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HomeTopicsCauses Of Sleep Deprivation
Causes of Sleep DeprivationCauses of sleep deprivation can be divided into four broad areas: lifestyle, health complications, medication side effects and clinical disorders. Finding out the cause of your sleep disorder is important because it will determine the type of treatment you need. For example, while those with lifestyle habits that affect their sleep will simply need to alter their lifestyle, those on medication or people who suffer from clinical disorders may need to switch their medications. Find out more about the causes of sleep disorders with this Free Guide
If you are experiencing sleeping problems and don’t know if you should seek medical attention, here are some tips for when to call your doctor:
In this section, we will outline the various causes of sleep disorders. Our articles will offer explanations of how each affects sleep, as well as what you can do to get back into healthier sleeping habits and, therefore, improve your overall health. LifestyleFatigue and sleeplessness are often a direct result of lifestyle choices. For example, drinking caffeine or alcohol before bedtime is among the most common causes of sleep deprivation. Similarly, working shifts that keep you up late or even thought the night can be unavoidable in many professions and can drastically alter normal circadian patterns.
As a result, pinpointing the habits or lifestyle choices you make that affect your sleep can help you identify what you need to work on or alter. One suggestion doctors have is to keep a sleep diary in which you record the details of each instance of good and bad sleep. Sleep diaries generally include the date, what you ate that day (and the times you ate), whether or not you exercised, the day’s stresses, etc. While you may not be able to completely change some lifestyle choices (such as work), you can take certain steps to improve your sleep once you know the causes. Keep reading to learn more about the effects of lifestyle on sleep.
MedicationMedication can interfere with the body's natural rhythms, causing restlessness, insomnia and tiredness. Unfortunately, some turn to sleeping pills to try to get the rest they need. However, taken over long periods of time, sleeping pills lose their effectiveness and also interfere with the body's natural rest patterns.
Consequently, if you have just started a new medication and find that it is negatively affecting your sleep, talk to your doctor about alternative medications you can take for your particular condition. While you may experience a few restless nights as your body adjusts to new medicines, your sleep shouldn’t suffer a few weeks into a medication regimen. Read on to learn more about the relationship between sleep and medication.
Medical ConditionsAlong with lifestyle choices and medications you take, underlying health problems can interfere with sleep patterns, making it difficult to fall or stay asleep. Medical conditions that affect your sleep can be either physical or mental in nature. For example, while physical health problems such as asthma may make sleeping difficult, mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, can lead to insomnia.
If you are having trouble sleeping, aren’t on any medication and don’t have lifestyle habits that affect your sleep, seek medical attention to identify whether or not you suffer from any other medical condition that may be upsetting your sleep. In most cases, treating the underlying disorder will significantly help to improve your sleep. Keep reading to learn more about sleep and medical conditions.
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