9 Questions for the Sleep Deprived
Everyone deserves a good night's sleep, but
sometimes, for one reason or another, we cannot get the sleep that we
require. If you are having difficulty getting to sleep each night, and
want to get to the bottom of what could be causing it, you should ask
yourself these 9 important questions. Then speak to your doctor about
your options.
1. Am I Tossing and Turning?
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder
and becomes more frequent as we get older. Women are more likely to
suffer from insomnia, especially within the setting of sleep apnea that
occurs after menopause. For some reason, insomnia also seems to be more
prevalent among those who are unemployed, single, or of low
socioeconomic status.
2. Am I Having Trouble Breathing?
Someone who has sleep apnea may experience loud snoring, brief pauses in
breathing, and intermittent gasping. During apnea attacks, the oxygen
levels in the blood drops, the heart rate increases, and sleeps becomes
disrupted, as the affected person wakes up in order to resume breathing.
This can have serious consequences on sleep quality, daytime function,
and overall health.
3. How Long Does it Take Me to Nod Off?
Sometimes our expectations regarding our sleep might be slightly
misguided. The belief that we will fall asleep as soon as we retire to
our beds is a bit misleading. Deadlines, responsibilities, anxiety, or
even other health issues can all impact the rate at which we fall
asleep.
4. Could I Have a Serious Issue?
Sometimes it can help, from a psychological as well as medical
standpoint, to take a look at the long list of established sleep issues
that could be hindering you. It may help if you can place a finger on
the exact problem that is disturbing your sleep and preventing you from
feeling refreshed.
5. Is My Child Getting Enough Shut-Eye?
When children don't get enough sleep, they are at risk of undermining
their overall health. Researchers have hypothesized that sleep
disruption could cause permanent damage to the area of the brain known
as the hypothalamus - the area responsible for regulating appetite and
energy expenditure.
6. Do I Have Trouble Waking Up?
Sleep paralysis is the inability to move or speak as one moves from
sleep to wakefulness, without other findings that are characteristic of
narcolepsy. No treatment is necessary, but avoiding sleep deprivation,
stress, and other precipitants might be helpful.
7. Am I Tired by Mid-Day? 
When it comes to reaping the benefits of taking a nap, it is all about
experiencing the right stages of sleep. For example, if your nap takes
you from stage one sleep (just drifting off) to stage two (the slowing
down of brain activity), you will wake up feeling more alert and
energized. However, if your nap takes you to stage three and four (deep
sleep), you will wake up feeling groggy and tired.
8. Do I Get a Solid Night's Sleep?
If you get less than 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep each night, you may be
operating under a sleep deficit. As a result, you may be prone to
cognitive impairment, motor skill impairment, emotional irritability,
weakened immunity, and weight gain.
9. Am I Dozing Off Too Fast?
You might think that you're a perfect sleeper if you nod off quickly or
if you can fall asleep anywhere.
However, being able to fall asleep fast could actually be a sign of an abnormality with your sleep.