It’s normal to have an occasional night when you don’t sleep well — constantly waking up during the night and then feeling tired the next day. Several things can cause you to have a bad night’s sleep: stress, overindulgence in food or drink, and illness to name a few.
Unfortunately, those who suffer from constant poor sleep or have a true sleeping disorder aren’t able to achieve quality rest. They go through their days with low energy, feeling constantly tired, and this can affect their overall mood, health and relationships.
Should You Seek Professional Care?
If you have the occasional bad night’s sleep, look to your own behavior prior to the sleeplessness. If you realize that you ate too much rich food, drank too much alcohol, had a stressful day, or even became overstimulated by staying up late watching TV, you can plan to avoid that behavior in the future. If that change controls the outcome, then you can control whether or not you have a good night’s sleep.
However, if you consistently drag through your days and feel exhausted even though you think you had a decent night’s sleep, it’s probably time to determine whether you are suffering from a sleep disorder. Symptoms of sleep disorders also include:
- Loud snoring
- Constantly waking up throughout the night coupled with gasping for air
- Mood changes — feelings of depression or irritability
- Lack of concentration
- Weight gain
Regain Quality Sleep
You don’t have to suffer with a sleep disorder — there are safe and effective solutions to help you get quality sleep and improve your overall health and well-being. We can help! We will explore your medical history and perform a thorough analysis to determine what is causing your poor sleep, then work with you to improve your sleep quality. There are also measures you can take in the meantime to improve your sleep quality:
- Exercise: The benefit of exercise to our overall health is well supported by research. In particular, there are studies that show a four-month routine of moderate aerobic exercise helped improve sleep quality in a sample group of adults suffering from insomnia. It also reduced daytime drowsiness and depression.
Avoid alcohol: Though you may think alcohol will help you sleep because it makes you feel drowsy, it is actually known to increase the symptoms of sleep apnea, including snoring and disrupted sleep patterns. It negatively affects your hormones as well. One of the reasons for its negative effect is that it alters melatonin production — a key role in your body’s natural sleep pattern. - Reduce blue light exposure before bedtime: Blue light exposure from electronic devices impacts your circadian rhythm as well. It tricks your brain into thinking it is still daytime, which reduces hormones like melatonin that help you relax and get a deep sleep.
While these methods aren’t long-term solutions for those who suffer from sleep disorders like sleep apnea, they are recommended in conjunction with sleep treatments. The importance of good sleep can not be underestimated. Those with sleep disorders have an increased chance of developing major health issues such as heart disease and diabetes. If you have been suffering from disturbed and poor sleep, now is the time to take steps toward sound sleep and better health. Please contact our office to set up a consultation.