Four common sleep problems you shouldn’t ignore
Do you struggle to fall asleep? Do you always feel like getting a good night’s rest is like trying to calm a storm by just looking at it? It doesn’t work. It’s like you’re trying to perform a miracle just to sleep.
Your mind is racing with thoughts, never quite settling down long enough for you to get a good shut-eye. You try to will it. But it exceeds your grasp.
A lot of people struggle to fall asleep at one time or another. Whether it comes from stress, illness, work commitment and other interference to your daily routine. But if sleep difficulties are a consistent problem to you and affecting your personal and professional life, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder.
Here are four common types of sleep disorders and how to deal with them:
1.Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to repose at night when you need to, feeling wide awake or struggling to remain asleep. This is a common sleep problem that a lot of people suffer from.
People that experience insomnia can stay up at night for hours, eyes wide awake incapable of getting a wink of sleep. This obviously will lead to waking in the morning and feeling like you only slept for 10 minutes. Which is not a great way to start the day, especially if you’re supposed to get ready for work.
Regular insomnia can lead to chronic insomnia, which is when a person has more than three episodes in a week for three months or longer. The common causes of chronic insomnia are depression, anxiety and illness.
Adjust your sleep routine and deal with the problems that could trigger your insomnia, such as managing your stress levels and avoiding caffeine a few hours before going to bed. These small changes will help your mind and body to stay relaxed to sleep better.
2.Back Pain
Back pain can turn your sleep into the agony that never ends. It makes falling asleep impossible with all the discomfort you’re feeling. Forget the saying’ sleep like a baby’ when you can’t even find a comfortable position to sleep.
Various reasons can cause back pain, which includes:
- Sprains and injury.
- Spine-related problems like a slipped disc.
- Illnesses such as scoliosis, kidney stones and arthritis.
- An uncomfortable mattress. (When was the last time you invested in a good mattress?)
Change your sleeping positions by placing extra pressure on the hips, neck and lower back. If you’re sleeping on your back, put a pillow under your knees. This will promote a better alignment for your spine. And if you lie on your stomach, place a soft pillow under your lower abdomen.
When you have chronic back pain, experts recommend changing your mattress. Learn the different types of mattresses and choose something that supports your back when you sleep.
Doing so is a good investment and ensures you rest through the night without disrupting the quality of your sleep.
3.Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
Someone that suffers from Restless Leg Syndrome has difficulty sleeping because of the constant need to move the legs when resting. This is a medical condition that often leads to sleep deprivation.
The agitation in the legs is usually described as aching, sore, burning, and throbbing. Some Restless Leg Syndrome sufferers also reported similar symptoms in other parts of the body, including the torso and arms.
To reduce the sensation of Restless Leg Syndrome, try a hot or cold compression. This can soothe the muscles and may help you sleep through the night. Another thing to do is massaging and moving your legs. This helps with blood circulation and reduce discomfort so you’ll feel more relaxed.
4.Sleep Apnea
Some people handle snoring lightly, and some feel embarrassed about it. But loud snoring may be an indication of sleep apnea.
A classic symptom of sleep apnea include loud snoring, daytime drowsiness, inability to focus, choking and waking at night while feeling out of breath. Sleep apnea occurs when the respiratory tract is blocked, causing pauses in breathing, hence the loud snoring.
Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Seek treatment and consult with your doctor to control your snoring issue. Untreated sleep apnea could lead to serious health problems if prolonged.
If snoring is causing you (or your partner) to struggle to fall asleep, you can buy nasal strips to open your nasal passages, change your sleeping position, consume less alcohol before bed or purchase a new Sealy pillow. Allergens in your old pillow might contribute to snoring.
The bottom line
Sleeping should be one of the most natural and most comforting things you can do. But if you struggle to fall asleep, determine what’s causing the issue and take steps to resolve it.
The problem could be a medical reason, or it could simply mean it’s time you get a quality mattress that makes sleeping a pleasure again.
So make sure to take action and take your time to do it. You’ll get to enjoy more out of life when you finally get to sleep well.
