Identify Your Sleep Impairment
One of the challenges of treating a sleep impairment is first recognizing that you have one. Many of us shrug off the symptoms, refusing to treat them as anything serious. In some cases, we may tell ourselves “get more sleep,” but this is easier said than done.
To be successful, you need to make a concerted effort to fix the mounting problem: a lack of sleep. If not, then the only thing that will pass is time. Here’s a quick primer of common sleep disorders to give you a head start on identifying your sleep deprivation issues:
Insomnia: A common sleep disorder that’s defined by sleepless nights. You may have difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep and as a result, you often wake up feeling tired. Fatigue is a warning sign, which can lead to irritability, drowsiness, and daytime sleepiness.
Sleep Apnea: Though there are three types of sleep apnea, the most common is “obstructive sleep apnea,” which occurs when enough air isn’t able to get through your mouth/nose and into the lungs.
As a result, your breathing will grow shallow and in some cases, cease completely – at least for a few seconds. This tells your body to re-trigger the breathing process, so you may snort, cough, or snore.
You’ll resume sleeping, but it’s been interrupted, so the quality isn’t there and you’ll begin seeing signs of sleep deprivation. Not everyone who snores suffers from sleep apnea.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): If you suffer from RLS, you’re literally unable to rest your legs, just as the name implies. For a number of reasons – including a burning, crawling, or tingling sensation – you may feel the need to attend to your legs. By moving them, the sensation is addressed, but the result is a restless sleep.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD): Similar to RLS, if you have PLMD, then you move often during sleep. However, unlike RLS, the movement is involuntary. The limbs move periodically in twitches or jerks.
This usually takes place in the legs, but for some, the arms are also affected. These movements – though you may be unaware of them – lead to a restless sleep. Upon waking up, the deprivation is apparent through the moodiness, fatigue, or drowsiness that you feel.
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS): If you’re suffering from DSPS, it seems as if your circadian rhythm (an internal 24-hour cycle) is off by half a day, and you’re unable to sleep during nighttime hours. As a result, you need to sleep during the day, which can seriously interfere with your lifestyle – from work to quality time spent with the family.
Narcolepsy: A dangerous disorder defined by excessive sleepiness during the daytime, as well as periods when the body’s muscles are weakened into a state of cataplexy. You’re at risk when you’re doing everyday tasks, like driving a car from Point A to Point B, since a narcoleptic attack could occur at any time.
In addition to these sleep impairments, there are also others – such as snoring, seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.), night terrors, and sleepwalking. All of them can lead to sleep deprivation and each is sure to have a physical, mental, or emotional impact on your life.
It’s important that if a sleep disorder is present, that you identify and address it quickly. You may have to try different methods to find a solution that works best for you.
How to Eat to Sleep
There are over-the-counter sleep aids, prescription medications, and techniques you can use to train yourself to have better sleep habits. But one area you may not have considered is controlling your sleep success through your food choices!
We like to joke about having to nap after a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, but there’s some truth behind that kidding. There really are foods that help you sleep – and some that keep you awake, so if you’re suffering from a sleep disorder, you’ll want to consider your food choices carefully!
Certain foods create a calming effect on your brain, while others rev it up for more activity. Turkey is a sleep-aiding food, because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that your body uses to produce serotonin, which calms your brain and helps you sleep.
It’s kind of like sewing a piece of clothing – you can make a shirt without a needle, thread, and fabric. Your body needs tryptophan to help it create neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin, which result in a restful sleep.
When you combine tryptophan-laden foods with carbohydrates, it helps the body absorb it so that you sleep better. Regular high-protein diets can keep you awake if they’re no paired with carbs because proteins contain tyrosine, which wakes you up!
To leverage your food choices, try to pair proteins and carbs the way you want your body to work throughout the day. Choose higher protein meals in the morning and afternoon, and eat more carbs in the evenings closer to bedtime.
You can’t exclude the tryptophan because an all-carb meal will defeat the purpose, keeping you awake even more. If you can sneak some calcium into your evening meal, you’ll reap even greater rewards, since calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan.
Foods that are high in tryptophan include beans, chicken, dairy, eggs, hazelnuts, hummus, lentils, meat, peanuts, rice, soy, seafood, sesame and sunflower seeds, and whole grains. So a perfect evening snack might be whole grain cereal with milk or even oatmeal cookies with milk.
Full meals could include veggies with meat or chicken, chili and beans, or pasta with cheese. Just remember that when you over-indulge on a meal, it may cause you to not sleep as well – since your digestive system will be working overtime.
When you eat tryptophan, the sleep-inducing effects won’t take place immediately. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour for you to begin feeling drowsy, so eat early in the evening.
Aside from tryptophan, there are other foods you should be aware of in regards to how it affects your slumber, like caffeine for instance. Caffeine can be found in many products – even your over-the-counter cold medicine! It stimulates your nervous system, keeping you awake – even when you don’t want to be.
Keep a food journal to see how your nighttime meals affect your slumber. If you discover that certain foods keep you up at night, try to move those to the early menu of your day and reserve the evening for foods that are “sleep-friendly.”
Does Your Sleep Attack Without Warning?
Chronic sleep disorders can be paralyzing, depending on their severity. Narcolepsy is one of the most damaging sleep disorders because it strikes without warning, sending you into a sudden state of sleep. This sleep disorder can begin younger than 10 years of age, on into your 30s. It’s rare for it to show up in your 40s or later.
A narcoleptic person can’t stay awake for any long period of time – even if they’ve had plenty of sleep the night before. It’s difficult to enjoy your personal life, let alone manage your professional responsibilities at work.
Narcolepsy sometimes gets misdiagnosed as everyday depression, fainting, or seizures. There’s no known cure, but there are ways to manage this particular sleep disorder and lessen the symptoms you experience.
You’ll know if you have narcolepsy if you find you’re abnormally sleepy during the daytime, but not the usual sleepyhead syndrome many people feel. A narcoleptic individual will feel an uncontrolled need to sleep, and they’ll nod off without warning for anywhere from a couple of minutes to a half-hour or more.
It can be humiliating to fall asleep when it’s not the right time or place, and many who suffer from narcolepsy enroll in counseling to help them cope with the sleep disorder and how it affects their life with friends, family, and co-workers.
Another sign that will emerge will be cataplexy, when you lose control of your muscles. You might slur your speech or hang your head, or even fall when your legs give out from beneath you. This symptom can occur daily – or only once or twice a year.
Narcolepsy’s symptoms don’t end there, unfortunately. Some people are paralyzed right before or after their sudden sleeping spells – they can’t move or talk – which is very frightening to you and anyone else watching it happen.
Some people also hallucinate if they have narcolepsy because they fall into a fast REM sleep. They’re half awake and half dreaming, which can be scary depending on what type of dream you’re having at that moment in time.
Lapse of memory can occur with narcolepsy, too. You might be carrying on with your tasks as usual, but unknowingly you’ve had a sleep episode, so you forget what you just did. You wake up and see that you’ve accomplished something (usually not as well as you would if you were fully awake) and you know it’s due to the narcolepsy.
No one really knows what causes narcolepsy, but scientists believe it may be genetics coupled with uncommon brain chemicals that respond to triggers in your environment. They think narcoleptics may have imbalances in the chemicals that regulate sleep, such as a low level of hypocretin, which tells you when to wake up – and stay awake.
If you think you may have narcolepsy, then your doctor will conduct a series of tests to find out if it’s true. You’ll fill out a standard sleep questionnaire and may enroll in an overnight sleep study where they place electrodes on your scalp to monitor your sleep cycles.
It’s important not to ignore this sleep disorder because it can have potentially harmful consequences. Aside from affecting your personal and professional relationships, narcoleptics run the risk of wrecking their cards while driving or causing a fire in their home, such as when they fall asleep in the middle of cooking with hot oil and grease.
If you’re found to have narcolepsy, then you have several treatment options to consider. Everyday stimulants may not be enough to keep you awake, so your doctor might prescribe something stronger, like Provigil.
Antidepressants are often prescribed because they suppress REM sleep and aid in the elimination of cataplexy, paralysis, and hallucinations. Or, your doctor may have you start taking sodium oxybate, which does the same thing antidepressants do but also helps with nighttime sleep.
You also have to be very cautious about making lifestyle changes that can help you control this disorder. Make sure you read labels on medications to see if they cause drowsiness. Simple things, such as making a schedule that includes naps, exercising, and avoiding substances like nicotine and alcohol can curb the effects of narcolepsy.
Don’t feel like narcolepsy has to control your life. Talk to others about what you’re going through and adhere to a safe routine that ensures you won’t harm yourself (or others) if a sudden sleep attack should occur.
How to Get Back to Sleep Once You Wake Up
Having a sleep disorder that’s ongoing can be very frustrating. You’re sick of being irritable, tired of feeling sleepy all day, and too exhausted to think straight and find a solution on your own.
Your anxiety about not sleeping will build over time. As one night turns into one month, you begin to panic, and when you wake up in the middle of the night, your anxiety contributes to you not being able to get back to sleep.
First, think about why you’re not sleeping soundly through the night. Try to remedy any exterior distractions, such as the alarm clock light that glows in your face, the noise you hear outside from the traffic, or a pet that routinely crawls in and out of your bed, waking you up every couple of hours.
Sometimes it’s a habit that you need to change. You may think you’re doing yourself a favor going to bed at 7 PM, but because it’s so early, it might actually be causing you to wake up too early.
Whatever the cause – the solution you seek when you’re awoken during the middle of the night is to get back to sleep. But how – when your frustration is at an all-time high? Make sure you don’t add anything stimulating to the mix.
Flipping on the TV or turning on the light to read a book is only waking you up further. You want to do something relaxing, but don’t lay in bed fuming over the fact that your sleep partner’s snoring woke you up again.
Instead, try visualization or self-hypnosis to calm your nerves and help you fall back asleep. You can release tension to start the visualization process by tensing and releasing different parts of your body, such as your fists, your toes, your shoulders, and more.
Then begin a series of deep breathing exercises. Breathe in deep through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Some people like to focus solely on their breathing to fall back asleep, while others prefer to visual a tranquil scene, like a brook running through a lush forest.
Others like to visualize themselves in the scene, such as a warm day at the beach, listening to the waves roll in and out. If this helps you, try to concentrate on all of your senses during the visualization process.
If you’re unfamiliar with self-hypnosis or visualization, you can invest in some downloads or CDs that provide instructions and guidance in the process as well as ideas and sounds to set the scene for you.
Top 4 sleeping better tips in 2020
How can I improve the quality of my sleep?
17 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night – Healthlinewww.healthline.com › nutrition › 17-tips-to-sleep-better
….https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-betterHere are 17 evidence-based tips to sleep better at night. Increase bright light exposure during the day. … Reduce blue light exposure in the evening. … Don’t consume caffeine late in the day. … Reduce irregular or long daytime naps. … Try to sleep and wake at consistent times. … Take a melatonin supplement. More items…•Feb 27, 202017 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night – Healthline….www.healthline.com › nutrition › 17-tips-to-sleep-better…www.healthline.com › nutrition › 17-tips-to-sleep-better search for: How can I improve the quality of my sleep?
What should I do to get sleep?
20 Simple Ways to Fall Asleep as Fast as Possible – Healthline…www.healthline.com › nutrition › ways-to-fall-asleep
…https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-fall-asleep20 Simple Tips That Help You Fall Asleep QuicklyLower the Room Temperature. Share on Pinterest. … Use the 4-7-8 Breathing Method. … Get on a Schedule. … Experience Both Daylight and Darkness. … Practice Yoga, Meditation, and Mindfulness. … Do Not Look at Your Clock. … Avoid Naps During the Day. … Watch What and When You Eat. More items…•Oct 30, 201720 Simple Ways to Fall Asleep as Fast as Possible – Healthline…www.healthline.com › nutrition › ways-to-fall-asleep…www.healthline.com › nutrition › ways-to-fall-asleep each for: What should I do to get sleep?
How can I relax my mind to sleep?
How to Sleep Better if You’re Stressed | Sleep.orgwww.sleep.org › articles › sleep-better-when-stressed
….https://www.sleep.org/articles/sleep-better-when-stressed/How to Sleep Better if You’re StressedBe Mindful. Shortly before bedtime, try a relaxation strategy that incorporates mindfulness, such as yoga, deep breathing, or meditation, all of which boost sleep time and quality. Skip Screens. … Sip Chamomile Tea. … Take a Hot Bath or Shower. … Do Some Leg Work. … Count Sheep. … Picture Yourself Asleep. … Work Out Early. More items…How to Sleep Better if You’re Stressed | Sleep.org…www.sleep.org › articles › sleep-better-when-stressed…www.sleep.org › articles › sleep-better-when-stresses search for: How can I relax my mind to sleep?
How can I fall asleep in 10 seconds?
How to Fall Asleep Fast in 10, 60, or 120 Seconds – Healthline…www.healthline.com › health › healthy-sleep › fall-asleep-…
…https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/fall-asleep-fastThe military methodRelax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth. Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body. Exhale, relaxing your chest. Relax your legs, thighs, and calves. Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene. More items…How to Fall Asleep Fast in 10, 60, or 120 Seconds – Healthline…www.healthline.com › health › healthy-sleep › fall-asleep-…www.healthline.com › health › healthy-sleep › fall-asleep-…Search for: How can I fall asleep in 10 seconds?
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