Sleep disorders

Sleep disorders

Sleep is an integral part of human existence – physiologically it is just as necessary to sustain life as air, food and water, because one third of human life is spent in a sleep. Different conditions of sleep disorders can cause changes in human wellness, which again may significantly affect emotional and physical health.

Insomnia is defined as a symptom, which is attributed to the inability to fall asleep, stay calm, to feel refreshment after sleep, as well as the awakening too early in the morning.

Time required for a sleep for adult is individual; it can be from 4 to 10 hours a day. The person, who needs at least 10 hours of sleep daily may suffer from insomnia, if the time devoted to sleep every day is 8 hours. Required sleep time depends on various factors - genetics, age, the presence and depth of mental disorders.

VIVENDI center psychiatrist Inga Zarde compares long-term lack of good sleep with the bank loan, because sooner or later, just as the indebtedness to the bank, has to compensate and the missing hours of sleep have to be returned the body. After a long period of insomnia, a person may have increased fatigue, loss of concentration, decreased attention span, mood swings, worsened irritability, aggression, deterioration of memory, movement coordination, even perceptual disorders may occur in the form of hallucinations.

Most commonly sleep disorders are associated with psychiatric or somatic diseases - depression, neurotic disorders, dependence of substances, heart or respiratory failure, restless leg syndrome, medication side effects, as well as psychosocial factors and sleep hygiene compliance, 50% of cases of sleep disorders are caused by internal and neurological diseases.

Approximately 90% of patients, who suffer from depression, have also complaints about sleep disorders. While long-term insomnia is a risk factor for depression. Depression is characterized by prolonged sleep latency period, frequent waking during the night or waking up too early.

Sleep disorders are also typical to other mental illness – anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

To determine the clinical diagnosis of sleep disorders, the following is found out by interviewing the patient:

• Sleep disorders start, duration, pace, character
• Bedtime routine
• Possible side effects of the disease (arthritis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, dementia, heart failure, etc.), which could be the cause of insomnia.

In cases when there is suspicion of sleep apnea, narcolepsy or periodic limb movement disorder, more specific tests of sleep are needed - polysomnography, which allows to evaluate how the body functions during the sleep.
During the treatment of sleep disorders factors that have caused or exacerbated the insomnia for a patient have to be prevented and the disease has to be treated.

Advices of VIVENDI doctors for healthier sleep:

• Avoid caffeine-containing beverages, alcohol and tobacco use before sleep
• Avoid active exercise 3-6 hours before sleep, but regular physical activity in the morning or early afternoon is required
• Avoid overeating and not starving before going to sleep
• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends,
• Avoid worrying, “brain activating” activities before bedtime,
• Provide a cool, dark, quiet bedroom and a comfortable mattress and pillow
• Not to use the bed as an "office", "dining room" or "cinema"
• Avoid sleeping during the day

Somatic or psychiatric disorders, which are characterized by changes in sleep: