when and who to consult?

Poor sleep can be cured! Provided you identify why you are not sleeping well. We tell you when to seek help and where to turn.

How do you sleep? Are you one of the people who believe you sleep well or are you more in the team ʺcomplicated nightsʺ? In France, the sleep disturbances are common : a third of French people report suffering from at least one sleep disorder (according to an INSV/MGEN survey conducted in 2015).

Difficulty falling asleep, nocturnal awakenings, nights that are too short, nightmares, snoring… These disorders can manifest themselves in different ways, but the purpose is often the same: when you wake up, you are still tired, and it shows in your day. . But if poor sleep is common, when should you be concerned? And above all, who to turn to for solutions? We asked Dr. Patrick Lemoine, doctor of neuroscience and psychiatrist, sleep specialist, for his opinion.

What are sleep disorders?

There are a lot of sleep disorders. They can be grouped into three main categories:

  • The insomniaeither the inability to sleep long enough and/or, may involve difficulty falling asleep, long periods of nocturnal awakening, waking up too early… or all three, and resulting in a state of drowsiness during the day ;
  • The hypersomniawhich concern people who have been sleeping too much for some time, and who are often drowsy despite everything (one thinks for example of apneics), not to be confused with those who need more sleep than others but are in good shape in the day ;
  • The parasomnias, which include a wide variety of disorders, from snoring to sleep apnea, including bruxism, nightmares, sleepwalking, leg movements during sleep, etc. Again, the sleep is not restorative and the person is tired.

These disorders are problematic if they are recurrent. ʺThere are transient insomniaʺ, explains Dr. Lemoine, ʺwhich result in difficulty sleeping as an important event approaches, whether positive or negative. In this case, it is not really a recurring disorder, since we know that it will stop once the event has passed.ʺ On the website of Morpheus network (dedicated to the management of chronic sleep disorders), sleep problems are said to be regular when they have existed for more than 3 months and are observed more than 3 times a week. If you are a couple, do not hesitate to ask your partner in order to have his feelings (he or she will be able to tell you if you move a lot, if you have apneas, etc.).

What are the main causes of sleep disorders?

Just like the manifestations of sleep disorders, their causes are very varied (although sometimes doctors can’t find a cause). Most hypersomnia is related to sleep apnea. In the case of parasomnias, there are illnesses in children such as sleepwalking, night terrors (neurological maturity not yet reached) but also psychological causes such as trauma which can then result in more or less recurring nightmares.

Insomnia can be environmental, related to discontinuous noises (if you live near an airport for example, you may no longer hear planes, but on the cardiovascular level, your body will never get used to it. ), light, especially blue light from screens at night, heat or even a lack of feeling of security (if you don’t sleep at home or your partner scares you). The toxic causes are also important: we think of the caffeine found in coffee of course, but also in tea, chocolate, Coca-Cola type sodas or even energy drinks, but also drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol, and certain medications. Pain and fever can lead to insomnia, as can certain mental disorders such as depression.

Sleep disorders: who can help me?

First, you can go to your doctor, who can refer you to a specialist. Be careful though: ʺin France, future doctors are not trained in sleep problems, except apneaʺ, warns Dr. Lemoine. ʺAfter consulting your doctor, the ideal is to turn to a doctor with a sleep IUD or make an appointment at a sleep clinic. Appointment wait times can be long, but this is the best support possible.ʺ

These places are particularly equipped to record sleep and be able to make a diagnosis (very useful in the event of hypersomnia or parasomnia, less so for insomnia).
The specialist also warns about not seeing sleeping pills as a miracle solution. The latter are in fact prescribed very/too easily, in particular by general practitioners, whereas they are absolutely not suitable for all sleep disorders, cause an addiction which is difficult to overcome and can have health repercussions on the long term. It is better to turn to more natural solutions such as sustained-release melatonin and plants such as valerian.

Dr. Lemoine is the author of several books on sleep, including the latest, ʺDoctor, I have trouble sleepingʺpublished by Odile Jacob (€21.90).

Maïlys is a writer specializing in the fields of beauty, health, well-being and parenthood. Mother of a little boy, she is also crazy about tennis and a little …

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