What to do about sleep disorders?

What to do about sleep disorders?

More and more people are complaining about poor sleep. Sometimes with serious consequences for body and mind. Healthy and, above all, sufficient sleep protects and strengthens the immune system, promotes the body's regeneration and healing process, prevents illness and is also considered an important support in the treatment of depression or cancer, for example.

Why do people sleep badly?

According to the DAK Health Report 2017, 80 per cent of working people between the ages of 35 and 65 sleep poorly. The causes of sleep disorders usually lie in lifestyle, i.e. how you spend your day. However, illnesses, environmental influences and the psyche can also be reasons for poor sleep.

Behaviour & psyche

Stress is one of the main causes of sleep disorders. Every stressful situation causes a tense reaction in the body, which can also have a negative impact on sleep. Those affected lack inner balance and are no longer able to rest. Among other things, the tension leads to difficulty falling asleep or sleeping through the night, feeling tired, exhausted and listless, and often lacking concentration.

Stress also takes a heavy toll on emotional health. Another reason is that we live, work and sleep against our internal clock. Social relationships, a multitude of leisure activities and also everyday working life are often organised against the individual circadian biological rhythm. As a result, more and more people are no longer getting a good night's sleep, feel exhausted in the morning and the feeling of exhaustion also affects performance, motivation, mood and concentration. Private or professional problems and worries can also lead to sleepless nights.

An unhealthy lifestyle also includes too little exercise and an unhealthy, unbalanced diet. Both a lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet have a negative impact on the quality of sleep. For example, too much alcohol or nicotine consumption can lead to poor sleep. This also applies to a rich, fatty and late evening meal. A physical balance to the mostly sedentary everyday life would be very important. But this is often neglected. However, working out too late in the evening can also have negative consequences for the process of falling asleep. This is because the body needs a while to wind down again after a strenuous sports programme.

Environment

Sleep disruptors such as electrosmog, indoor toxins or the effects of light and noise also have a direct impact on sleep quality and melatonin production. The same applies to an unsuitable sleeping surface, the wrong pillow or a sleep-unfriendly bedroom environment (too bright, too loud, too warm, etc.). The most common factors that disrupt our internal clock, and therefore our sleep quality, include:

Noise

Noise is another source of sleep disorders. Noise can come from outside, such as from traffic, aeroplanes or neighbours, or from inside, such as from snoring, breathing or heartbeats. Noise can delay falling asleep, interrupt sleep or reduce the quality of sleep. Noise can also lead to stress, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. To reduce noise, you can use earplugs or soothing background music.

Temperature

The temperature in the bedroom also has an influence on sleep. A temperature that is too high or too low can affect sleeping comfort and lead to sweating or freezing. The optimum sleeping temperature varies from person to person, but is usually between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. To regulate the temperature, you can adjust the heating, make sure the duvets are made of the right materials and ensure good ventilation.

Light

Light is a natural timer for our sleep-wake rhythm. It signals to our body when it is time to be awake or to sleep. But in the modern world, we are often exposed to artificial light that can disrupt our rhythm. For example, a street lamp shining into the bedroom can inhibit the release of the sleep hormone melatonin and reduce deep sleep. Blue light from televisions, smartphones or tablets can also disrupt melatonin production and make it more difficult to fall asleep. It is therefore advisable to avoid such devices before going to bed and to darken the bedroom as much as possible. The specially developed SAMINA Chronosleeplight Candela can effectively compensate for a large part of the influence of blue light.

Electrosmog

Electrosmog is a term used to describe exposure to electrical and electromagnetic fields. These fields occur everywhere in nature, but also from artificial sources such as power lines, mobile phones, televisions or WLAN. Electrosmog can affect the body and the nervous system by altering cells, hormones and brain waves. Electrosmog could also affect the quality of sleep by disrupting the sleep-wake rhythm. This rhythm is controlled by the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. If we are exposed to electromagnetic fields, melatonin production could be inhibited, making it more difficult to fall asleep and reducing the amount of deep sleep. The simplest and most important step is to switch off the WLAN at night. Body grounding pads, such as the Lokosana® grounding pad, can also help.

Diseases & medical reasons

Diseases such as restless legs syndrome, hormonal disorders (thyroid disease), cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure or obstructive sleep apnoea disrupt healthy sleep and can lead to sleep problems in the long term. A flu-like infection can also disrupt sleep. In general, illnesses that are accompanied by pain can have a negative impact on the quality of sleep and therefore on restful sleep. Taking medication and sleeping pills can also worsen the quality of sleep.

What helps with insomnia?

Sleep is considered a 90 per cent factor. This means that 90 per cent of health depends on regenerative sleep. If you want a healthy and restful night's sleep, you can do a lot to help yourself, but there are a few important criteria to bear in mind.

A first step towards more restful and healthier sleep is to change your lifestyle and introduce regular sleep hygiene. 80 per cent of sleep quality is based on a healthy sleep environment and 20 per cent on a healthy lifestyle. However, as is so often the case, long-term success is not achieved by combating symptoms (e.g. by taking sleeping pills), but by tackling the causes. Because if you try to bridge your sleep deficit with sleeping pills, you may be masking any health problems. Anyone suffering from long-term sleep disorders should therefore always consult a doctor to rule out an organic cause for their sleep problems.

Various cognitive behavioural therapies, relaxation techniques, autogenic training, breathing techniques, light therapy or progressive muscle relaxation can also have a positive effect on the quality of sleep and promote the process of falling asleep.

The optimal sleeping environment

The bedroom environment also plays a decisive role in how restful sleep is. Sources of disturbance such as light, noise, electrosmog or indoor toxins reduce the quality of sleep. It is therefore advisable to always ensure a healthy sleeping environment. Natural bedding promotes restful sleep, as does a healthy and holistic sleep system. The holistic SAMINA sleep solution is based on more than 30 years of experience and research, supports regenerative recovery and promotes healthy lying.

However, it is not uncommon for good intentions to fail when it comes to implementation. This is not always easy. A sleep diary can help here. However, professional sleep coaching and targeted sleep optimisation can also help you to make the necessary changes.

Your sleep is individual

The path to healthy sleep is a little different for everyone and the subject is complex, as there is no area that does not influence sleep and vice versa. That's why we at SAMINA focus on individual and detailed sleep analyses and advice.

This personalised sleep analysis is 100% free and non-binding and can easily be carried out online. Take the first step towards healthy, Bioenergetic Sleep® now!