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HomeTopicsCauses Of Sleep DeprivationMedical Conditions
Medical Conditions that Interfere with SleepYou have difficulty falling asleep, tossing and turning throughout the night, feeling like a sleep-crazed zombie when the alarm starts blaring. You have resigned yourself to being one of the millions of insomniacs around the country who hover in and out of restful sleep all night long.
But is your problem a true sleep disorder? Or does it have an underlying medical cause? Which Medical Conditions Interfere with Sleep?Many different conditions can have a negative impact on sleep. These include:
Stress and Sleep ProblemsStress has emerged as a chronic condition in our fast-paced society. Rest and relaxation are the best cures for stress and stress-related problems, but unfortunately those problems can actually inhibit restorative sleep.
The body and mind need time to decompress from each day's activities. When people work overtime, work from home, run around to kids' extracurricular activities, sit in traffic for hours, etc., it cuts down on the physical and mental downtime our bodies need. Stress can short-circuit your body and make it more or less forget how to relax and rest. It is also a bit much to ask our bodies to cram in all of its decompression time into sleep hours only. The world turns at a much faster pace than it ever did before; though we may not want to slow down, we must be respectful of our own mental and physical health.
Anxiety, Depression and SleepAnxiety and depression can both alter a person's ability to fall asleep and sleep soundly. This can manifest in different ways, from feeling panicked or having a racing mind when you are trying to fall asleep, to having exaggerated, irrational feelings of fear or someone in your house, to waking in the middle of the night and feeling listless as you try to get back to sleep.
Sometimes these conditions can be masked by the ongoing cycle of poor sleep. One way to try to identify the root problem is to note as many of the symptoms as possible. Keep a daily sleep diary, noting what time you got up and went to bed, as well as how you slept, but also your physical and mental disposition throughout the days. Discuss this with your physician or mental health professional.
Bipolar DisorderResearchers are still finding out a great deal regarding different mental disorders and their effect on sleep. There is research supporting the contention that bipolar disorder is seasonal, improving during sunnier times of year. Some feel that bipolar disorder may be intricately tied to a person's circadian rhythms, becoming especially unbalanced during dark hours.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and SleepPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can encompass several different mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. The disorder arises from one especially traumatic event or time period and can cause a whole host of problems, including interfering with normal sleep.
Research is finding links between certain elevated hormones and unusual brain activity in those with PTSD. Some individuals may in fact be more susceptible to the disorder than others. As more is discovered, better treatments will be available to help alleviate symptoms. It is important to talk to your physician and a mental health professional if you or someone you know may be suffering from PTSD. Some treatment, including talk therapy, may significantly help the problem, thus providing some relief for insomnia.
Asthma and SleepAsthmatics know how difficult sleeping is during a flare-up or full-on attack: The involuntary wheezing and fits of coughing wrack the body into startled alertness. It is nearly impossible to breathe, let alone get a good night's sleep.
If you have chronic asthma, or even just intermittent attacks, be sure to discuss this with your physician. He or she can prescribe the proper medication for you to have on hand when an attack strikes, hopefully sparing you from full nighttime misery. If you only wheeze here and there, be sure to have some Primatene or similar OTC meds on hand. Even a little coughing through the night can keep you from getting the quality sleep your body needs.
ADHD and SleepSome researchers believe that between 70 and 80 percent of people with ADHD have sleep problems, usually an inability to fall asleep. Some cannot turn of their racing minds, while some remain fixated on a single thought to the exclusion of sleep. Additionally, many ADHD medications can negatively impact sleep.
ADHD sufferers with insomnia should try to develop good sleep hygiene, or regular sleep habits. They should also follow the overall healthy lifestyle habits that can help anyone with sleep problems:
Medications Can Also Affect SleepNot only can the actual medical problem affect sleep - so can the medicine used to cure the problem. Whether it is an antidepressant, theophylline for asthma or even, surprisingly, sleeping pills, medicines can have unsettling side effects.
Be sure to thoroughly discuss your medication, and its side effects, with your physician. Resources Apollo Health Inc. (2007).Circadian rhythms and circadian rhythm disorders. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the Apollo Health Web site: http://www.apollolight.com/new_content/circadian%20 Bailey, Eileen (2007). ADHD and sleep disorders. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the About.com Web site: http://add.about.com/od/adultadd/a/sleepdisorders.htm National Institute of Mental Health (2002). Facts about post-traumatic stress disorder. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the National Institute of Mental Health Web site: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/ptsdfacts.cfm. National Sleep Foundation (2007). Sleep and aging. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the National Sleep Foundation Web site: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/hottopics/index.php? SleepEducation.com (2007). Insomnia due to medical condition. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from the Sleep Education Web site: http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=51.
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