Entire industries, from mattress and pillow firms to vitamin shops, are dedicated to the science of sleep — because without at least seven to nine hours per night, the human body cannot perform at maximum capacity.

Maybe you’re one of the few who is “so good at sleeping, you can do it with your eyes closed,” but that’s not the case for a lot of people. For many, consistent, quality sleep is a luxury they can only dream of.

Insomnia

One major sleep challenge is insomnia. As many as 35% of adults experience insomnia — a sleep disorder characterized by trouble falling asleep, inability to sleep through the night, waking too early and sleepiness during the day. Insomnia sometimes results from anxiety and depression. Other causes include stress, neurological problems, an irregular sleep schedule, poor sleeping habits, illness, pain, medications and specific sleep disorders.

Insomnia and Hormones

When it comes to hormones, insomnia in men varies significantly from the causes of insomnia in women. As men age, the low testosterone associated with andropause (the male version of menopause) can contribute to sleep apnea in men and lead to insomnia or other sleep problems. The inhibited breathing and loud snoring, common in sleep apnea, disrupt sleep throughout the night. The disruptions affect both the sufferer as well as any partner who may be trying to sleep with him.

Women endure hormone fluctuations for much of their lives. Because hormones rule sleep and wake cycles, they can interrupt sleep even as early as adolescence. Female hormones are most topsy turvy during:

• menstruation
• pregnancy
• perimenopause/menopause

As many as 1/3 of women struggle with sleep during menstruation due to cramping, daytime drowsiness, fatigue and even bloating. And, a break from monthly cycles may mean pregnancy — bringing on a new set of hormone-related sleep challenges.

During pregnancy, women wake up throughout the night to relieve their bladders. They are also more likely to struggle with sleep apnea, acid reflux, depression, pain and discomfort. As the baby grows in the womb, fetal kicks and movement may keep a woman awake or interrupt her sleep. Once the baby is born, both nursing mothers and mothers who bottle feed, get up throughout the night during those early months to feed the baby, often leading to an irregular sleep cycle.

In the later years, women deal with perimenopause and eventually menopause. For 85% of women, this means nighttime hot flashes that wake them in a drenching sweat and leave them struggling to fall back to sleep. Breathing issues, typically in the form of sleep apnea, are also more common during this season. These challenges not only make it hard for women to get a good night’s rest, but also lead to fatigue and irritability during waking hours.

Why Sleep is so Important

You may want to write off these problems as “just life;” however, take note that quality sleep is essential. Sleep is all about unplugging and giving the mind and body a chance to recover. The three sleep cycles include light sleep, deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. With each sleep cycle, you increase your time in REM sleep — the one critical for dreaming and cognitive processing. As the cycles continue, you spend less time in deep sleep, responsible for bodily repair and healing. When your sleep is interrupted or you don’t have a sufficient number of sleep cycles, you miss out on essential REM sleep.

Impact of a Sleep Deficit

Lack of sleep isn’t something that the body just recovers from. No, a lack of sleep creates a sleep deficit, similar to taking money out of a bank account and not depositing it back. Eventually, that bank account is empty. In the same way, without sufficient sleep, the body functions poorly with alarming results:

• Less energy
• Weight gain
• Trouble thinking
• Blood sugar abnormalities
• Irritability
• Confusion
• Circulatory issues (can contribute to heart attack and stroke)
• Memory loss

So, How’s a Person to Unplug?

Dream: Sleep like a baby.

Just like children need a bedtime and wake time, adults do too. Set a bedtime as well as a wake time and stick to it — even on the weekends.

Indulge: Practice every night.

Getting good sleep takes practice and eventually consistent practice becomes a habit. Cease screen time at least an hour before bed. Use the bed only for sleeping, not for reading, browsing your phone or munching on snacks. This will help train your body that the bed is for sleeping.

Heal: Sleep on it.

If you’re feeling under the weather, get a bit more sleep. Deep sleep helps the body recover from physical illness.

Restore: Take five more minutes.

If you find that you’re often a little groggy when you wake in the morning, take five more minutes — at bedtime. Instead of hitting that snooze button two or three times in the morning, push your bedtime up by a few more minutes to help yourself wake refreshed.

Feel Happy: Get the undercover benefits.

Sleep also helps the mind. Studies have shown that quality sleep increases feelings of happiness and life satisfaction. Keep this in mind when you are tempted to ignore your sleep schedule.

Drift Away: Head toward bliss.

Once it’s time for bed, it’s important to be sleepy. You can help with this by avoiding caffeine several hours before bedtime, refraining from evening exercise and enjoying a relaxing bath or warm cup of chamomile tea before bed.

WakeMed Primary Care Can Evaluate

If you’re struggling with sleep, visit one of our Primary Care offices. We can determine if you have an underlying condition or sleep disturbance. We offer diagnosis and treatment options to help you stop struggling at night and get back to sleep.

Find a location and schedule an appointment today.

WakeMed Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine & Pediatric Sleep Medicine Can Support Patients with Sleep Conditions

Our expert adult pulmonologists and sleep medicine experts are committed to providing patients exceptional, collaborative care and treatment for a wide range of respiratory and lung conditions with the goal of enhancing their patients’ respiratory health.

Kids need good quality sleep as well to keep up with the demands of learning and play. Poor quality sleep and sleep disruptions can cause children to have difficulty staying awake, focusing, learning and controlling their emotions.

Through comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis, our pediatric sleep medicine team collaborates to help parents figure out the reasons behind the most puzzling sleep disorders, so children can receive the care they need and get back to sleep.

Sleep Studies Available at the Sleep Center

Our Sleep Center is located in Cary. Sleep studies that involve testing, such as Electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG), and treatment are available at the WakeMed Cary Hospital Sleep Center.

Sources:

https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/158874

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/what-causes-insomnia

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/understanding-insomnia-symptoms

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6121950/

https://www.bodylogicmd.com/for-men/sleep-apnea/