sleep Disorder Treatment

It is essential to find out the root cause of sleep disorder in order to look for proper treatment. In case, the disorder is found only in one or two instances, there is nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if it appears frequently, one should surely look for professional help to treat it.

Sleep pattern disturbance related to pain or illness can be treated by treating the underlying illness itself with proper medical help. Other sleep disorders can also be treated with the help of medications and therapy. It is advised that people should not go for sleep medications without prescription, as they can be addictive and cause several side effects.

Self-help Methods

• Stress, anxiety, fear, should be reduced by following proper relaxation techniques. Techniques like yoga and meditation help in the same.
• People should avoid having caffeine containing products like coffee as they are related to insomnia. Similarly, smoking and drinking should also be reduced and avoided before bedtime.
• You should carry out at least one physical activity every day or exercise regularly to have sound sleep.
• You should follow a proper sleeping pattern or schedule, and avoid sleeping for long hours during the day.
• Lastly, you should note that the bedroom should be peaceful and quiet so as to avoid any disturbance while sleeping.

Proper sleep is essential for overall well-being. Therefore, you should treat sleep disorders with proper methods or professional help at the earliest.

Sleep: How much you require?

Night is the time when you shut your eyes and enter a world of dreams which is considered to be a critical part of leading a healthy life. This is because after a day’s hard work, the muscles need rest. But the question is how much of rest is required?

To sleep means leaving your worries and tension and opinions differentiate on the exact amount of sleep required. An important thing to note is that you need to decide your sleep and waking time. Therefore, it is you who can judge the right time for your muscles to charge up. But psychologists say, a fully-grown human being requires 7-9 hours of sleep. If you are on the bed for more than that time, there is something wrong with your sleep mechanism.

What happens when adequate sleep is not taken?

It is not a rocket science to understand that your health will take a dent if you don’t sleep well. In fact, you will feel the effect after a bad sleep. A medical study found that individuals who are regularly denied proper sleep, meaning five hours or less every night, is vulnerable to cardiovascular issues and high blood pressure.

Further, lack of adequate sleep could trigger symptoms of obesity, diabetes, etc. Your behaviour may become erratic or you could possibly indulge in alcoholism. Your concentration will lapse and may experience mood swings. Other problems like killing sex drive, early ageing, forgetfulness, unwanted weight gain may be knocking at your door. 

What happens when it is?

• Some years of life are added, i.e. you may live longer, as per a study.
• Your mind will work full throttle, generating new ideas as your components gets strengthened.
• If you are a school going child, you could immensely improve in studies, perform well. Late night studies have proven to be harmful to health.
• No matter how hard you try to rid your excessive fat, you won’t succeed until you get the right amount of sleep.
• Stress is a major health issue these days and sleeping well helps in reducing that.

Your body gives you the strength to perform stringent of tasks during the day. The onus is upon you to replicate the favour. You need to give it back proper time to relax and prepare for the next day.