Sleep disorders - causes - treatment methods
Sleep gives the body the rest it needs after a great effort in order to regain its activity and calmness for the next day and to store energy, and in regulating memory and other mental and mental processes.
It also has an effect on regulating the immune system and its various actions, and it has an indispensable role in hormonal secretions. It is a necessity for all creatures to restore and maintain life balance. A normal person spends about a third of his life sleeping, and during this long time, many changes and important organic functions of the body occur.
What are Sleep disorders
A sleep disorder is a state of irregular sleep that accompanies sleep in terms of its duration, time, type, or whatever During which there is behavior or activity that contradicts the state of sleep, which indicates that sleep has not been achieved as required.
Insomnia symptoms
Including the following:
- having trouble going to sleep at night.
- having a nighttime awakening.
- rising early.
- feeling sleep deprived after a night's sleep.
- sluggishness or fatigue during the day.
- Anxiety, despair, or nervousness.
- Having trouble focusing on tasks
- many mistakes and mishaps.
- tension-related headache.
- intestinal signs and symptoms.
- worry about sleep all the time.
Specific types of sleep
Mental health professionals have identified many sleep-related disorders, and they are classified into two groups:
- Difficulty sleeping
Sleep difficulties include a group of disorders that affect the amount, quality and timing of sleep, and are characterized by a clear imbalance in the number of hours of sleep, in its quality, and in its specific times, including:
- Insomnia : varies to Insomnia at the beginning of sleep, insomnia to continue and maintain the state of sleep, insomnia at the end of sleep.
- hypersomnia disorder : This disorder is characterized by increased hours of sleep, where the individual feels constant sleepiness and episodes of long sleep and the state of sleep is either a daytime sleep for long periods, or a night sleep that lasts until late hours of the last day of the next day.
- Disruption of sleep-wake schedule : It is the loss of synchronization between the sleep and wake programs and the sleep and wakefulness program desired by those around the individual, resulting in a complaint of either insomnia or excessive sleep. This is why a disturbance in the sleep schedule, timing, or rhythm of sleep and wakefulness is characterized by the presence of a complaint of hypersomnia.
- Sleep disturbances
It includes three groups:
- Disorders of disturbing sleep dreams and nightmares : They are nocturnal episodes of intense panic and panic accompanied by loud noises, excessive movement and high levels of autonomic nervous activity.
- sleep wandering disorder : It means walking during sleep with the person’s eyes closed sometimes, or sometimes open, and sometimes even responding to some questions. Unconsciousness that cannot be released while awake.
- Talking at night : A condition in which a group of useful or unhelpful words or sentences is repeated. Or he may call or beg someone while sleeping.
Causes of sleep disorders
There are numerous potential reasons of insomnia, and frequently, there may be several contributing aspects. Insomnia is a complicated web of causes and effects since it can lead to or worsen various medical conditions. These are a few of the explanations:
- Physical stress and nervous system disorders
- Emotional disorders, anxiety, stress and depression
- Noise, bed type, bedroom temperature and sleeping habits
- Wrong diet and wrong sleep habits
How to treat insomnia
The primary treatment for insomnia is to get rid of all the factors that lead to it, such as taking stimulant drugs
Poor sleep habits Changes in sleeping habits and addressing the factors that cause insomnia may restore many people's ability to sleep well.
The following treatments are used to solve the problem of insomnia:
- Learn good sleep habits, which are: making a regular sleep schedule, providing a comfortable environment for sleep and avoiding any physical activity before bed.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy by eliminating negative thoughts and worrying about staying awake.
- Relaxation techniques and techniques such as breathing exercises relieve stress before bed.
- Reducing the time you stay awake in bed, and do not go to sleep unless it is urgently needed.
- Phototherapy.
- Taking sleeping pills may help. These include: ( Zolpidem ) ( Zaleplon ) ( Ramelteon ) . Doctors usually advise not to rely on prescription medications for more than a few weeks.
Tips to help solve insomnia
- Exercising daily for half an hour, provided that it is separated from bedtime by hours.
- You should constantly review your medications, whether prescription or nonprescription, to make sure that they are not the cause of insomnia.
- Avoid naps during the day because they make it difficult to go to sleep at night, and if you cannot do without them, try to make them not exceed half an hour and not be after three in the afternoon.
- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine, especially from lunch to night.
- If you feel pain, get rid of it by taking painkillers.
- Try to keep the time to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.