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.

What Happens When We Are Depressed

When you suffer from depression, you may not just feel low; a number of other symptoms can also affect you:

1. Appetite: You may lose your appetite or develop a tendency for overeating.
2. Concentration: You may have difficulty focusing on things such as listening to music, watching television, reading books, or talking to other people.
3. Energy: You may feel tired all the time, have little energy and not be bothered to do things, or do them only with a lot of effort on your part.
4. Interest: You may lose interest in hobbies and sex, and find that nothing really gives you pleasure anymore.
5. Movement: You or other people may notice that you’re moving or speaking much slower than you used to. Or, you may be more fidgety or restless, moving around much more than usual.
6. Self-worth: You may feel that you’ve let yourself or other people down and feel bad about yourself. You may see yourself as a failure.
7. Sleep: You may find getting to sleep difficult, or you wake up once or more times in the middle of the night or too early in the morning. Alternatively, you may find that you sleep too much, and struggle to get up.
8. Thoughts of self-harm: You may have thoughts that you’d be better off dead, that the world would be better off without you or that life is just not worth living anymore. Or, you may think that you want to hurt yourself in some other way. Such thoughts can be very distressing.

If you recognise any of the above symptoms in yourself-particularly if they’ve been going on for a couple of weeks or longer, or they’re severe, consult your psychiatrist without delay. Various treatments, including talking therapies and medication, are available to you and can be very effective in getting you back on track.

Common reasons for feeling low

If you feel low, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you suffer from depression. Here are some other common causes of low mood-which may at times turn into a ‘full’ depression:

1. Bereavement and major life events: A time of mourning is a natural reaction to the death of someone close, and you’re bound to feel low for a while, often for weeks, months or even years. Sometimes, other life events such as getting divorced or losing your job can lead to a period of feeling low. Seek medical advice when the death of a close person is affecting you more than you’d expect or when you find that getting back on with your day-to-day life is difficult.
2. Illness: Many infectious diseases and chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis can be accompanied by symptoms of depression. If your depressive symptoms last for longer than a couple of weeks or they’re very severe, consult your psychiatrist.
3. Medication: Certain drugs such as the oral contraceptive pill and blood pressure lowering medication can sometimes make you feel depressed. Check the information sheets that come with any medication that you take for possible effects on your mood, and consult your psychiatrist if you’re concerned.
4. Stress: Feeling overworked or under pressure at home or work can bring on stress and low mood, particularly when this situation has been going on for a while.

Taking the first step towards getting help if you suffer from symptoms of depression can take a bit of courage. You’ve got a very good chance of getting better after receiving appropriate treatment, and your psychiatrist should be the first port of call.