Not being able to sleep

Do you suffer from not being able to sleep? That is sometimes very annoying. Fortunately, you are not alone. In the Netherlands, almost one in three people has a sleeping problem. Every night there are millions of people who have difficulty falling asleep. What actually causes you to sleep poorly? What is the impact of poor sleep on your body? Sleep problems could mean that you are suffering from insomnia. Sleep difficulties and disorders can be treated in different ways. Cognitive behavioral therapy is sometimes used for sleep disorders. This form of therapy can effectively improve your sleep disturbances.

What is poor sleep?

Insomnia, insomnia and insomnia are all names for poor sleep. Do you have sufficient opportunity to sleep, but is your sleep still disturbed? Then you may suffer from insomnia. This sleep problem can be divided into two types, namely: chronic and acute insomnia.

Chronic insomnia

Chronic insomnia does not happen often. The duration of this sleep problem is usually a month or more. This variant usually arises from underlying problems. You can think of medication use, menopause or medical conditions.

Acute insomnia

Acute insomnia is more common. This usually lasts for a number of days or weeks. Another name for acute insomnia is adaptive insomnia. People suffer from this due to spontaneous changes in life. Issues such as tense family relationships, traumatic experiences and a high workload can also play a role.

When do I have insomnia?

The diagnosis of ‘insomnia’ is not simply imposed. This is done if your sleep problem has a negative impact on your daily life. Insomnia brings with it a number of annoying problems for most people:

• Falling asleep only after been awake for more than an hour.
• Waking up regularly during the night and then having trouble falling back asleep.
• Waking up early in the morning hours and not being able to fall asleep afterwards.

What are the causes of poor sleep?

Why do you sleep poorly or not at all? This can be due to various causes. We list these for you below.

Psychological problems

Insomnia and psychological problems can reinforce each other. Depression can be the cause of poor sleep, while insomnia can cause depression.

Medical conditions that cause pain

A medical condition that causes neurological problems or pain can keep you awake at night. People with diseases such as Parkinson’s, osteoarthritis or system atrophy are more likely to experience sleep disorders.

Medications

Do you use medication such as beta blockers? , diuretics, antidepressants and/or corticosteroids? Then you are more likely to have sleep problems. Self-care products can also be the cause of sleep problems. Consider, for example, recipes such as cough syrups or a painkiller with caffeine. It is therefore important to always read carefully what is written on the package leaflet.

Sleep apnea

You may suffer from sleep apnea. If you have this, you wake up regularly during the night. It can cause an unrested feeling during the morning rush hour in combination with a headache. During sleep you stop breathing briefly.

Restless Legs Syndrome

RLS stands for Restless Legs Syndrome. This involves a syndrome in which restless legs cause discomfort. If you have this, you will feel an unpleasant urge to weigh your legs when you are resting. This can worsen in the evening, which often causes sleepless nights.

Menopause

Menopause can affect your sleep . During this period, poorer sleep is more common. This is because the hormone balance functions differently at that time. Night sweats and a hot flash can also cause a poor night’s sleep.

Disturbed sleep rhythm

People have a natural sleep-wake rhythm. This rhythm can become disturbed. This can cause sleeping problems. This occurs, for example, when you have jet lag. Do your working hours not match your biological clock? Then the sleep rhythm can become quite disturbed.

Older age

As the brain ages, the area where sleep occurs regulated, slowly backwards. Fewer sleep hormones such as melatonin are then produced. This can cause a person’s sleep to become fragmented. The amount of REM sleep can decrease, while it is important to keep you sharp cognitively and in terms of memory.

Stress

Do you know that your body produces stress hormones in response to stress? This can have negative consequences for your mind and body. Your body is, as it were, on high alert. A stress response should be short-lived, after which your body will have to recover. Is there stress of longer duration? Then it is difficult for your body to recover. This can cause a feeling of anxiety and the development of sleep problems.

Factors of stress

Stress can occur to someone if he or she has to deal with a lot of tension. There may be several motivations behind this. There can be frustrating stress, exciting stress and harmful stress. Not everyone quickly feels pressure in certain situations. There are also people who are stress resistant. If the workload is high or a loved one has died, this can cause unpleasant moments of stress. Physical and psychological defects can then arise. This manifests itself in behavior, feelings and/or thoughts. It is important to exercise and relax regularly. The longer you are stressed, the more time you need to recover. Are you unable to reduce your stress yourself? Then consult a psychologist, coach or doctor.

What does poor sleep do to your body?

If you have a bad night’s sleep there is no man overboard. However, long-term sleep problems can have a serious impact on a person’s body. If you do not sleep well more often, a number of complaints may occur:

• You may become confused or tired.
• Reaction speed may decrease, which causes a greater risk of a traffic accident.
• An irritable or negative mood may develop.
• Motor functions may decrease.
• Metabolic metabolism may be disrupted.
• Higher levels of inflammation can occur in the blood.
• The immune system becomes weakened.
• Cognitive skills may decrease.
• Working memory and short-term memory can deteriorate.
• You sometimes suffer from microsleep. Then you fall asleep for between 1 and 10 seconds.

Poor sleep can also pose risks in the long term:

• Becoming overweight (overweight)
• Skin aging

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• Cardiovascular disease
• Mood disorder (e.g. depression)
• Cognitive disorder
• Diabetes and Insulin resistance

It So it is not smart to do nothing with insomnia. Please contact your own GP. This can determine the reason for your sleeping problem and how you can solve it.

How much sleep do you need?

How much sleep you need depends on the person. Many people wonder how much sleep they need at their age. No matter how old you are, sleep is always extremely important for your mental and physical condition. The hours of sleep that are necessary vary greatly per phase of life. It is good to know what amount of sleep someone in your age group needs. Sufficient hours of sleep ensure that you can take care of yourself and possibly family and friends. Below we indicate the desired sleeping hours per age group.

Hours of sleep for people over 65

We start this overview with people aged 65 or older. They need an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. The conclusion is that you need to sleep less as you age.

Hours of sleep for adults

Curious about it number of correct hours of sleep for adults? Researchers have found that the correct amount is between 7 and 9 hours. As you get older, the quality of sleep will decrease. Are you an adult? Then you sleep less deeply and wake up earlier during the night. Elderly people usually have almost no lucid dreams. During such a dream, a person is aware of the fact that he or she is dreaming.

Hours of sleep for teenagers

Adolescents are young people between the ages of 14 and 17. This young group needs between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night. Adolescent young people sometimes find it difficult to get enough hours of sleep. This is because they have to deal with a changing ‘body clock’. Because of this clock they tend to crawl into the box bed late. If they go to bed late, they actually have to get up later. This is sometimes difficult because of the schedule at high school.

Hours of sleep schoolchild

A schoolchild is 6-13 years old. It is important for schoolchildren to sleep an average of 9 to 11 hours per night. It is sometimes difficult for them to sleep. This may be due to reasons such as sports, school and extracurricular activities. They also spend a lot of time on TV, the Internet and electronic devices. This can make sleep difficult. School-going kids benefit from proper sleeping habits. It is important that they go to bed on time and limit any distractions just before going to sleep.

Hours of sleep toddler-toddler

The age of a toddler and preschooler is between 3 and 5 years. They need no less than 11 to 13 hours of sleep per night. They also benefit from a nap. From the age of five, naps are no longer necessary. The imagination will continue to develop in this phase of life. Fear of the night, nightmares, sleep panic attacks and sleepwalking are common in preschoolers and toddlers. This decreases as they get older.

Hours of sleep for toddlers

Curious about the number of hours of sleep that toddlers need? First of all, it is good to know that a toddler is 1 or 2 years old. At this age it is recommended to sleep between 11 and 14 hours a day. This includes a nap per day of approximately one hour. At this age, cognitive, social and motor skills can increase. This can disrupt sleep. Imagination also begins to develop, which in turn can cause sleep problems. A toddler often does not want to go to bed on time and suffers from nightmares. These problems can be prevented by establishing good sleeping habits. For example, consider a fixed number of hours of sleep and a correct sleeping environment. It can also be used to help you fall asleep independently. There will be no parents present.

Hours of sleep for an infant

An infant is a baby between 4 and 11 months old. Infants benefit from 12 to 16 hours of sleep a day. Naps are also taken frequently and contribute to good health. After six months, this age group often has a fixed wake-sleep rhythm. At 9 months, a large part sleeps through the night.

Hours of sleep for newborn baby

Newborn babies are between 0 and 3 months old. This group needs the most hours of sleep. A newly born baby needs 16 to 18 hours of sleep. Babies generally have an unpredictable sleep rhythm. Sleeping is combined with waking phases of 1 to 3 hours. When they sleep this can last a few minutes, but also many hours. Half of the sleep of newborns consists of REM sleep. During this period people dream.

Sleep supplement

Using the right sleep supplement can prevent sleep problems. Sleep supplements are created by scientists. These products ensure good blood circulation and faster recovery after exercise and illness. In addition, someone will sleep better and deeper. It also has a positive effect in the areas of anti-aging, immune system, cardiovascular health, self-confidence and active intimacy.

Positive effect

Good sleep aids are approved in the United States and Europe and are used by a large group of people. Good health is of paramount importance to these people. These remedies are also praised by health clinics, gyms and other health organizations. They are all convinced of the positive effect created by the use of the active ingredient L-arginine. The right sleep supplement has excellent features.

Better and deeper sleep

Lack of sleep can happen to anyone. It can be caused by various conditions. Sometimes a cause is temporary. This is, for example, the case with a changed work schedule or jet lag. A sleep problem can also be caused by diseases such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea. This can be combatted with L-glutamine, L-lysines and L-arginine. These substances support a healthy diet and increase dopamine levels. This is beneficial for blood circulation. Narcolepsy is a sleep-wake disorder. This disorder is characterized by drowsy symptoms. Sleep attacks also occur during the day that are uncontrollable.

What do supplements do with magnesium?

A supplement that contains magnesium, among other things, can do sleep wonders. Magnesium is seen by scientists as a good mineral that benefits everyone’s body. Magnesium ensures relaxation of the body and brain. This is exactly what you need to fall asleep. Magnesium cannot be produced by itself. So it will have to come from food or nutritional supplements. A magnesium deficiency can cause annoying problems such as fatigue, muscle pain, and therefore also sleep problems.

The intake of magnesium brings even more benefits. The supplement is good for building muscle. That is why sports people eat food or use nutritional supplements that contain magnesium. The supplement may also reduce anxiety and depression, according to researchers. The heart is kept healthy and blood pressure is maintained. Not many people know that magnesium offers a solution for sleeping problems.

There is a lot of magnesium in seeds, nuts and legumes. But also in other foods. The mineral is regularly added to various types of sports drinks.

What can your doctor do?

Are you at your wits’ end? Have you tried everything but you just can’t fall asleep? Then it is advisable to discuss this with the doctor. A GP can provide information and advice. A doctor delves deeper into good sleep hygiene and teaches the right techniques that promote sleep. He or she will try to find a solution for your insomnia.

Sleep information

Doctors can explain what exactly the day-night rhythm is. This professional also knows exactly what the right sleeping pattern is. The number of hours of sleep varies per person. It is difficult to define how long it should take before you fall asleep. The later it is at night, the less deeply you will sleep. It often happens that you wake up briefly. This is not strange.

Sleep-wake advice

Do you suffer from insomnia? Then it is better not to do a number of things:

• Get out of bed on time. Don’t stay in it any longer.
• Don’t take afternoon naps to catch up on sleep.
• Try not to fall asleep in front of the TV.

What should you do if you have insomnia?

If you have sleep problems, you can do a number of things:

• Are you sleepy? Then go to sleep.
• Make sure your bedroom is fresh and well darkened.
• Go to bed at a fixed time.
• Try to relax before going to bed.

Techniques that ensure better sleep

There are techniques that provide support so that you can develop a better sleeping pattern. This is conducive to proper sleep quality. You can try a number of things together with the doctor.