Sleep fills us with energy to be able to face the day. But it’s not just about getting a good night’s sleep, it’s about having a good night’s sleep. For this, there must be quiet hours of sleep, without nightmares, and followed.

For example, if sleep is achieved but the person wakes up hours before their actual waking time, or if they wake up several times during the night, the sleep will not be as restful.

Although it is true that you should always go to sleep at the same time, and that it should be at night, scientists and doctors agree to advise a short nap during the day to reactivate our body and our brain. Of course, the nap (in adults) should be around half an hour.

Why we can’t sleep

Nowadays, people do not sleep what they should, television, the computer, or video games, they are the new “dream vampires”. Boy sitting with a glass, holding his face with his hand due to the sleep he has. That makes him not give up during the day, he is sleepy and even susceptible or anxious about daily tasks.

Headaches, dizziness, excessive tiredness, etc., are the side effects of not sleeping well. But many times the problems that we find when sleeping, actually hide other pathologies or diseases that are what make the individual not fall asleep. For example, trauma or situation of stress or nervousness, anxiety, difficulty or breathing problems, etc.

We are going to list some of the most common alterations that prevent us from having a restful sleep:

  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Respiratory problems
  • Heart problems
  • Noises (noise pollution)
  • Muscle or skeletal pain
  • A bad mattress and / or inadequate pillow. The mattress should be changed at least every ten years.
  • Bad habits: exercising before bed, eating large dinners, drinking alcohol, tobacco or coffee before going to bed, etc.
  • Not being regular in the schedules: going to sleep and getting up. A bad habit that makes the human body not adapt to these alterations.

There are diseases associated with sleep. Some of them hinder beneficial and correct sleep so that our body can be at full capacity.

Narcolepsy

It is a sleep disorder with low prevalence in the population. Only 0.02 to 0.16 percent of adults are affected. It affects both equally. It is characterized by access to sleep at any time in the daily life of the affected person. The patient with narcolepsy may have difficulty sleeping at night. But instead throughout the day, he has acute drowsiness attacks, which make him fall asleep in any situation, which is why it is especially dangerous. Muscle weakness, hallucinations, etc. are some of the symptoms that can also be suffered from this disease.

Apnea

It is a stop of the respiratory signal while we sleep. It is important to detect it. For this, what is called the sleep test is done. If a person suffers from sleep apnea it can cause headaches, pulmonary hypertension, heart problems, etc. It consists in that during sleep, the airway becomes obstructed, so that the person who suffers from it, remains at least 10 seconds without breathing, with the problems that this can be associated with.

There are different treatments for this disease – from medicines or surgery to devices that help to clear the airway. In some cases, it’s a good idea to get a service dog to help with sleep apnea by alerting when significant sleep problems occur during the night.

Insomnia

Insomnia is the difficulty that a person has to sleep. It can be of three types:

  • Difficulty for a person to fall asleep.
  • Have a person wake up several times during their sleep hours.
  • That a person wakes up time before he really had planned.

Insomnia most of the time is due to stress. Continued stress over time can cause severe or chronic insomnia. To end insomnia there may be several treatments. For specific cases, medicines are prescribed. But the right thing to do is to carry out behavioral therapies, and really see what it is that causes that nervousness that does not let us sleep.

In addition, the patient must carry out what is called “sleep hygiene”, which we will see in the section on tips to sleep well.

Nightmares

Nightmares have been the object of study, the plot of books and movies, and analysis for years and years. It is a sleep disorder that is more common in children between 4 and 12 years old, and that occurs during the REM phase of sleep (that is, when there are images in the dream state and rapid eye movements). Although that does not mean that adults get rid of them.

Centuries ago, on the 18th, people believed that nightmares were due to magic, possessions, or caused by monsters. Today we know that nightmares are due on many occasions, to the reproduction of our fears, reflected and brought to our moment of rest.

Somnambulism

It is a sleep disorder that stands out for “waking up” the motor activity of the individual. That is, the person will be completely asleep, but will be able to walk and perform daily tasks, although his pupil is not really seeing what is real.

It is said to be more common in children and adolescents. But it can occur in anyone who has suffered from this problem in their childhood. There is no really effective treatment for the problem.

Talk at night

Another sleep disorder is that of people who speak in dreams. This makes sleep less restful, since we are putting an additional load on our respiratory system and vocal cords. Usually the person may wake up with scratching and dry mouth.

Bruxism

In times of stress or nervousness, what is known as bruxism occurs at night. Which is nothing more than “grinding” your teeth. Of course, there are people who even have awake bruxism. Bruxism loads the jaw and is especially harmful because it wears down teeth and molars. Those who suffer from it must carry a “discharge certificate” so as not to “grind” their teeth.

Why is a good night sleep so important

Basic tips for a good night sleep:

  • Do not eat a lot before going to sleep.
  • Always go to sleep at the same time. And also get up at the same time.
  • Avoid noise and light.
  • Before going to sleep, do not exercise, try to stay away from video games and computers.
  • Avoid having insects in the room.
  • Make sure there’s no clock noise nearby.
  • Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, or coffee

Positive Words Research – Why Is A Good Night Sleep So Important


2 Comments

Nicole · August 30, 2021 at 9:05 AM

Stress is one of the factors that we can not sleep… we need to learn to relax

Natalie · August 26, 2021 at 10:14 PM

I love to sleep

Comments are closed.