Inability to sleep properly could be the biggest troubling
factor for the physical and mental well-being.....what are some reasons.....how
to get over those..........?
Most of it might be due to the altered circadian rhythm as a
result of improper sleep/wake cycle and the good news is..............it’s
temporary.
Insomnia- inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep, which could be acute(1 night to few
weeks), chronic(at least 3 nights per week for more than 3 months), or at times
associated with other diseases- Asthma, Heartburn, Hyperthyroidism, Cancer,
Pain or Alcohol (co morbid insomnia). Reasons could be
Financial Pressure, Death of loved ones, Divorce, Jet lag or,simply, too much
noise in the surrounding. To cure it, lifestyle alterations-regular exercise,
maintenance of sleep/wake schedule, natural light exposure during day and hot shower before bed time- in a healthy
person is recommended; however, pharmacological agents (antidepressants, benzodiazepines) have
to be used in chronic patients or those with associated disorders, upon advice
by health care professionals only.
Sleep Apnea- breathing stops for a time being while the
person is sleeping, due to relaxation of the throat and tongue musculature.
This mainly troubles those who are overweight or in minority of cases, people
with narrow airway. When the air way
gets blocked due to intermittent relaxation of muscles, it results in snoring.
Other symptoms could be daytime sleepiness, dry mouth, increased blood pressure
and morning headache. Naturally, this issue, if not serious, could easily be
cured by maintaining healthy weight and sleeping in the lateral position. Positive airway pressure in the
windpipe could also be maintained by a device while the person is sleeping-CPAP
(continuous positive airway pressure). Another option is a mouthpiece to
thrust the lower jaw forward during sleep. In some cases, surgery may be an
option too.
Narcolepsy-
excessive daytime sleepiness that’s uncontrollable .Individual suddenly looses
muscle tone and, at times, hallucinations are not uncommon. The main cause of
this disorder is thought to be the lack of neuropeptide called hypocretin
( orexin), might be due to genetic factors or autoimmune disease.
Pharmacological treatment includes stimulants and antidepressants.
Restless legs syndrome-uncontrollable urge to move legs
typically after the sun sets,mainly while lying down or sitting ,which can
interrupt sleep. Generally getting up and moving around will result in
discontinuation of the urge, but sometimes, medicine (dopamine agonists) are
prescribed by the health care professionals.
Even after the naturally trying to cure the issue, the
symptoms do not get better, go see the Doctor...............!!
Have a nice sleep.!