Insomnia – what could be the reasons?

Good sleep doesn't just give you energy - it affects the balance of hormones, weight, mood and overall health of the body. Lack of sleep at night leads to exacerbation of somatic and psychiatric diseases, reduces social function and motivation for any activity.

The prevalence of sleep problems is high and increasing. The incidence in the adult population is up to 30%, with women and the elderly more susceptible to this disease. Unfortunately, people often ignore the first manifestations, which is why the condition progresses and leads to depletion of the nervous, immune and other body systems. Therefore, it is important to understand what sleep disorder syndrome is and what its symptoms are. This will help you take timely measures and avoid dangerous consequences.

Sleep disorder has the following types:

1. Insomnia - insomnia
2. Hypersomnias - excessive sleep duration
3. Parasomnias are a sleep disorder that manifests itself in motor and mental pathologies (nightmarish dreams, nocturnal muscle cramps, sleepwalking, etc.)
4. Circadian rhythm disorders
5. Breathing disorders during sleep
6. Sleep movement disorders

A key place among these conditions, as the most common and clinically significant disorder, is insomnia (insomnia). This is a recurring disorder of falling asleep and maintaining sleep, in which the following symptoms are observed:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Frequent awakenings at night
• Waking up too early without feeling fully rested after sleep
• Feeling tired, groggy and irritable during the day

It is believed that an adult needs an average of 7-9 hours of good sleep, school-age children need up to 11 hours, and older people need about 7 hours. In fact, these recommendations are conditional, since the need for rest is influenced not only by age, but also by the characteristics of the body, lifestyle and current events. Therefore, whether sleep is disturbed or not determines not only the number of hours, but also the quality of sleep and a person’s feelings after waking up. If you spend 8 hours in bed, but continue to feel lethargic and tired, then it makes sense to be wary of developing insomnia.

Content:

1. Possible causes of sleep disorders in women
2. How does the violation manifest itself?
3. Help with female insomnia
4. What happens if you ignore insomnia?

Scientists say that the weaker sex is more susceptible to the problem of insomnia. Less deep and interrupted sleep negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, affects the digestive organs, causing gastritis and pancreatitis. Therefore, prevention and treatment of insomnia in women in the initial stages is important.

Prevention methods

In order to prevent insomnia and not resort to long-term therapy, you need to think about preventive measures. A proper day-night schedule, a healthy lifestyle and a normal mental state contribute to normal sleep.

As preventive measures, doctors recommend using the following tips:

• Think positively. Don't fall asleep with negative thoughts. Before going to bed, it is recommended to think about pleasant things. A few hours before bedtime, psychologists suggest making a to-do list for tomorrow so as not to focus on problems at the moment of falling asleep.
• Maintain the regime. You need to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. You should not nap during the daytime.
• Exercise. Regular physical activity contributes to the normal state of the body. However, it is not advisable to exercise in the evening because it can stimulate all systems and make it difficult to fall asleep. Experts suggest not exercising within 4 hours of bedtime.
• Limit stimulants. Doctors do not recommend consuming a lot of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol late in the day. Coffee and cigarettes prevent you from falling asleep and, if used frequently, cause insomnia. Wine, beer and other alcoholic drinks degrade the quality of your vacation.
• Light food. In the evening, nutritionists advise eating low-calorie salads, yoghurts, and cottage cheese. Eating heavy food every day causes insomnia in women.
• Forget about stress. Insomnia is often caused by nervous tension. Reading a book, listening to your favorite music, or taking a hot bath with aromatic oils will help you relax.
• Make your sleeping place comfortable. Optimal temperature and humidity in the bedroom will help you avoid this problem. Additionally, you can use a sleep mask if light bothers you, or earplugs if it is impossible to protect yourself from loud sounds.

Organizing your sleeping area, proper routine and a healthy lifestyle will help you avoid problems with falling asleep and waking up.

All of the above measures will help prevent insomnia in women. All rules include elements of a healthy lifestyle, so you can count on the good condition of the body as a whole.

The range of causes of insomnia is quite wide. To overcome insomnia, you need to determine what caused its development. A woman suffering from sleep disorders should consult a doctor. The doctor will conduct an examination and prescribe an acceptable method of therapy. However, you should not give up on independent measures, which include adjusting your daily schedule and nutrition. Prevention will allow you to never encounter a problem. You can sign up for a consultation with a specialist here for a free online consultation with our specialists.

Possible causes of sleep disorders in women

The relevance of the problem is explained by the characteristics of the female body and the realities of modern life. The frantic pace, attempts to earn money and keep the family in perfect condition lead to overwork, stress and can cause depression.

Other classic reasons:

• wrong lifestyle;
• disruption of daily routine;
• overweight, etc.

In addition to them, there are a number of specific reasons.

Insomnia, the treatment of which in women requires special attention, is often a consequence of hormonal changes during pregnancy. They are combined with mental and physical factors. The changes that occur can cause anxiety and worry in the expectant mother and cause sleep disturbances. They are especially typical for the first and last trimester. In young mothers, chronic lack of sleep is caused by the need to regularly care for the baby. It can cause irritability, outbursts of aggression, and depression.

One of the causes of insomnia in women requiring treatment is menopause. Lack of sleep during this period is fraught with the development of concomitant pathologies:

• neuroses;
• hypertension, tachycardia;
• stroke or heart attack, etc.

Complications

Complications of insomnia:

• increased risk of developing chronic diseases;
• disruption of the immune system;
• obesity;
• slowness of reactions;
• decreased labor productivity;
• mental disorders.

When to see a doctor

What to do about insomnia? People ask this question very often. Going to the doctor is the simplest and most correct answer. Consultation can be obtained from a therapist, neurologist or special sleep specialist. They will study the cause of your problem, prescribe tests if necessary, and, based on the data obtained, solve it using effective and safe methods. In our clinic you can get advice from any of these specialists.

How does the violation manifest itself?

The most common symptom of insomnia is difficulty falling asleep. As a result, a woman develops a specific bedtime ritual. She begins to be afraid to go to bed, because she understands that she will not be able to sleep for a long time.

Insomnia is characterized by:

• a long search for a comfortable position before falling asleep;
• the appearance of painful thoughts and unusual ideas at night;
• light sleep, awakening even from quiet sounds;
• inability to fall asleep quickly after waking up due to some external factor;
• frequent trips to the toilet;
• recurring nightmares.

“Superficial” sleep negatively affects a person’s psychological and physical state. It gets to the point that in the morning the patient feels lethargic, unhappy, and suffers from the lack of a good night's rest.

Diseases associated with insomnia

Sleep disturbances are rarely associated with any illness. However, there are pathologies that are accompanied by insomnia in women. Let's list the main diseases:

• Depression . Consequence of chronic or acute stress. Almost always leads to sleep disturbances.
• Sleep apnea . Characterized by frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. Intermittent breathing at night ultimately leads to hypoxia, due to which brain function does not recover overnight.
• Diseases of the nervous system and traumatic brain injuries . Diseases and injuries in most cases disrupt brain function. This in turn provokes the development of insomnia. The most common diseases that are accompanied by sleep problems are dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, central nervous system tumors, etc.
• Hormonal diseases . Sleep disturbances occur in diseases of the thyroid gland, gynecological problems, diseases of the adrenal glands and other ailments of the endocrine system.
• Bronchial asthma and respiratory pathologies . Impaired respiratory function contributes to the development of insomnia.
• Gastrointestinal diseases . Heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux (reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus) and ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract indirectly disrupt sleep.
• Migraine . Recurrent headaches can lead to insomnia.
• Restless legs syndrome . Involuntary leg movements make falling asleep worse.

Help with female insomnia

Before treating sleep disorders in women, it is important to diagnose and identify the causes of the problem. In the early stages of the disease and in case of minor disturbances, it will be sufficient to provide counseling on normalizing the rhythm of life and improving sleep hygiene. Water treatments, relaxing massage and aromatherapy can be effective.

In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a course of hypnosis. This technique is widely used in different countries. Its advantages include safety and lack of side effects. Hypnosis can be used for patients of all ages.

Complex cases of insomnia in women require medication. In this case, a course of sleeping pills, sedatives or other drugs of plant or synthetic origin is prescribed. When taking them, it is important to follow the recommendations of a specialist and, in order to avoid addiction, do not exceed a period of 21 days.

What happens if you ignore insomnia?

Many people believe that insomnia is a completely normal condition and does not need to be corrected. But that's not true. If you ignore the problem for a long time, the symptoms of lack of sleep will soon become clearly visible. A woman’s attention and memory characteristics will deteriorate, she will become irritable, whiny, and emotionally unstable. Will constantly feel a loss of strength.

After just two sleepless nights, her appearance will change for the worse. Puffiness will appear on the face, dark circles or bags will be clearly visible under the eyes.

Chronic lack of sleep is a threat to the immune system. Without getting proper rest, the body begins to work at the limit of its capabilities. This leads to frequent illnesses, exacerbation of existing chronic pathologies, and deterioration of blood composition.

If you practically don’t sleep for three or four days, hallucinations will not keep you waiting. Motor activity will decrease significantly. The person will begin to perform unnecessary movements because he will lose the ability to fully control his body.

On the fifth knock, patients with advanced insomnia begin to sleep with their eyes open. At the same time, plunging into slumber, they are even able to walk. From the outside, this condition looks unusual and a little creepy.

Six days of severe insomnia contribute to the development of depersonalization. The patient ceases to understand where she is, what she is doing, what she is talking about. She gets crazy ideas.

Very often, lack of sleep provokes a worsening of chronic diseases. The likelihood of a hypertensive crisis and the manifestation of symptoms of gastritis increases. The situation gets even worse if a woman has symptoms of insomnia and does not see a doctor for months or even years.

A long-term problem is caused by:

• Excess weight. Sleep deficiency contributes to disruption of metabolic processes. Appetite increases and fat breakdown decreases. As a result, a person eats more and quickly gains weight.
• Impotence, frigidity. Lack of sleep deprives the body of the necessary energy supply. This very often has a negative impact on sexual activity.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.
• Depression. A sleep-deprived woman feels unhappy. Her production of endorphins, “happiness hormones,” quickly decreases, which negatively affects her emotional state.

Given the dangers of insomnia and the negative consequences it can lead to, it is important not to ignore the symptoms. In the first stages of pathology development, it is much easier to cope with it, so do not delay contacting a doctor.

Characteristics of insomnia

If problems with night rest bother a person for some time and then disappear, then in this case we need to talk about the influence of external factors. It is important to understand that sleep time is completely individual for each person who suffers from insomnia, so relying on this indicator alone is prohibited.

Doctors do not classify all sleep disorders in humans as insomnia. Insomnia can be diagnosed only if a woman complains of characteristic problems for two to three weeks. For such a violation there are special signs:

• difficulty falling asleep, sleep time exceeds one hour, provided that the woman goes to bed at the set time;
• regular waking up at night, which makes it difficult to fall asleep afterwards;
• The general sleep phase is quickly shortened, there are never any dreams.

Lack of sleep at night negatively affects daytime hours, which leads to various ailments. These include:

• 
  decrease in overall human performance;

• problems with concentration, inattention is characteristic;
• the patient regularly feels lethargic;
• strong aggressiveness appears, which can occur for no particular reason;
• difficulty remembering;
• severe nervousness, rapid irritation;
• a person loses interest in hobbies and accepted entertainment.

Somnologists (specialists who deal with sleep disorders) think that therapy for eliminating insomnia and its causes are strongly interconnected; sleep difficulties can be eliminated only by getting rid of the main causes.

For women aged 18 to 60 years, the optimal sleep time at night varies from 7 to 9 hours. For women over 60 years of age, nightly sleep should not exceed 5-8 hours.

Literature:

1. Sleep and its disorders / A. L. Epstein. - Moscow: State. publishing house; Leningrad: Printing House, 1928. - 408 p.
2. Cleansing and treatment of the nervous system: Neuroses, stress, asthenia, insomnia / Anatoly Malovichko. — Moscow: Dilya; St. Petersburg : Respex, 2003. – 279 p.
3. Clinical psychiatry: From a synopsis on psychiatry: In 2 volumes / G. I. Kaplan, B. J. Sadok; Per. from English V. B. Sagittarius. - M.: Medicine, 2002, T. 1. - 2002. - 670 p.

The text was checked by expert doctors: Head of the socio-psychological service of the Alkoklinik MC, psychologist Yu.P. Baranova, L.A. Serova, a psychiatrist-narcologist.

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