The main causes of sleep disorders

We all know how important it is to sleep well and yet many of us have frequently lost sleep. Sometimes premeditated and sometimes simply unintentional. Sleep disorders are, today, one of the most common, having a considerable increase in the population.

40% of the Spanish population suffers from one of these disorders and 10% suffer from a chronic condition. There are one hundred types of sleep disorders registered by the World Health Organization (WHO). These include insomnia (reduced ability to sleep), hypersomnia (excessively long and deep sleep), parasomnias (sleep behavior disorder with brief waking episodes), sleepwalking (automatic motor activities while staying unconscious), the sleep paralysis (temporary inability to perform any type of voluntary movement during the transition period between the state of sleep and wakefulness), etc.

• Related article: "Avoid the effects of insomnia with these 5 basic keys"

What are sleep disorders?

Sleep disorders, as their name suggests, are significant sleep problems. They can be disturbances in falling asleep and staying asleep, problems staying awake, and sleep disturbances, so that a normal sleep rhythm is not allowed.

What are the causes of sleep disorders?

There is a close relationship between sleep disorders and quality of life, physical and psychiatric health. Some of these sleep disorders are caused by cardiovascular, hormonal, metabolic, neurological diseases and those that cause pain. In addition, we must add those caused by psychiatric diseases such as anxiety and depression. Pregnancy and menopause can also cause sleep problems, such as insomnia, a disorder that, as we have discussed before, reduces the ability to sleep.

Among other causes that make adequate sleep impossible, are the abuse of medications, bad sleep habits, excessive work and use of electronic devices before going to sleep. However, genetic predispositions always play a significant role.

1. Drug abuse

There are medications that affect sleep, such as the beta-blocker (used to treat hypertension and arrhythmias), by inhibiting the nocturnal secretion of the hormone melatonin responsible for regulating sleep and its circadian clock, produces nightmares and awakenings nocturnal. Corticosteroids (used to treat inflammation of the blood vessels and muscles, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, allergic reactions ...) deplete the adrenal glands thus keeping the body awake and the mind stimulated, in addition to SSRI antidepressants, alpha blockers, statins ...

2. Bad sleep habits

Having good sleep hygiene is essential to be able to lead a healthy and productive life, so you have to learn to have a good sleep habit. We must avoid going to bed too late and not sleeping long enough to recover the energy expended. The consequences of not having a good sleep habit are fatigue and tiredness, leading to in some cases, a state of worry at the time of wanting to sleep that makes it impossible to reconcile dream.

3. Excessive work and new technologies

One of the causes that appears more and more frequently in our lives is overwork, which that causes greater stress, affecting the quality of sleep and causing more difficulties to be able to reconcile it. Not only does excessive work deprive us of a quality sleep, but also the excessive use of new technologies (such as mobile phones, tablets, televisions and computers) excite our nervous system so much during the day to day what they may misadjust the internal clock and alter the hormones that help you fall asleep.

Author: Natalia Matusiak