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Everything You Need to Know About Sleep Issues & Insomnia

Sleep problems can significantly influence your sleep quality and overall health. If you regularly experience sleep issues, it may signify a sleep disorder. The good news is that you can cope with these issues by learning more about them.

The following information will help you understand sleep problems more. 

What Are the Common Sleeping Disorders?

1. Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a severe problem where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It can lead to more severe medical problems if left untreated. This happens when your airway closes during sleep. As your tongue and soft tissues at the back of your upper palate relax and mash together, your throat tightens. 

When the brain recognizes something is wrong, it produces a startle response. You’ll jerk with a snore, snort, or gasp before resuming your regular breathing pattern. Sleep apnea occurs more than once an hour and lasts ten seconds or longer.

2. Insomnia

Insomnia usually means you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep. This can be caused by various things, including stress and anxiety, fatigue, physical pain, certain medications, and certain sleep disorders. 

It can be chronic and may interfere with your quality of life. Just one night of inadequate sleep has been shown to damage the brain and impair performance.

3. Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. If you have narcolepsy, you may be tired during the day and be unable to stop yourself from falling asleep. You may also have abnormal REM sleep and abnormal sleep paralysis.

4. Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder that makes you want to move your legs, especially when you are at rest or need to sleep. This happens most often when you are at rest or need to be asleep. 

People with RLS will often describe an uncomfortable, creeping, pulling or pins and needles sensation in their legs, typically worse in the evening or at night when trying to fall asleep.

What Are the Signs of a Sleep Disorder You Shouldn’t Ignore?

1. Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can happen if you don’t get enough sleep for even one week. This is a serious cardiovascular condition that can lead to stroke, heart disease, and death.

Lack of sleep can create high amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which can induce high blood pressure. Also, high cortisol levels are linked to more belly fat, insulin resistance, and high blood sugar.

2. Impaired Focus

Insufficient sleep deprives the body and mind of rest, making it difficult to focus, concentrate, and think. Not only will your quality of life suffer, but your risk of both mental health disorders and physical disease will be increased.

3. Daytime Sleepiness

A lack of sleep can make you tired throughout your day. There are many symptoms of sleep deprivation, but one of the most common is sleepiness because your body and mind need sleep to function correctly.

Sleep is a vital part of our health. And lack of sleep can be just as severe as the common cold or other health threats.

Conclusion

You must pay close attention to your health if you suffer from sleep disorders. In most cases, you can treat these disorders with sleep-promoting steps and conventional treatment. 

To discover the underlying problems of your sleeplessness, why not consult a therapist in Calgary. At Virtuous Circle Counselling, we can help you deal with a wide range of difficulties and concerns, including helping you to cope with your sleep issues. Request a consultation today!

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We at Virtuous Circle Counselling acknowledge Moh’kinstsis, the lands where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet, in what we currently call Calgary. We acknowledge that we are visitors on Moh’kinsstis and acknowledge the Blackfoot are those who named this area as Moh’kinsstis. In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, we recognize the ancestral territories, cultures, and oral practices of the Blackfoot people, the Îyarhe Nakoda Nations, the Dene people of the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.