Sleep Disturbances
Sleep disturbances refer to problems with the quality, timing, and amount of sleep, which can negatively affect daytime functioning and health. Common types of sleep disturbances include:
- Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep. Symptoms involve trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, early morning awakenings, and an inability to go back to sleep.
- Sleep Apnea: Impaired breathing during sleep, causing loud snoring, gasping/snorting noises, and long pauses between breaths. This interrupts the sleep cycle all night.
- Restless Leg Syndrome: Unpleasant tingling, pulling, creeping, or painful sensations in the legs, driving an uncontrollable urge to move them. Symptoms are worse at night during periods of inactivity.
- Periodic Limb Movement Disorder: Involuntary leg twitches or jerking movements during sleep that repeat every 20-40 seconds.
- Circadian Rhythm Disorders: Problems with the timing of sleep due to a misalignment between the body's internal "circadian" clock and the external 24-hour day/night cycle. Examples include jet lag, shift work disorder, and delayed sleep phase syndrome common in teens.
The consequences of ongoing sleep disturbances include:
- Daytime fatigue/sleepiness
- Cognitive impairments like poor concentration
- Mood changes - irritability, anxiety or depression
- Reduced motivation
- Increased errors or accidents
- Weakened immune system
To alleviate sleep disturbances, it's advisable to:
- Stick to a regular sleep-wake schedule
- Improve sleep "hygiene" by limiting light and screen exposure before bedtime
- Reduce alcohol intake
- Exercise during the day
- Establish a calming pre-bedtime routine
- Use cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques to alleviate anxiety/rumination
For persistent or severe cases, consult your physician. You may need specific medical tests (e.g., sleep studies) to determine the exact cause, or short-term sleep medication combined with behavior changes. Addressing sleep disturbances promptly leads to better health!
Let me know if you have any other questions!