We’ve talked a bit about the basics of sleep but let’s delve a little deeper into the dysfunction of sleep! A sleep disorder is basically any condition that interrupts your normal sleeping pattern. You’ve likely heard of a number of sleep disorders without ever looking into this subject. Insomnia for example is incredibly common and most would recognize it as the inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. Sleep apnea is also a commonly discussed disorder and is usually the culprit for loud snoring and abrupt and brief pauses in breathing. A popular one in the media is narcolepsy, when someone seems to fall asleep abruptly. More correctly they would be suffering from a cataplexy attack and may be fully conscious as it is happening. There are currently more than 80 recognized sleep disorders including parasomnia, circadian rhythm disorders and other hypersomnia besides narcolepsy. Sleep disorders can affect your overall health beyond just exhausting you. As we’ve discussed, sleep supports your physical, mental and psychological health and as one might expect, sleep disorders impact all areas of your life.
The causes of sleep disorders vary almost as heavily as the disorders themselves but there are some well-known origins. Often another condition or disorder can cause a sleep disorder. Things like heart disease, nerve disorders, chronic pain from arthritis or headaches, fibromyalgia can all be the root of a sleeping problem. Unfortunately, something like sleep apnea can also contribute to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and other illnesses creating a cycle that feeds into itself and must be intentionally treated and broken out of. The same with mental health sources of sleep disorders such as depression and anxiety. An individual would need to take in the whole picture to be successful in treating one or the other.
More than 30% of adults struggle with some form of insomnia.
So, how would one go about treating a sleep disorder? Some like narcolepsy require a diagnosis from a medical professional and their treatment might require medication but there is a lot one can do to optimize one’s chances of successfully treating a sleep disorder. First, monitoring one’s current sleep pattern and identifying the contributing factors to the disorder (whether that’s a medical diagnosis or acceptance of a known issue like insomnia). If you’ve been going to sleep at 1am consistently and having a coffee an hour before bed most nights, these might be things you need to evaluate and see if they are contributing to your inability to stay asleep. Are you stressed at your job? Have you noticed your depression from high school reasserting itself when you haven’t spiraled for years? Take a look at environmental factors as well? Is your bedroom window right by a street light? Do you live by a busy, noisy road? Do you share a home with someone who works the night shift and is always up when you are trying to sleep? Now, how many of these things can you minimize or eliminate? Then, give yourself some time to adjust and reevaluate! How is your sleep now? Better? No change? Keep evaluating. Do you have major anxiety that you’ve left untreated? Maybe it’s time to figure out a treatment plan for that as well.
Sleep is the foundation of your health and you are in a position to be your biggest advocate even if the biggest challenge you have to overcome is any reluctance you might have to change. Nutrition, physical exercise, supplements, and an entire spectrum of complementary treatments are there for the taking once you’ve prioritized addressing the root of your sleeping disorder. As always, any supplement or nutritional change should be from a third party tested source or, in the case of fresh foods, acquired locally if possible! If you ever want to get a supplement tested for purity, don’t hesitate to reach out using the form on our “Contact Us” page.