Sleep is a routine that you don’t want to lose. The body needs it to feel good again. The body gets to work when the eyes close, healing from the day’s adventures and stresses. When that doesn’t happen, your body loses out, often feeling exhausted and unable to handle the next day.
You may think you’re just struggling to get rest; however, there could be more behind the situation. An underlying condition could impact your sleep. Read to learn more about sleep conditions and how you can help reset your slumber.
Is Your Body Keeping You Awake?
Many people tell you that your choices keep you awake. It’s true. Too much caffeine or lack of physical exercise might hinder your sleep. However, those aren’t the only reasons for poor shuteye. Functional Neurological Disorder, FND, could be to blame. This condition occurs when someone’s brain isn’t working right. It’s sending mixed signals or having trouble communicating with the nervous system.
Something goes haywire, confusing what you want to do and what happens. Many people may have insomnia or don’t get enough deep sleep to allow their brains to reenergize for the next day. Therefore, you may know it’s time to sleep, but your body doesn’t want to rest, keeping your eyes open wide and your mind racing a mile a minute.
What Are the Effects of Poor Sleep?
The Center for Disease Control reports that most adults need at least seven hours of solid rest to feel good the next day. Kids need even more, with at least nine. When you hit this number, you’re more likely to feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Energy levels remain high, your mind is clear, and you recall information.
Missing these numbers changes your day completely, especially if it occurs regularly. Poor sleep quality often leads to fogginess, moodiness and problems with memory recall. Personalities become snappish, and anxiety and depression can occur. Adults can have even more complications. Without enough rest, the body is in overdrive, asking the heart to work more. Blood pressure and diabetes become a higher risk, increasing the likelihood of illness.
How Can You Improve Your Nighttime Rest?
If you think you suffer from FND, work with medical professionals, such as a chiropractor, to evaluate your condition. Discuss treatment plans to help your brain’s wiring work well again. Discuss exercises and treatments that could aid your neurological function, improving the connections and getting it to work better than the current state.
In addition, embrace appropriate sleep tips. Create an environment that helps the brain shut down. Turn off the electronics at least one hour before bed. This step reduces stimulation and allows you to focus on relaxing for the night. Do something soothing such as stretches or a bath. Devote time to reading. It often calms the mind.
Work with the room. Turn the temperature down. Many people sleep better in the cold. Play white noise in the background or run a fan. Do not turn on the television. Keep all lights off. Any form of light could keep you awake. Use a sleep mask to block out the sun. Do as many things to trigger the proper brain reaction as possible.
Make sleep a habit, training the brain to know when to wind down. If you’re going to bed at different hours, that’s a problem. It’s confusing the signals. Pick one time and strive to begin your routine, approaching rest at the same point each evening.
Sleep matters. If you’re suffering, it could be FND. Work with professionals to identify the disorder and find ways to help you make nights comforting again.
What to do if you have a sleep disorder
If you believe you may be suffering from a sleep disorder you should talk with your primary care physician about your symptoms. If your doctor believes that your symptoms are signs of a sleep disorder he will usually refer you to a sleep clinic to have a sleep study.
If you do not have a primary care physician you can contact a sleep clinic in your area for a consultation with a sleep specialist to determine if a sleep study is the best approach for diagnosis and treatment.
The Alaska Sleep Clinic has been helping diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders for over a decade. As the most trusted sleep experts in the state, we have helped tens of thousands of Alaskans suffering from sleep disorders get the therapy they need for better sleep at night.
Diagnosing patients is the easy part, helping patients maintain therapy compliance is one of the greatest hurdles a sleep clinic can face for its patients. The Alaska Sleep Clinic has one of the highest successful compliance rates for patients in the country due in part to a comprehensive program that helps patients maintain therapy through remote monitoring, automatic equipment replacement alerts, and the latest and greatest equipment for all of our patients.
If you live in Alaska and would like to have a sleep study, click the link below to receive a free 10-minute phone call with a certified sleep educator now.
