Counting sheep … If simple fixes don’t work, there could be a more serious reason for your lack of sleep. Photo: 123RF
So you spent a day in the sun, surf and sand and now you’re in bed, hot and bothered and tangled in sheets because it’s too hot to have the window closed and there are too many mosquitos to risk staying uncovered.
At this point, sleep is a long-forgotten pipe dream.
For some, the heat is all it takes to lose sleep. For others it’s a snoring partner, a bed-hogging labrador, stressing, Facebooking – the list is endless.
But what most people don’t realise is that trouble sleeping can actually be the result of an underlying health conditions from asthma and acid reflux to conditions far more serious and potentially life threatening.
A report from the Harvard Medical School gives a comprehensive list of surprising conditions that could be the real reason you’re not catching any Zs these days, and we’ve picked out a few of the more troubling ones.
Asthma
According to the report, circadian-related changes can cause the airways to constrict, upping your chances of nocturnal asthma attacks.
The National Sleep Foundation in the United States puts it more simply: airway resistance increases at night, whether you’re sleeping or not (this is the circadian rhythm), though it will increase more so if you are sleeping. Airway function is best just before you fall asleep and decreases the longer you sleep. Constricted airways lead to the coughing, wheezing and breathlessness that would most likely wake you.
Diabetes
Diabetes is when your body doesn’t make enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels in the normal range. And if your blood sugar levels aren’t in the normal range, it can lead to all kinds of sleep disturbances, from night sweats and the need to run to the loo through the night to hypoglycaemia symptoms that can include shakiness, palpitations, headaches and nausea. Note: a need to urinate frequently in the night could also be put down to a condition called nocturia, or kidney disease – which may also be accompanied by restless leg syndrome, which the Sleep Foundation says is most commonly characterised by an overwhelming and unpleasant urge to move your legs while at rest.
Neurological diseases
Neurological diseases like epilepsy, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disrupt brain functions including sleep regulation, causing symptoms as simple as agitation and restlessness, to restless leg syndrome right through to seizures. Sleepiness coupled with dizziness, weakness, headache or vision problems may signal a serious problem that requires immediate medical attention.
Heart failure
When the heart gradually loses the ability to pump your blood, it can cause fluid to build up in the lungs and tissues, which worsens when laying down. This leads to waking up short of breath, and can progress to obstructive sleep apnoea – a breathing disorder that will cause this to happen multiple times in the night.
Psychological disorders
According to the US National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more 50 per cent of insomnia cases are related to depression, anxiety or psychological stress. Early-morning wakefulness can be a sign of depression, while a sudden dramatic decrease in sleep or the lack of need for it may be a sign of bipolar disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety are often associated with poor sleep, and things like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could also cause sleep disruption.
This is not to say you should panic if you’re not sleeping. We don’t want you to lose sleep over losing sleep.
If it’s simply the heat, the flies and mozzies – or wondering what happens at the end of Game of Thrones – then there are a few easy fixes.
Buy a fan. Accept that George RR Martin is out to toy with your emotions.
But if you think it could be something more, it never hurts to ask a pro if your body is trying to tell you something.
Stuff.co.nz