Thoughts circle, you roll from one side to the other and simply cannot find sleep. Many people know sleep disorders.
About 20 out of 100 people have problems falling asleep and staying asleep. This makes sleep disorders one of the most common health problems of all.
At best, sleep disorders are linked to certain situations and do not last long. It becomes problematic when sleep is permanently disturbed and noticeably affects the quality of life of the person affected.
Sleep has various functions. On the one hand, try hybrid mattress for side sleepers it serves to recover at night in order to be able to perform optimally during the day.
On the other hand, sleep also influences the immune system and also helps to consolidate in the memory what has been learned and experienced during the day. Sleep disorders have a negative effect on these important functions.
Healthy sleep consists of regular processes, the so-called sleep phases: A specific sequence of different phases is repeated again and again during sleep, whereby the exact duration of the sleep phases and the rate of repetition vary from person to person.
A distinction is made between sleep disorders:
Insomnia (insomnia)
- Hypersomnia (increased need for sleep)
- Parasomnia (abnormal behaviour during sleep)
- sleep-related respiratory disorders (e.g. sleep apnoea)
- sleep-related movement disorders (e.g. restless legs syndrome)
- circadian rhythm disturbances (disturbances of the sleep-wake rhythm).
Not every sleep disorder is a problem. Especially if the sleep disorder only occurs acutely, for example in the case of jetlag, it is usually not a problem.
However, if sleep is disturbed regularly or persistently, this can have health consequences.
Serious and long-lasting sleep disorders increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, for example.
But even permanent slight sleep disturbances impair performance, disturb concentration and can have an unfavorable effect on the well-being of the person affected.
Sleep disorders can be the consequence or concomitant of diseases (so-called secondary sleep disorders) – such as heart disease, mental illness and others.
They can also be an independent phenomenon (so-called primary sleep disorder), i.e. there are no organic or psychological causes.
Primary sleep disorders can have many different causes, such as alcohol, medication or drugs, but also, for example, changed life situations or shift work.
Sleeping pills can help acutely with sleep disturbances, but only eliminate the immediate symptom.
They are not a permanent solution. Sleep disorders are usually treated with behavioral therapy. Relaxation techniques such as autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation can support the therapy.