Sleep disorders affect both your physical and mental state. Read what you can do yourself to avoid your sleep problems turning into insomniacs.
The human body needs enough restful sleep.
- If we don’t get enough sleep, our performance will drop significantly after a very short time
- In the long run, a lack of sleep can even cause serious illnesses and permanent complaints.
- Sleep disorders are therefore a serious problem that is best dealt with directly.
Fortunately, there are many ways and means that can help you sleep better again.
In this extensive guide on sleep disorders and sleep problems, I have summarized the following topics for you:
As you can see in the table of contents, there is a lot of information about sleep disorders. But let’s start with the most important thing: Don’t worry after a sleepless night or two.
Over 20 percent of the population sometimes sleeps poorly.
While this is not ideal either, it cannot be compared with a chronic sleep disorder, which usually has serious health effects.
In the following post (and in other articles on this website) you will find many tools that will help you sleep better in the future.
Index
General information about sleep disorders
The term “sleep disorder” encompasses many very different sleep impairments.
The scientific name for these problems are insomnia , Hyposomnie or Agrypnie .
Both agrypnia and the more widely used and better known term insomnia stand for sleep disorders when falling asleep or staying asleep (read more about sleep problems here ).
Hypnosomnia generally means “too little sleep”, sometimes hypnosomnia ( lack of sleep ) can occur without the person concerned suffering from specific problems.
- Especially with a very long process, some people “get used” to sleep very little.
- In addition to external factors such as noise and light, which have a negative effect on sleep, there are also disease-related sleep disorders.
I will go into the causes of sleep disorders separately later.
When do sleep problems become a sleep disorder?
A general distinction is made between sleep problems and sleep disorders.
Almost everyone knows sleep problems and around 20 percent of the population sometimes have problems falling asleep or sleeping through the night.
Experts speak of a sleep disorder when the sleep problems are chronic and persist for several months.
The causes of insomnia are usually much more extensive and complex than those that cause a few sleepless nights.
Fact : Only 6 percent of the German population suffer from chronic sleep disorders.
So with just a few restless nights you can be as good as certain that you are not suffering from a sleep disorder.
When should you see a doctor if you have trouble sleeping?
The first time you have trouble sleeping, do not worry too much.
Often there are everyday problems, which are also of a temporary nature, which cause restless sleep and short nights.
You should only make an appointment with your doctor if you have had poor sleep for a long time or if you suspect that your sleep problems are due to illness.
They will listen to your symptoms and refer you to an expert if necessary.
Tip : Make a note of your sleep behavior in a sleep diary in order to give your doctor specific data for the diagnosis.
How a sleep diary can help you
Make a note of when you go to sleep, when you wake up, and how many times you woke up during the night.
You can also record things like snoring , your sleeping position , a pillow that is too hard, or shoulder pain after getting up .
If you want, there are ready-made versions available that make it easier to write down your sleeping habits every day.
With this data, the doctor can get a much more accurate picture of how serious your sleep problems are. He can more easily recognize whether a sleep disorder is already present and treat it accordingly.
The more precisely you keep your sleep diary, the more helpful it is.
Tip: There are other ways to monitor your sleep . Modern apps for mobile phones even record how often they move.
This provides information about how long the sleep phases last and how deep or restful your sleep really is.
Causes of Insomnia
Problems sleeping can have very different causes. However, most of them are ephemeral and only ensure a few sleepless nights.
What is particularly striking is how much our mind determines the night’s rest. Those who are busy with problems often cannot rest even at night and literally roll over their problems in bed.
- Most of the time, the resulting sleep problems are just as fleeting as the problems they cause.
- Once these problems resolve, most people will sleep just as well as before.
If you want to learn more about how sleep problems and sleep disorders arise, I can recommend the article “ The causes of sleep disorders ”.
This goes into detail on all possible causes. However, I would like to mention some special cases here:
(To jump to the next chapter, the consequences of insomnia, please click here ).
Sleep disorders during menopause
Just as hormonal changes can be responsible for restless sleep during pregnancy, this can also happen in women during menopause.
The woman’s body is subject to drastic changes during the menopause, which often brings with it some unwelcome side effects.
In addition to heat waves, sleep problems are a relatively common phenomenon. You can find many more details on this topic in the article ” Sleep Disorders During Menopause ” on this website .
Difficulty sleeping during pregnancy
During pregnancy, women who have always had a very good and peaceful sleep can suddenly find themselves confronted with sleep problems.
These are expressed in the fact that suddenly there are problems falling asleep, women often wake up at night or feel tired and exhausted in the morning.
Hormonal changes in the expectant mother’s body are often responsible for these sleep disorders.
You can find more on this special topic in this article, which is exclusively dedicated to the topic of ” Sleep disorders in pregnancy “.
Sleep disorders in children
Children need significantly more sleep than adults and the younger a child is, the more important it is to get a good night’s sleep.
But even with children there are more and more problems in the sleep phase, and for very different reasons.
From teething in small children to adolescent changes in the body of adolescents to performance stress in school, there are many causes that can cause sleep disorders in children.
However, very few are of a serious nature.
In our article on ” Sleep Disorders in Children ” you will find all the important information and practical tips that you can use to help your child sleep better again.
Incidentally, parents often sleep much better when they know that their children are sleeping well.
Consequences of insomnia
In the following I would like to give you some information about the consequences of lack of sleep.
Please do not let this worry you, however, as already mentioned there are only a few people who actually suffer from chronic sleep disorders and experience the symptoms described here.
With the first sleep problems, the following symptoms appear almost immediately:
- Fatigue during the day
- Increased irritability
- Lack of concentration
- Less power
Often it is colleagues and family members who make those affected aware of your changed behavior.
Even after the first sleepless nights, the risk of accidents and injuries increases.
Health consequences of chronic sleep disorders
If the sleep disorder is chronic, constant fatigue will affect the entire body over time. In the medium term, the following clinical pictures can occur:
- high blood pressure
- Cardiovascular problems
- Stomach discomfort
- Immune system weakness
- Accelerated aging process
- Declining life expectancy
Many medical examinations have examined and proven the effects of lack of sleep . Only those who sleep between seven and eight hours a day can avoid more serious health problems.
Sleep deprivation is torture
It is no coincidence that sleep deprivation is one of the most common torture methods.
Systematic sleep deprivation prevents clear thinking and slowly but surely breaks the will.
Sleep deprivation is considered “white torture” because it leaves no traces and is undetectable. However, the consequences of sleep deprivation are severe for those affected.
What you can do yourself if you have trouble sleeping
Depending on the cause of your sleep disorder, there are different means with which you can alleviate it.
Starting with mild home remedies and homeopathy to prescription drugs.
Sometimes it is even necessary to visit a special sleep laboratory, in which your sleep behavior is conscientiously analyzed down to the smallest detail.
If this is your first time having trouble sleeping, you should try these rather gentle tips first:
The five best tips for your first sleep problems
- Switch off through meditation or autogenic training
- Soothing Herbal & Schlaftees drink
- Maintain a regular sleep routine
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine
- Create the perfect sleeping environment
These five tips are the simplest steps to prepare your body for the rest phase to begin shortly. Often they can already be very helpful in alleviating simple sleep problems.
If these tips do not have the desired effect and you want to take further steps against your sleep problems, read the additional article on ” Sleep disorders: The best home remedies “.
In the case of chronic sleep disorders, however, therapy from a specialist is sometimes necessary. But even then, the points mentioned above will have a positive effect on the success of the treatment.
Either way, you can start improving your sleep today.
Treat sleep disorders
If your sleep problems increase and are already chronic in nature, you should definitely consult a doctor.
This can make an accurate diagnosis to find out what causes your sleep disorder.
In the case of illness-related sleep disorders, both drug treatments and psychological therapies are extremely successful. Both should always take place under medical supervision.
Note: Avoid taking any sleeping pills that are not specifically prescribed for you. Many of the active ingredients in these can very quickly create addictions that make your sleep problem significantly worse.
Behavioral training instead of medication for sleep disorders
Almost all sleep experts agree that it is far more helpful to conduct behavioral therapy than to induce artificial sleep with medication.
Many people have to relearn how to sleep soundly again.
- Behavioral therapy usually begins with relaxing your own body and switching off your mind.
- Depending on the patient, there are very different methods of stress reduction and muscle relaxation.
The best thing about this form of therapy, however, is that there are virtually no side effects and only a little patience is required to achieve very positive results.
Drug therapy in severe cases
However, there are also sleep disorders that have physical causes and cannot be eliminated with behavioral changes.
- Doctors often turn to drugs such as diazepam or doxepin when anxiety or psychological problems are the cause.
- Many prescription drugs also have side effects and should only be taken under medical supervision.
Fortunately, in many cases this is not necessary – the earlier you steer against it, the better.
You should get treatment for sleep disorders as early as possible
The sooner you recognize sleep disorders and have them treated, the greater the chance of a complete cure.
Many measures require your active cooperation, because only if you consciously do something about the causes of the sleep disorders can they completely disappear.
Reading tip: An overview of the best sleep aids .
What is certain is that constant lack of sleep and restless sleep has a negative impact on everyone and leads to health problems in the medium term.
The performance and concentration decrease and severe functional disorders of the body are often the result.
Sleeping little is not a sign of efficiency!
Unfortunately, especially nowadays it is more and more accepted that people are regularly exposed to stress due to their job, which also affects their sleep behavior.
In Western cultures, people who get by with little sleep are considered particularly effective.
Make sure you get a good and long sleep every day – an extended nap or short power naps can also help.
The more restful you sleep, the better you will feel in the long term.
More about sleep disorders
I hope this article on sleep disorders has been helpful to you.
You are also welcome to browse the other categories and find out which measures you can take to improve your sleep.
In general, if you pay attention to your sleeping habits, you will lower the risk of sleep disorders.
The numerous guides on this page will hopefully help you:
- The bedroom category provides helpful tips on how to best furnish your bedroom .
- In the next section you will find more information on common sleep problems and sleep disorders .
- We explain current studies (understandable for everyone) in the category of sleep research .
- General tips & strategies for a healthy night’s sleep can be found here: Sleep better .
Of course, there are also other guides specifically on the subject of sleep disorders:
Everything about sleep disorders
Home remedies for sleep disorders
Sleep disorders during menopause
Thanks for reading!
I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.