Sleep is important for our body. During the night, we recharge our batteries for the next day and our body has the opportunity to regenerate and recover. Events and experiences are processed during sleep, as are newly learnt things. Shutting down during sleep is essential for our body and brain. The consequences of prolonged sleep disorders are therefore not to be sneezed at. After a sleepless night, you feel exhausted in the morning. Performance suffers immensely. You are less focussed, less able to work under pressure and your mood is usually in the basement. Everyday life and work can become a test of endurance and are often permanently affected by night-time restlessness.
But how exactly do we define sleep disorders? What are the causes and what can be done about it? You can find out all the important information about sleep disorders and insomnia from billerbeck, your sleep experts.
What are sleep disorders?
Sleep disorders can take many different forms. What they all have in common, however, is that they have a significant negative impact on the ability of those affected to recover. Some people cannot get to sleep at night and toss and turn in bed. Others wake up again and again and/or are unable to fall asleep at dawn after a few hours of restless sleep. Anyone who lies in bed at night and regularly takes longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep may suffer from a sleep onset disorder.
On the other hand, if you wake up at least three times in a week over a longer period of time after short periods of sleep and find it difficult to fall asleep again, this is referred to as a sleep through disorder. The individual sleep phases are thus significantly shortened and the total sleep time is usually a maximum of 6 hours. Sleep disorders are characterised by the fact that sleep is less restorative due to the many interruptions and the total duration of sleep is shorter than the individual’s need for sleep. Due to the lack of regenerative sleep, those affected suffer from tiredness, listlessness and a lack of performance the following day.
Sleep disorders – possible causes
In most cases, everyday and work-related pressures, stress or poor sleep hygiene are the cause of sleep disorders. If your thoughts are spinning in bed in the evening, you are worried or have problems, this can have a negative impact on falling asleep and the quality of your sleep.
However, it is also possible that your sleep rhythm has been disrupted, for example due to shift work or sleeping in too late at the weekend. An excessively long nap can also have negative consequences in this respect. A power nap at lunchtime should not last longer than 20 minutes. This is the only way to ensure that night-time sleep does not suffer as a result of the supposedly restorative midday nap.
Sport or eating too much and too hearty late at night can also lead to sleep disorders, as can alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or medication. Watching TV in bed may be cosy, but the “blue light” from LED screens inhibits the release of the sleep hormone melatonin, which is not conducive to falling asleep. The same applies to the screens of smartphones and laptops, which is why they should ideally be put aside 1 to 2 hours before going to bed.
However, there can also be other reasons for difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Hormonal changes during the menopause, depression or iron deficiency can be the cause of insomnia. Persistent insomnia should therefore always be checked out by a doctor, also to prevent it from becoming chronic.
What helps against insomnia?
Even small changes often have a big effect on the quality and duration of sleep. If you find it difficult to wind down in the evening, are plagued by professional or personal stress or find it difficult to switch off, relaxation rituals that you can consciously integrate into your everyday life can help.
Create rituals to combat sleep disorders
A calming evening walk or light sport to round off the day. Or leave the television switched off and read a book, listen to an audio book or a podcast instead. A relaxing bath, a sauna session or a massage can also promote sleep and have a calming effect.
Relaxation helps with sleep disorders
Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation or yoga can also help against insomnia and difficulty sleeping through the night. If you also want to resort to natural and herbal help, you can use aromatherapy or homeopathy. Home remedies such as lavender essential oils have a calming effect, as do valerian, hops or Swiss stone pine.
Improve sleep quality
Good sleep hygiene has a major effect on sleep quality and can help significantly with sleep disorders. Regular bedtimes, avoiding alcohol, cigarettes and coffee as well as fatty and hearty meals in the evening, bedding that is adapted to personal needs and a cosy and relaxed atmosphere in the bedroom are all conducive to restful and restorative sleep.
If, despite all efforts, you are unable to rest at night and if difficulties falling asleep and sleeping through the night have a long-lasting negative impact on everyday life and work, we recommend that you consult a doctor to have the symptoms clarified.
