Difficulty sleeping through can make us feel badly rested during the day. We reveal possible causes and treatment routes here.
What are sleep disorders?
Sleep-through disorders are a form of sleep disorders and mostly stand for a sleep that is not considered to be restful. Affected people wake up more often at night and then have problems falling asleep again – or the subsequent sleep is only superficial. Often one speaks of sleep problems if the nightly sleep falls over 30 minutes and the complaints reduce the general sleep time to less than six hours. The causes include, for example, various diseases that need to be treated accordingly.
Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep are common. It is currently assumed that almost one in four (around 24 percent) have this type of sleep disorder. The combination of falling asleep and staying asleep is also the most common. Women are affected more often, and sleep disorders increase with age. But: Not everyone automatically suffers from sleep disorders in old age, like Professor Dr. med. Ingo Fietze, head of the Interdisciplinary Sleep Medicine Center at the Charité, reveals: "This assumption alone has the effect of a self-fulfilling prophecy for some people. I think that is problematic, because 30 percent are gifted sleepers and will remain so for the rest of their lives."
In fact, many of those affected have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, less just one of the two forms of sleep disorders. And usually the sleep disorder begins with one of these forms and then spreads to a combination over the months and years.
When we get older, we not only get wrinkles, our sleep also ages: we have a little less deep sleep, we dream a little less, and we often have short, nocturnal waking phases. But we don't notice them – and continue to sleep. It is all natural and nothing to worry about. – Prof. Fietze
Symptoms: How do you have trouble sleeping through the night?
There are various ways in which sleep disorders can become noticeable. Some patients fall asleep quite quickly, but then wake up prematurely and are unable to sleep at all, so they lie awake until they have to get up or only fall asleep again after an hour or two. Others often wake up, but can then fall asleep again. Sleep remains restless and light; every time you turn around in bed or through other possible stimuli, those affected wake up immediately. We call this rather frequent waking up at night and not classic sleep disturbance. If this happens every night, the sheep disorders become a heavy burden.
The following symptoms speak for difficulty sleeping through:
- Very early awakening
- Frequent short awakenings
- Long nightly lying awake (more than 30 minutes), fixation on falling asleep again – which really wakes you up
- Nervousness to the point of not being able to sleep anymore
- Racing heart, stumbling
- Mind carousel turns on
- Sleep is restless and light
- Increased sweating
- Urge to move, especially in the legs ("restless legs syndrome", also associated with tingling or pain)
- Daytime tiredness and exhaustion
- Efficiency decreases, impaired concentration and lack of drive
- Increased irritability to depressive mood
- Tension
- Gastrointestinal complaints
- Nocturnal and / or early morning headache
By the way, waking up at night is not the real problem with sleeping problems. In fact, most people wake up more often at night, in some cases up to 20 times. However, those affected do not usually notice this: they simply turn to the other side and continue to sleep undisturbed. On the other hand, if you have a real sleep disorder, you wake up completely and then you can often no longer sleep.
Sleep disorders often lead to a vicious cycle
Especially when you are in the middle of your professional life, sleep disorders can be downright agonizing – because those who do not find the rest they need at night have difficulty accessing their full performance during the day. This increases both the pressure and the error rate, what can lead to professional problems. The resulting mental stress in turn increases the sleep disturbance.
When should I see a doctor about sleep problems?
Healthy sleep is essential for a good, long life. But temporarily suffering from sleep problems is not dramatic. However, if the sleep problems persist for more than four weeks and occur at least three times a week, the doctor should look for possible causes or offer tips and help.
Causes and risk factors for sleep problems
The causes of sleep disorders if not exogenous factors such as B. stress, noise, heat etc. or internal factors such. B. pain or migraines etc. are based on a dysbalance of the sleep-wake hormones in the brain. There are a number of triggers:
- Lifestyle: Frequent consumption of luxury foods such as alcohol and / or cigarettes. Alcohol in particular often makes it easier to fall asleep, but at the same time it prevents you from staying asleep.
- Nutrition: Lush and fatty foods in the evening are particularly heavy in the stomach and promote sleep problems. But a completely empty stomach can also disturb sleep.
- Lack of exercise: If you don't move enough, you are not physically busy. Regular endurance exercise during the day can prevent this.
- Irregular bedtime: Those who always go to bed and get up at the same time promote healthy sleep. Conversely, irregular sleep times can keep us awake longer.
- Mental stress: Stress, tension and brooding, for example due to unspoken conflicts, keep us awake. They not only cause sleep problems, but can also lead to mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders in the long run.
- Diseases: Various diseases can cause sleep disorders. These include, for example, obesity, sleep apnea, various gastrointestinal complaints, cardiovascular diseases, an overactive bladder, psychological and neurological disorders such as dementia or restless legs syndrome or hormonal disorders such as an underactive thyroid.
- Bad sleeping environment: Bad room air, an unsuitable mattress, a too high temperature in the room or noise, such as B. the snoring of the partner can also cause sleep problems.
- Certain phases of life: Hormonal fluctuations occur during pregnancy and in the menopause, which can promote sleep problems. Shift work and long-distance travel can also affect sleep.
- Medication: Some medications, such as high blood pressure or asthma medication, can also cause sleep problems.
The variety of possible triggers can ensure that it takes time to find the individual problem. But in order to really be able to correct the sleep disorders with therapy, you should never give up early. Even a single night of poor sleep can significantly reduce attention and speed of reactionIn the long run, the possible consequences of sleep disorders are, as already described, even more serious.
Treatment: are sleeping pills for sleep disorders the solution?
Many desperate sufferers prefer to take a sleep aid because they are perceived as a quick and easy solution to the symptoms. In fact, the sleep disorders themselves can usually be managed well with a sleep aid and they are the only effective remedy for severe sleep problems. In the case of mild or beginning sleep disorders, the focus should rather be on sleep hygiene and cognitive behavior therapy.
Therapy: Which treatment helps against sleep problems?
There are several ways to get rid of sleep problems. If there is an underlying disease, the first goal of therapy is to treat it and get a grip on sleeping problems. If no exact cause can be found out, a combination of different building blocks is often used:
- Behavioral or sleep therapy: Various techniques are intended to make it easier for patients to fall asleep and sleep through again. Relaxation techniques are used, for example.
- Improve sleeping environment: This includes, for example, a pleasant room temperature, fresh air and switching off noise or light sources. It is often advised not to have possible sources of blue light, such as a television, in the room because this can impair the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Prof. Fietze sees it a little more loosely: "If television helps you fall asleep, it's perfectly fine. And the effect of the television on your bed on melatonin is completely overestimated. In addition, melatonin is not one of the strong sleep hormones."
- Medication: In some cases, medication can be useful to accompany therapy, but long-term use should only be done in close consultation with the doctor.
- Introduce sleep rituals: Especially in the case of difficulty falling asleep, it can help to choose a ritual that is performed every night before going to bed to create a calm mood. Whether you read a few pages for this or prefer to practice Hatha Yoga is up to you: what works is allowed. Even patients with difficulty sleeping can benefit from evening rituals.
- Adhere to bedtime: The body is like a creature of habit: it gets used to periods of activity and inactivity. That is why it is advisable to go to sleep at the same time in the case of all kinds of sleep disorders. Incidentally, it is not bad in itself if someone always goes to bed very early, says Prof. Fietze: "It is not dramatic if you get tired at 8:00 p.m. and wide awake at four in the morning. You still have a healthy seven and a half hours Sleep, but an advanced sleep phase. You can also adjust this phase so that you can participate in social life. If necessary, the specialists in sleep centers offer help. "
- Stay calm: If you wake up in between, you shouldn't cramp right away and worry that you can no longer sleep. Tension makes falling asleep almost impossible. Likewise, you should refrain from looking at the clock, otherwise you often calculate directly in your head how long you could still sleep. And that puts additional pressure. However, it is no longer a total taboo break if you use the watch.
- Light supper: Those who do not have supper at all can suffer from sleep disorders as well as someone who eats a greasy pizza in the evening. A light final meal two to three hours before bed is ideal. By the way, Prof. Fietze also allows the popular bedtime sweets: "Instead of going to bed hungry, it is better to eat a little something. What you eat should be warm, but also sweet, or high in carbohydrates. A piece of cheese nibbling is not so good, because proteins keep you awake. "
- Avoid luxury foods: The quality of sleep can suffer significantly from alcohol, cigarettes and the like. Those who suffer from sleep disorders are best advised to avoid it altogether or at least to significantly limit their consumption.
What if nothing works and I just lie awake in bed? "Get up, read, knit. Just do something relaxing. Sleep comes back on its own. Or watch a nature documentary that is as exciting as possible or boring talk shows," advises sleep expert Prof. Fietze.
Even more help for a good night's sleep and for sleep disorders you can get sleep tips in our article.
Note: This article has been written to the highest scientific standards and has been medically reviewed.
Reading tips: You ask yourself: What helps against snoring? We'll tell you in this article! We also explain what you should know about general sleep disorders and sleep disorders causes and how sleepwalking occurs during the deep sleep phase. And here you can find out everything about natural sleeping pills and leg cramps. There is more information about sleep in Prof. Fietzes book "Germany sleeps badly: how lack of sleep makes us all sick and what you can do about it."
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Swell:
Prof. Dr. med. Ingo Fietze, Head of the Interdisciplinary Sleep Medicine Center, Senior Physician, Specialist in Internal Medicine, Pulmologist and Somnologist at the Charité Berlin
S3 guideline of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine: Non-restful sleep / sleep disorders (status: 2017)
Staedt, J. & Riemann, D .: Diagnostics and therapy of sleep disorders, W. Kohlhammer Verlag, 1st edition, 2006
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