Have you ever experienced this? You put your head on the pillow and then you just can’t seem to fall asleep. And when you do, all you do is toss and turn. If that’s a problem, then keep reading as we get to the bottom of it and suggest if you need to see a sleep specialist Urbana.
What Is Restless Sleep?
A lot of people can mistake restless sleep for insomnia when in reality, insomnia can be one of the causes of restless sleep. Restless sleep is the condition in which your body is constantly trying to move as you’re trying to sleep. Now, your body does naturally move a bit when you’re sleeping. Either you’ll move a hand around, try to get into a more comfortable position, throw your legs the way they feel right, etc. So, movement is quite common and natural.
However, what isn’t normal is the fact that while you’re trying to sleep, your body moves excessively. You’re tossing and turning too much, to the point where you have to wake up from your slumber and then you have a hard time slipping back into dreamland. This is what restless sleep is.
As soon as you wake up from a restless night, you’ll feel tired and as though you haven’t gotten much sleep. This is a very common issue that a good chunk of the world population suffers from.
Restless sleep isn’t just a one-time thing. You’ll constantly feel this way for weeks on end and if you don’t relax your body and give it ample time to rest, then it can have detrimental effects on your mind and overall well-being.
Causes Of Restless Sleep
There is no definitive cause of restless sleep. However, certain things can boil down to the fact of you being extremely restless during the night. Those factors may include:
Insomnia
Insomnia and restless sleep are related in the sense that if you suffer from the inability to sleep at night, then you will probably feel very restless too. This is a common cause of restless sleep and it can take a toll on your health. If you’re unable to sleep, and feel restless for the little amount of sleep you do get, you’ll feel irritable and tired in the morning.
Depression
Another common cause of restless sleep might be depression or stress and anxiety. When your mind is anxious, it really can’t seem to relax and you’ll find yourself wide awake at night, trying to make yourself to sleep, but your brain won’t cooperate.
This is very frustrating because nighttime is supposed to be a relaxing time when you can hit the hay and snooze for a good 6 to 8 hours. If your mind is restless, your body will follow the same pattern too.
Lifestyle Changes
Did you recently start a job that’s causing you to stay up at night? Do you work in weird hours of the day? Well, these can be really good indicators as to why your body is feeling so restless. You just can’t seem to acclimate your body to sleep at night, because your brain is functioned to work, work, work.
This is a problem because you’ve messed up your body’s circadian rhythm and it is used to staying up at night. Even if you try to sleep, you’ll feel restless and will toss and turn at the best of times.
Other Causes
Certain medications, stimulants like coffee, tea, alcohol, blue light from your phone and laptop and overall bad sleeping habits can cause your body to be restless and you’ll not have a good night’s rest.
You must look at these small things and figure out whether the routine you’re following has something to do with restlessness during sleep. 9 times out of 10, that’s usually the case, and your body is just so used to the stimulants, that it can take a long time for it to get back on track and shut down peacefully for the night.
Symptoms Of Restless Sleep
Here are some symptoms of restless sleep. Keep in mind that while some symptoms are felt by you, others are noticed by your sleeping partner. So, if you sleep with someone, they will experience you doing these things:
- You will constantly toss and turn at night. As soon as you hit the pillow, your body will act on its own will and move around.
- You might wake up in the middle of the night and it becomes difficult to fall back asleep.
- You will feel tired the next day as if you haven’t gotten any sleep at all.
- Your mind will feel foggy and you’ll have a hard time concentrating, remembering things, and making decisions. This is a very common symptom of any sleep-related issue.
- You will feel fidgety and on edge. Your hands might shake a lot and you’ll feel very weak.
- You might also experience delayed reactions. Your brain will have a difficult time processing information and giving reactions.
- You won’t feel the best mentally. You will feel down, depressed, and just overall snippy.
Restless Sleep – Diagnosis
Now that you know what restless sleep is and you also have a good idea about the symptoms you feel, the next step is to figure out how to combat this issue.
Well, firstly, you’re going to have to go to a doctor so the cause of your sleep problems can be determined. You can’t treat something if you don’t know what you’re up against.
So, as soon as you meet the doctor, they will ask you about your sleep, how much do you sleep, do you wake up in the middle of the night, how do you feel after waking up, etc. A sleep log is necessary for the doctor to figure out your sleeping pattern and how many disruptions are there in the sleep cycle.
Once that’s out of the way, the doctor will then advise you to go through a sleep study. A sleep study is an extensive, 8-hour-long test that monitors your brain activity and body movement as you sleep. This is a great way to pinpoint exactly what you’re dealing with.
Treatment For Restless Sleep
Now that the results are clear as day and your doctor has an idea as to what could be wrong with you, the treatment comes in. Here are some things that you can try to manage restless sleep:
Sleep Therapy
Sleep therapy is a proven way to help with restless sleep. Cognitive behavioral therapy and sleep therapy will help to condition your brain into thinking that it’s time to sleep.
Sleep Supplements
You can also try sleep supplements like melatonin, and those can help you enter dreamland in no time. However, they are prescription only.
Sleep Schedule
Having a set schedule for going to sleep and waking up is crucial. You don’t want to confuse your body and brain by having a random sleep pattern. Set a specific time of waking up and falling asleep and you will see the difference in no time.
Conclusion
Restless sleep is a really common problem. It can be because of multiple reasons so knowing the reason for your sleep problems is important. So, if you’re having disrupted sleep for days or weeks, you should visit a sleep clinic Bethesda.
