Sleep disorders and sleep problems
Relaxing sleep for everyone: sleep disorders, their causes and how to improve your sleep quality
Wake up full of energy, relaxed in start the day and fall into bed without worries. More and more people are far away from this ideal. More than 70 percent of Swiss people complain about sleeping problems that occur at least occasionally. Around every 10th person in this group very often complains about sleep disorders - this is the conclusion the health survey already in 2017.
What are the causes of the various sleep problems and what possibilities are there to finally be able to sleep better again? We at Biow have summarized everything about the causes, symptoms, forms and treatments for sleep problems here.
Healthy sleep: what does it mean?
Sleep has long been seen as a passive phase , in which nothing significant happens. Sleep is more than the absence of wakefulness. During sleep, the body goes through important functions that form the basis for performance and energy during the day. It is essential for our physical and mental health. A healthy adult has between 3-5 phases in a night.
- Sleep begins in the light sleep phase
- It quickly transitions to the deep sleep phase
- This is followed by a dream sleep phase (also called REM sleep)
- This cycle repeats itself, with the deep sleep phases becoming shorter and the REM phases becoming longer
During sleep, the essential regulatory processes in the body change - from breathing and the circulatory system to digestion, the nervous system and the hormone balance.
How sleep works exactly and how sleep research helps us, better We have summarized how to sleep in this report.
Sleep disorders - what to do if you have problems falling asleep, sleeping through the night etc.?
Sleep disorders have in common that they leave those affected exhausted, tired and drained . But sleep problems come in many different forms:
- Trouble falling asleep:
Lie awake for hours and just can't switch off - problems falling asleep have plagued almost everyone at some point in their lives. They belong to the group of insomnias and can have both psychological and organic causes.
- Trouble sleeping through the night:
Also belong to the group of insomnias problems staying asleep. Affected people can fall asleep, but wake up in the middle of the night - often several times. This leads to a fragmented sleep that hardly offers any rest and saps your strength in the long term. There are also many causes of problems sleeping through the night.
- Snoring:
Loud snoring can on the one hand be your own Disturbing sleep, on the other hand also robbing your partner of sleep. Occasional snoring is a common cause of a poor sleeping environment. If the bedroom is filled with warm and dry air, the dust load increases and puts a strain on the respiratory tract. A good anti-snoring measure is therefore to improve the air quality in the room. With a Biow ionization device, you enrich the air in the bedroom with negatively charged oxygen ions and clean it of dirt from the finest particles. This is how you breathe healthy air that is effective against snoring and lets almost all our customers sleep better.
< h2>Causes of insomnia: menopause, depression, stress, illness & moreThere are various causes for sleep disorders - they can be of a physical or psychological nature and sometimes external influences are also responsible for problems falling asleep and sleeping through the night. We have summarized the most important causes of insomnia:
Poor sleep due to pregnancy
Pregnancy affects the hormonal balance, which is significantly involved in healthy sleep. Add to this the psychological stress that comes from the life-changing experience of pregnancy. Sleep problems during pregnancy usually appear in the first trimester and disappear over time. For some mothers, however, the growth of the baby in the womb leads to other problems. Its size makes it difficult for some mothers to find a comfortable sleeping position. At the same time, the baby can press on the bladder and thus cause a temporary difficulty sleeping through the night.
Sleep problems during menopause
The menopause is also characterized by a change in the hormone balance, which in some women affects the sleep-wake cycle beats. They mainly complain about problems falling asleep and sleeping through the night. Some also experience hot flashes at night. On a psychosocial level, the menopause means an enormous change, so that stress-related sleep disorders also occur, especially in the initial phase.
Sleep disorders due to depression
Sleep disorders of all kinds are typical of depression and depressive moods. The poor quality of sleep leads to additional psychological stress, which in turn has a negative effect on sleep. A complex cycle that is treated medically therapeutically and medicinally. Some medications for depression can also cause sleep disorders as a side effect.
Sleep problems as a symptom of illness
Serious neurological diseases often lead to severe sleep disorders. Diseases of the thyroid and adrenal glands affect the hormonal balance - and can thus disturb the sleep rhythm. Chronic inflammation and other diseases that cause severe pain can cause those affected to have trouble sleeping through the night.
Temporary sleep problems due to external influences
The reason for the sleep problems is not always an illness. Studies show that poor air quality reduces sleep quality can. Background noise also affects sleep. Anyone who lives on a busy main road with night traffic is exposed to constant noise pollution, which can both delay falling asleep and lead to problems sleeping through the night.
Sleep disorders due to lifestyle
and problems sleeping through the night can also be caused by your own lifestyle. Do you like to drink a cup or two of coffee throughout the day? Caffeine intake can lead to sleep problems. By reducing those affected, those affected can quickly improve.
Treating sleep disorders: research into causes using a sleep diary & Visit to the doctor
The complex of causes for a sleep disorder cannot always be clearly identified. The complex overlapping of various factors makes it difficult for those affected to understand the nature of their own sleep problem.
With a sleep diary, you record your subjective sleep sensation and the associated daily routine. This makes it easier for you to identify potential triggers of your sleep problem and find out more about its nature. Doctors often recommend keeping a sleep diary. It is a method that has also been established for diseases such as migraines.
A doctor helps you to gain a professional view of the sleep problem. You can also carry out various tests to find possible physical causes of the sleep disorder.
Improve sleep quality: 6 steps to healthy sleep
What makes a good night's sleep? Sleep researchers around the world are dealing with this question. With the Sleep Hygiene Index you have developed an instrument to make healthy sleep measurable. These are the key takeaways for your sleep routine.
1. Healthy sleep according to plan: falling asleep on time & Getting up
- Having the same time to get up and go to bed gets your body used to a certain rhythm and makes it easier to fall asleep.
- Constantly changing sleep times increases the time it takes to fall asleep in the long term and thus shortens the recovery phase.
- Make sure that you get at least 7 - 8 hours sleep every day and also consider the time it takes you to fall asleep
2. Prepare for sleep: No alcohol, no caffeine, no exercise
- Healthy sleep starts before you go to bed: You should not consume alcohol, caffeine or tobacco a few hours before going to bed >
- You should start exerciseat least1 hour before your planned sleep time Both stimulate the body and give it the wrong signal for activity < li>You should also avoid long screen times before going to bed. The constant fire of the media puts a strain on the mind and promotes the merry-go-round when falling asleep.
- Studies suggest that blue light from screens lowers the melatonin content and is therefore responsible for sleep problems. However, a meta-study by Finnish sleep researchers takes a critical view of this and, among other things, criticizes the time frame of most of the studies. So this question has not been finally clarified
3. Prepare your place to sleep: a comfortable bed
- The own bed, the duvet and the pillow have a significant impact on how well we can fall asleep and how rested we feel the next morning.
- If you use a mattress that is too hard or too soft, you will quickly toss and turn and have problems sleeping through the night.
- An unsuitable one Sleeping equipment can also lead to tension and pain in the back and neck area, which in turn promotes sleep problems. A study commissioned by BICO found that neck and back pain are among the most common causes of sleep problems.
4. Bedroom: fresh air and quiet for healthy sleep
- In addition to the bed and the sleeping equipment, space and environment also play an important role in restful sleep. < li> Light disturbs falling asleep and leads to restless sleep. Make sure the room is as dark as possible with thick curtains and remove disturbing light sources such as a TV in standby mode.
- The room air and temperature also affect sleep. In a study conducted by the Techniker Krankenkasse, 40% of those surveyed gave the answer room climate that is too cold or too warm as a contributing factor to the sleep problems.
- Dry, warm and dusty air puts strain on the airways and can lead to snoring and insomnia
5. Biow: Ionized room air for regeneration while you sleep
Ionized air is healthy - but what does healthy air actually do from? The secret of the freshness and health-promoting properties of healthy indoor air is the amount of oxygen ions in the inhaled air.
With Biow we have developed a device that specifically targets air with up to 70,000 ions per cubic centimeter of air and creates an indoor air that we otherwise only know from forests in the mountains, a waterfall or after a heavy downpour
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This is not only measurable but also tangible. Over 95 percent of users of an ionizing device report about an improvement in sleep quality - and 4 out of 5 users are happy about reduced snoring.
The clean environment causes the oxygen Ions carried far into space. In this way, the body is supported in the regeneration of the cells like with a turbo. While we sleep, our body continues to work and, like a power plant, produces the energy we need to meet the challenges of everyday life - and the air ionized with Biow provides the best conditions for your power plant to run at 100% performance works. You can read exactly how Biow supports the body's own cells in producing energy in our blog post
6. Sleep ritual: switching off and falling asleep with a system
Hardly in bed - and already the thought carousel begins to circle. Stress in everyday life causes many people to have problems falling asleep. On the other hand, a solid sleep ritual helps to prepare your mind for bedtime: A Californian study showed that mindfulness exercises such as meditation, deep relaxation or certain breathing techniques subjectively improve the sleep sensation of the test subjects. The control group only received general tips on sleep hygiene. Here, the feeling of sleep improved only minimally.
Tip: A sleep ritual does not have to be complicated - on the contrary: the simpler, the better they find it easier to actually ritualize the actions. Take 5 minutes for a conscious examination of yourself: breathe deeply, close your eyes and visualize the upcoming sleep. Avoid the last look at your smartphone or television.
Sleep therapy for sleep problems: What helps with problems falling asleep?
When home remedies no longer help and the sleep problems do not improve stops, visiting a sleep laboratory can help to get to the bottom of the causes of your own sleep problems. It is the prerequisite for sleep therapy, which tackles the root of your difficulty falling asleep or sleeping through the night. A number of diagnostic methods are available to sleep specialists to understand the nature of the sleep problem. These are the 3 most important ones:
- Polysomnography : With polysomnography, the body is equipped with a series of sensors that check all organ functions during sleep. Doctors can draw important conclusions about possible organic causes of the sleep disorder.
- Sleep diary: In addition to the objective analysis of the sleep disorder, the subjective experience also plays an important role in understanding. In the sleep diary, you independently document your day in relation to your sleeping behavior. This gives sleep specialists insight into the structure and patterns of your sleep problems. They also make it possible to measure the subsequent success of the therapy.
- Actigraphy: An additional diagnostic tool is actigraphy, in which you have a 5-7 day Wear a measuring device on your arm that records all movement activities. In this way, possible shifts in the sleep-wake cycle can be determined.
After the diagnosis, the treating physicians can determine the causes of your sleep disorder. The specific sleep therapy depends on this.
The sleep disorder is often the result of poor sleep rituals and poor sleep hygiene. Then you can easily carry out your personal sleep therapy at home. Develop a bedtime ritual, set fixed bedtimes and avoid eating foods high in sugar and caffeine in the evening. With Biow, you also create a perfect sleeping climate through clean and oxygen-rich air.
Alternative to sleep therapy in a sleep laboratory
Many people who suffer from insomnia are reluctant to undergo sleep therapy in a sleep laboratory. The clinical atmosphere and the lack of a feel-good factor are often cited as reasons. However, since the sleeping environment can often be a reason for sleep disorders, it is important to optimize it. We therefore offer you the opportunity to test our ionizing units for 60 days risk-free. We are convinced that Biow can help in many cases. If not, we will pick up the device again and there are no costs.
Conclusion: Insomnia is not destiny
Insomnia has many causes, and many sufferers feel like they've exhausted all options. But nobody has to be plagued by insomnia all the time. When medical options have been exhausted, it is often the small things that together significantly improve the quality of sleep.
Have you already considered the quality of your indoor air? Many of our customers used to complain about problems falling asleep or staying asleep or suffered from snoring.
The Biow ionization devices help to clean the air of the finest particles and enrich it with health-promoting oxygen ions. The result: wonderfully fresh air that not only allows our customers to breathe deeply, but also to sleep through the night.
Read here , how Biow has helped 255 of our customers with their sleep problems and bringing the sleep revolution into their bedroom!
