Volume 50 Issue 1 - January 2012 : Social

Sleep is necessary for our bodies to function optimally. It helps our mind and body to get refreshed and charged for productive work every day. It is difficult to imagine how life would be like without any sleep. Sleep plays an important part of the daily routine of activities of normal life. In fact, the average person spends eight hours out of 24 hours sleeping. This means that we dedicate over 30 percent of the day to sleep.

Difficulty with sleep or sleeplessness is a relatively common problem affecting all age groups. It is a problem that may external factors. On the other hand, secondary causes of sleeplessness include those that are caused by a known medical condition or the use of certain medications. Sleep may simply be disturbed by irregular sleeping pattern or habit. For example, people who work shifts or unusually long hours may have trouble with their sleep as a result of this disturbance in the natural pattern of sleep. It may also be disturbed when the environment is too noisy or temperatures are too cold or too hot. Another common cause of short term sleep disturbance is the so called jet lag.

This affects people who have just travelled across time zones. The symptoms of jet lag include fatigue and sleep disturbance. The level of disturbance in sleep increases as the number of time zones crossed during the travelling increases. This usually does not need treatment as it improves within either point to a major health problem or reflect poor lifestyle choices on our part. It may be a temporary problem that goes away after a few days or a long term problem that troubles one for many months or even years. It is estimated that up to one third of the adult population have temporary problems with sleep and up to ten percent have long term problems with sleep.

What causes difficulty with sleep?

 There are many factors that can cause you to have difficulty with your sleep. These may make it hard for you to fall asleep or stay asleep once sleep has been initiated. The causes can be generally classified into primary or secondary. Primary causes of sleeplessness are those factors that are not associated with a known medical condition or medications and therefore are not caused by any external factors. On the other hand, secondary causes of sleeplessness include those that are caused by a known medical condition or the use of certain medications.

Sleep may simply be disturbed by irregular sleeping pattern or habit. For example, people who work shifts or unusually long hours may have trouble with their sleep as a result of this disturbance in the natural pattern of sleep. It may also be disturbed when the environment is too noisy or temperatures are too cold or too hot. Another common cause of short term sleep disturbance is the so called jet lag. This affects people who have just travelled across time zones.

The symptoms of jet lag include fatigue and sleep disturbance. The level of disturbance in sleep increases as the number of time zones crossed during the travelling increases. This usually does not need treatment as it improves within days as the body adjusts to the new time zone.

There are also a number of physical disorders that can cause sleeplessness. People may have trouble sleeping as a result of pain caused by an illness such as cancer pain. Other conditions may lead to excessive difficulty with

breathing and therefore keep you awake at night. Conditions like asthma and heart failure tend to get worse at night. In some instances, sleep is disturbed as a result of an uncomfortable feeling in the legs at night that forces one to periodically move their legs. This condition is known as “restless leg syndrome” and affects up to five percent of the population.

People with diabetes may also suffer from sleeplessness as a result of the need to wake up many times in the night to pass urine. This is common in the early stages of the disease when the blood sugar is out of control. Heartburn or reflux may also cause sleeplessness as a result of the discomfort caused by the burning feeling on the chest when one takes up the horizontal posture to sleep at night. Reflux may also be associated with a sour feeling in the mouth.

Women who have reached the end of their reproductive age or menopause may have difficulty with sleep as result of hot flushes occurring at this time when hormones change. Sleeplessness may be associated with mental problems. These include depression and anxiety. It is important to have these problems checked out when you have noticed that your sleep is somehow disturbed. In the case of depression, the patient may complain of difficulty falling asleep or waking up earlier than usual in the mornings. It may be that you think that you slept well but in the morning you wake up tired and not refreshed from your sleep. These are warning signs of depression among others and you should seek help from a health care provider if you have these symptoms. Once the depression is adequately treated, the sleep problem usually goes away.

There are many medications, drugs and other substances that can cause sleep disturbance. These should be suspected as the cause of sleeplessness if sleep is disturbed soon after starting the medication. Substances that tend to stimulate the brain also cause sleep problems. A good example of these is caffeine. Caffeine is found in coffee and tea. Some soft drinks like the popular Coke also contain some caffeine. There is an increase in the number of high energy drinks in the market that stimulate the brain and cause heightened alertness. The drink marketed as Red Bull is an example of these. It is therefore important to look at the content of all drinks before taking them-especially at night- as they may be meant to help keep you awake and are not just your regular drink to quench thirst.

How do I know I have a sleep related problem?

You may not easily realise that your sleep is disturbed until you start to suffer the effects of this during the day time. You may find that you get easily irritated and find it hard to concentrate on tasks. Your memory may appear to be less sharp and generally feel tired even after what seemed like a good night`s sleep. Road traffic accidents have been caused by people who had been sleeping while driving. Is it normal to sleep for less than eight hours a day? a day while there are others who need up to ten hours of sleep per day. As we grow old, there is a tendency to sleep less. The elderly people tend to sleep lesser hours as they usually wake up early in the morning.

 Does sleeping make children grow taller?

When we are asleep, the body releases a certain hormone called the ‘growth hormone. ‘ This natural chemical assists in the growing process. It is released when sleep is of good quality. Therefore, good quality sleep during childhood years provides for good growth. Growth tends to happen during sleep but it does not necessarily mean that sleep causes the growth. Good diet and regular exercises also contribute to the growing process.

What can I do if I have trouble sleeping?

To improve your sleeping habits you need to have good ‘sleep hygiene.` This means making an effort to avoid factors that interfere in the pattern of sleep. You can help improve your sleep by removing all entertainment ‘sources` from the bedroom. If you can`t sleep after 15 minutes of getting in bed, you should get out of the bedroom and do something relaxing like reading in a different room. Try not to have caffeine, smoke or exercise late in the evening prior to sleeping. When should I see a health care provider if I have trouble sleeping?

When sleep is associated with other symptoms like loss of appetite, loss of interest and enjoyment in the things that used to interest you, and having a general feeling of hopelessness; it may be a sign of depression. It is essential that you seek help if this is the case. Sleep disturbance that continues or more than two weeks should be reviewed by a health professional.

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