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What Is Restless Sleep & What Causes It?

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Restless sleep is a common issue that affects as many as 1 in 4 Indians; roughly 25.7%.  It often leads to a feeling of unrefreshing rest and overall tiredness. Understanding the causes and solutions for restless sleep is crucial for improving one’s quality of life.

This blog will delve into what restless sleep is, its common causes, its impact on health, and ways to manage and treat it effectively.

What is Restless Sleep?

Restless sleep refers to a condition where you find it challenging to fall and stay asleep.  You experience frequent awakenings, tossing and turning, and an overall sense of disturbance that doesn’t allow you to settle into the state of deep sleep.

Unlike restful sleep, where the person wakes up feeling rejuvenated, restless sleep leaves one feeling tired and sluggish.

Restless sleep is associated with the following symptoms and signs:

  • Frequent tossing and turning or waking up without wanting to
  • Loud snoring that involves gasping or choking noises
  • Notable movements of the limbs
  • Getting out of bed, or even sleepwalking
  • Talking or yelling while still asleep
  • Grinding your teeth

During the daytime, you may experience additional signs and symptoms caused by a lack of adequate sleep. These include:

  • Daytime sleepiness
  • Behavioural changes like difficulty focusing or paying attention
  • Mood changes like irritability and trouble managing your emotions
  • Difficulty meeting deadlines or performance expectations during school or work
  • Frequent accidents or falls

Common Causes of Restless Sleep

Restless sleep is usually the result of an underlying deficiency or an overstimulation of the brain. Some of the common causes of restless sleep are as follows:

  • Stress and anxiety: Stress and anxiety are leading causes of restless sleep. When your mind is occupied with worries and concerns, it keeps racing with thoughts. This mental tension often leads to frequent awakenings and disturbed sleep patterns.
  • Depression: Grief, sadness and depression are also detrimental to sleep. Normally cortisol levels are low when you fall asleep – especially in the state of deep sleep – and spikes up in the morning when you are ready to do your daily activities. When you are stressed, this rhythm gets disturbed. You wake up after 3-4 hours of sleep around 1-3 am and find it difficult to go back to sleep. By the morning, your cortisol level is low and you feel sleepy. Thus, depression produces inverse sleep patterns and you experience tiredness and sleepiness throughout the day, which impacts your health and productivity.
  • Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol consumption: Caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants can make the brain and body feel wired and unprepared for sleep. Alcohol and sedatives – even though they cause drowsiness – disrupt normal sleep cycles and can make for a restless night’s sleep even after falling asleep quickly.
  • Poor Sleep Environment: Factors such as noise, light, an uncomfortable mattress, and inappropriate room temperature can all contribute to restless sleep.
  • Bad habits: Bad habits like using electronic devices in bed, or eating dinner too late can also cause restless sleep. Going to bed and waking up at different times each day can disrupt your body’s internal clock. Your circadian rhythm can also be misaligned due to night shift work or jetlag.
  • Medical Conditions: Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is an uncontrollable urge to move the legs, which typically occurs during the evening or night, thus disrupting sleep. Sleep Apnea is a serious sleep disorder where breathing starts and stops repeatedly, causing frequent awakenings. Conditions like arthritis or fibromyalgia can make it difficult to stay comfortable and sleep soundly.

Impact of Restless Sleep on Health

restless sleep

Restless sleep impacts health negatively in several ways. Some of the problems maybe short-term, while others can have a more serious and lasting impact.

Short-term effects of restless sleep include persistent tiredness and lack of energy, difficulty focusing on tasks and retaining information, increased irritability, stress and emotional instability.

The more serious implications of prolonged sleep disturbances are linked to an increased risk of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Poor sleep can compromise your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections and illnesses. Chronic sleep problems can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders.

Diagnosing Restless Sleep

If you consistently experience symptoms of restless sleep and they interfere with your daily life, it’s important to seek medical advice. Persistent sleep issues that don’t improve with self-care strategies warrant professional evaluation.

Your doctor will ask about your sleep habits, lifestyle, and any symptoms you’re experiencing. You may be referred for a sleep study, where your sleep patterns, breathing, and other physiological activities will be monitored overnight in a sleep lab.

Keeping a record of your sleep patterns and any disturbances can help in diagnosing the problem, hence you may be asked to maintain a sleep diary where you record your sleep habits. Alternatively, you might also choose to wear a smartwatch or an actigraph for this purpose.

Tips for Managing Restless Sleep

The functional approach suggests some lifestyle changes to promote good sleep. These simple changes are enlisted as follows:

  • Create a Comfortable Sleep Environment: Keep your bedroom cool and well-ventilated. Use blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out light. Use earplugs or a white noise machine to minimize disruptions. Invest in a good-quality mattress and pillows that support your body well.
  • Establish a Regular Sleep Routine: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Avoid napping during the day, especially after 3 pm. It is not how long you sleep, but when you sleep which is more important for your circadian rhythm. Engage in calming activities like reading or taking a warm bath before bed. Avoid using electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime to reduce blue light exposure.
  • Avoid Blue light: Our circadian rhythm is established according to the light we perceive from the environment (day and night cycle). However, in our times, we have started using a lot of artificial blue lights (LEDs, CFLs) that makes our brains alert even at night. This disrupts the secretion of melatonin, which is essential for us to fall asleep. It is better to use filament/ tungsten bulbs/ infrared lights, and avoid computers, cell phones and other electronic devices before bedtime. Switch off your Wi-Fi before you hit the sack.
  • Practice Stress-Reduction Techniques: Yoga, meditation, deep-breathing exercises and grounding strengthen the parasympathetic tone, which is essential for rest, digestion and repair. Write down your thoughts and worries before bed to clear your mind. Consider talking to a therapist if anxiety or stress significantly impacts your sleep.
  • Diet and Exercise Tips: Eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Avoid caffeinated drinks like soda, tea and coffee in the evening. Avoid smoking, alcohol and chocolates after 3 pm. Avoid eating heavy meals.
  • Expose yourself to sunlight: Exposure to natural sunlight for at least 20 minutes, preferably in the morning, can help reset your circadian rhythm. Practise ‘surya namaskar’ daily.
  • Supplementation: Magnesium plays a crucial role in sleep regulation by influencing neurotransmitters that aid in relaxation. Magnesium supplementation can enhance sleep efficiency and reduce insomnia symptoms. Melatonin (a hormone naturally produced in the body) can be supplemented to regulate sleep-wake cycles. It is especially useful for managing jet lag and shift-work sleep disorders. Iron supplementation can also be useful in cases of Restless Sleep Disorder.
    Herbal remedies like passionflower or valerian root extract, and supplements such as ashwagandha, GABA, and 5-HTP, can aid in relaxation and sleep. Valerian root is known for its sedative properties. It aids in falling asleep faster and improving sleep quality. It is often combined with lemon balm to promote relaxation. However, it must be used with caution.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you’ve made the lifestyle changes suggested above, and you still don’t get relief from Restless Sleep Disorder, you might need professional help. Other signs that tell you need help are:

  • If you’re facing extreme fatigue which is affecting your ability to function
  • If you have mood disturbances
  • If you are showing signs of depression or anxiety related to sleep disorder or
  • If you have pain / breathing difficulties that disrupts your sleep

Your doctor may advise Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which is specially designed to treat insomnia, by changing thoughts and behaviours that hinder sleep. She may also guide you further on lifestyle changes to improve sleep hygiene and address the underlying medical conditions. In some cases, doctors may prescribe medications to help manage sleep disorders.

Restless sleep is a common issue with various causes, including stress, poor sleep environments, and medical conditions. Understanding the impact of restless sleep on your health and taking proactive steps to manage it is essential for your overall well-being. If self-care measures aren’t enough, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. By making informed choices and seeking appropriate treatment, you can improve your sleep quality and enjoy better health and quality of life.

For more information on managing Restless Sleep Disorder, feel free to contact our team of experts at Wellfinity. We’d be more than happy to help.

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