Have you ever experienced waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep no matter how hard you’ve tried? It can be frustrating and inconvenient. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you need to be aware of the causes because lack of sleep can negatively affect your overall health. We all know that sleep is a necessity for us to have a sound mind and body. It’s a natural part of life that we all should have.
If you’re an adult and you’re not meeting the ideal sleep pattern, it may be because of the following reasons explained below. Knowing the causes of your messy sleeping pattern will help you to achieve an undisturbed and well-rested sleep.
Let’s get started with the reasons!
1. Your Age Is Affecting Your Sleep Pattern
It is normal for your sleeping pattern to change as you get older. One of the reasons for this change is because of your body’s chemicals and hormones. Older adults aged 65 or older produce less melatonin. Melatonin is the natural hormone that helps to regulate the sleep cycle. Just because you do sleep less, does not mean it is ideal for you though! Your natural circadian rhythm is drastically different when you are young, which is why teenagers stay up late and sleep well into the morning. Their hormone cycles shift to this pattern naturally.
2. Medication You Are Taking
Some medications can keep you awake at night, while others can help you fall asleep quickly. It depends on what kind of medication you are taking, but any drug that passes the blood-brain barrier has the potential to alter the quality of your sleep. If you suspect your medication is causing sleeping issues, talk to your doctor to see if you can try an alternative, but make sure not to stop any medications without speaking to your primary care physician!
3. You Have a Certain Health Condition
If you’re constantly having trouble sleeping, perhaps you have a certain health condition that needs medical attention. You need to have 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to feel rested and alert. Once there are too many interruptions in between, you will likely feel tired, and it can compromise the way you think, feel, and work.
To know if your sleep disruption has something to do with a specific health condition, here are some of the conditions that you should know about:
- Sleep Apnea – Sleep apnea is the most common sleeping disorder that can occur hundreds of times in a single night. This type of disorder causes a person’s breathing to abnormally stop and start, which can cause drop sin oxygenation and spikes in heart rate. Common signs of sleep apnea include snoring loudly, gasping, or snorting when they start breathing again.
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) – Dealing with pain is a great hindrance when you are trying to sleep. If you have an RLS condition, your leg will feel pain or discomfort. It usually occurs when you are sitting or lying down, and it will feel like your legs can’t stay still.
- Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) – PLMD is another condition that affects your sleep pattern. Just as its name entails, it causes you to periodically and usually without conscious control, move your legs while you sleep. While most of the time, you don’t know you’re doing it, it can still prevent you from having a good night’s sleep, and you can feel its effect in the morning once you feel daytime fatigue. There is also a link to PLMD and leg, joint or back pain upon waking, as the body seems to require stillness to heal your everyday wear and tear.
Conclusion
Never take your sleep for granted. You should give importance to the quality of your sleep because it can improve the quality of your life. Having a well-rested mind and body can give you enough energy to get through the day and boost your immune system to prevent you from having other health concerns. We know that lack of sleep is linked to chronic illness such as heart disease and diabetes.
If you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, Sleep Better Live Better in North Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria can help you! We can provide you with sleep solutions to address your sleep problems with the help of our team of sleep specialists. Get in touch with us today!
