Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day: Sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness

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When You Have Trouble Waking Up

Is it so hard to fall asleep you can’t wake up in the morning? Here’s how to embrace your inner early bird.

Written by Jennifer Dixon

• Sleep Phase Disorders
• How to Wake Up More Easily

Brian Cyphers has always had trouble falling asleep at a “normal” hour. A few years ago, when the 24-year-old Chicagoan was dozing off between 3 and 5 in the morning and had to wake up at 6:30 to get to his job as a data entry clerk at a lab, he knew it was time to seek help.

Cyphers sought assistance from Lisa Shives, MD, medical director of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Ill., and a specialist in sleep disorders. Shives frequently sees patients who want to alter their night owl ways. “People can modify their sleep patterns, but it’s not easy,” Shives says. Being a “morning” vs. “night” person is so ingrained in one’s nature that Shives sometimes tells late-nighters to seek careers with delayed start times.

The reason Shives’ job is so difficult might lie in our genes. Two sleep disorders — advanced sleep phase syndrome, which causes bedtimes of between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and delayed sleep phase, where patients fall asleep between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. — are both often inherited. Advanced sleep phase is less common, affecting less than 1% of middle-aged and older adults. As for delayed sleep phase syndrome, researchers don’t know how many people have it, but (to name one group of people) 7% to 16% of young adults do, according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders.

The greater incidence of delayed sleep phase may explain why night owls seek help more often than larks — there are simply more of them. In addition, their shut-eye patterns frequently interrupt normal school or work schedules because their late bedtimes cause difficulty waking up at an appropriate hour.

Beyond genes, sleep patterns are influenced by a strong biological pull. The body’s circadian rhythm dictates what time a person falls asleep and wakes up, and that can be very difficult to change. “Normally, I can help them a bit,” Shives says. “If patients are going to bed at 4 in the morning, I’m not going to get them to 11 p.m. But I can roll them back to 1 or 2 a.m., and that generally makes them pretty happy.”

And 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. is Cyphers’ new bedtime, too — not optimal, but an improvement nonetheless. “I don’t feel like I can take on the world every day, but I do feel better,” he says.

Want to become more of a lark? Sleep disorder specialist Lisa Shives, MD, has some suggestions for embracing your inner morning person:

Move your bedtime back by 15 minutes every three to four days. On these days, also wake up 15 minutes earlier. Adhere to this plan seven days a week (not just weekdays) until you’re falling asleep at — or close to — the desired hour.

Get sunlight. Natural sunlight helps reset your circadian clock. If you are a night owl, set your alarm for 7 a.m. and get outside for 30 minutes to have breakfast or to walk the dog. Also, keep your shades open so your room fills with light in the morning to help you wake up.

Shut off electronic media or bright lights two hours before bedtime.

Take 0.5 to 1 milligram of melatonin before you want to go to bed; this will help set your circadian rhythm so you can fall asleep at a more appropriate time. Ask a sleep specialist when you should take it.

If these methods don’t work, speak to a sleep specialist. Night owls, like shift workers, might have increased risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers. One option you can ask your doctor about is light therapy. This treatment allows you to get light from a small light box to help reset your body clock, without medication.

Above all, remember that these steps are difficult and require discipline, so you really must want to change your sleep patterns.

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Can’t get out of bed? You may have disania

October 30, 2018

Image Credit, Getty Images

You may not think there are many reasons to get out of bed. It’s warm in there, it’s cold outside, and you can get rid of the problem by simply pressing the “Stop” button on your alarm clock.

On October 28, the clock was moved back one hour again. Leaving your cocoon has become even more difficult, as this moment marks the beginning of winter and means that in just a few weeks you will have to wake up when it is still dark outside.

• Changing the clock: what doctors advise
• Is it worth accustoming yourself to wake up early?

But what if the problem is much more serious and you find it difficult to get out of bed at all, and not just during such periods? There is a special word for this: disania.

“The term dysania is sometimes used to describe the experience called ‘I don’t want to get out of bed today’,” says Dr. Mark Selter of the Royal College of Psychiatry. from depressive disorders,” he adds.

Dysnia, which has not yet been officially recognized as a disease, is not only an increased feeling of drowsiness. This is a chronic inability to get out of bed.

Such “sick people” can stay in bed for several days: the mere thought of getting up already causes them anxiety. Many admit that they experience a “passionate desire” to get back into bed – they just have to try to get out of it.

It is important to know that you are unlikely to ever be diagnosed with dysnia on its own. This is usually a symptom that indicates possible depression or chronic fatigue syndrome.

To understand if someone you know is suffering from dysania or klinomania – a similar term that describes the desire to stay in bed all day – Dr. Selter advises first to make sure that such people are doing well with physical well-being.

Image copyright Getty Images

After that, he will ask the patient what exactly is bothering him. Such a conversation may end with a diagnosis of depression. It is this that often causes a range of effects that manifest themselves in physical well-being, says Selter.

“Sleep disturbances, lethargy, early awakenings are all physical signs of depression,” he adds. a glass of water. ”

If there are no other symptoms, this may mean that such people are simply afraid to get out of bed. In this case, it is not the same as disania.

If you’re not sure if your sleepiness is normal, try changing your habits.

First, try to keep track of how much sleep you get. Most adults need 6-9 hours of sleep. Feeling relaxed is also key – try taking a bath or doing some yoga asanas, for example.

Keep distracting objects, such as phones and laptops, away from you. And finally, if all this does not help, you can try to have sex – unlike all other types of physical activity, this will definitely increase your drowsiness.

If this is not enough and your inability to wake up is causing you stress and anxiety, you should see a doctor.

Of course, you can justify everything as simple laziness, but you can’t be sure until you check it.

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Causes and symptoms of disturbed sleep patterns

Most people experience some kind of sleep problem from time to time. But when these problems become a familiar part of everyday life, this is already a serious reason to think and turn to a specialist.

Sleep is one of the health indicators. People who do not suffer from any disease usually sleep well, while those who experience recurring or persistent sleep problems are more likely to have psychological or physical impairments that can be either minor or serious.

It is worth even one day to sleep badly – and this affects the mood, performance, stress resistance. And when the problem is repeated or ignored, it can lead to a serious deterioration in the functioning of the whole organism, reduced productivity and stress.

Insomnia, for example, can, if not cause, then exacerbate asthenic and depressive states, anxiety mental disorders.

Long-term sleep disturbances lead to a persistent increase in the production of the hormone cortisol, which puts the body in a state of constant stress and tension. As a result, metabolism is disturbed, hormonal imbalance occurs.

22.02.2019

To understand whether sleep disorders are the body’s response to difficult life situations or other external factors, or whether they serve as a marker of more serious diseases, the following survey will help:

● Do you feel very sleepy during the day?
● Do you have excessive irritability?
● Do you find it difficult to stay awake if you watch TV, read, work at the computer, or simply sit in one position?
● Do you find it difficult to drive a car because you feel tired and your reactions are slow?
● Do you have difficulty concentrating?
● Do you hear from others that you look tired?
● Do you observe a slow reaction?
● Do you find it difficult to manage your emotions?
● Can’t sleep for hours?
● Do you have to use caffeine or other energy drinks to keep yourself going?

If you answered yes to at least one question, most likely you have a sleep disorder that needs to be corrected.

Sleep disorders occur at any age

When do sleep disorders become a problem?

● Difficulty falling asleep in the evening, inability to fall asleep after waking up at night.
● Frequent awakening during the night, shallow, interrupted sleep.
● Sleepiness and poor performance during the day.
● The need to take some action to get yourself to sleep (drink sleeping pills, achieve perfect silence, take a bath, etc.).

If a person usually wakes up in the early morning hours, from about 3 to 5 am, feels unreasonable anxiety and cannot fall asleep, this condition may accompany the onset of depression or neurosis, so it is necessary to consult a neurologist for advice.

When insomnia is not a symptom of an illness, in most cases it can be managed with lifestyle changes, without medication.

Insomnia

Night terrors interfere with proper rest

Symptoms of insomnia: 9 0126

Apnea

disease, a marker of depression. Also, nightmares can occur while taking certain medications, including antidepressants, watching horror movies and excessive computer games.

One of the most common sleep disorders is insomnia. It can be caused by lack of physical activity, jet lag, medications, high caffeinated drinks in the diet, watching TV, or being in front of a computer or smartphone screen before bed. Or it can be a symptom of any disease – both mental and physical.

This disorder is characterized by a temporary cessation of breathing caused by the blockage of the upper airways, which leads to frequent awakening. As a result, a person feels irritability, exhaustion, a decrease in labor productivity, often depression joins this state.

The causes of sleep apnea may be congenital weakness of the muscles of the palate and pharynx, smoking, alcohol abuse, excess weight, insufficiently high pillow.

Apnea symptoms:

● Chronic snoring.
● Feeling of suffocation while sleeping.
● Frequent pauses in breathing during sleep.
● A person who wakes up in the middle of the night feels short of breath, dry throat, headache or chest pain, nasal congestion.
● Sleepiness during the day, feeling overwhelmed Photo of how many hours you slept.

Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder that can nevertheless be successfully treated.

Restless legs syndrome

Manifested as an inability to fall asleep due to an irresistible desire to move the limbs: often the legs, although sometimes the arms. No matter how a person lies down, he feels uncomfortable and wants to change his position.

The causes of this syndrome can be both hereditary and caused by neurological or somatic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease, uremia, anemia, deficiency of certain vitamins and trace elements.

Restless legs syndrome symptoms:

● Unpleasant sensations in the muscles that make you want to move your legs, lie down more comfortably: tingling, pain, feeling of heaviness. Sensations subside during movement or massage.
● When sleep does occur, it is interrupted or accompanied by twitching of the limbs.

Narcolepsy

This sleep disorder occurs due to brain dysfunction, resulting in impaired control of sleep and wakefulness, reduced synthesis of orexin – a hormone that is responsible for wakefulness. The causes of narcolepsy are not well understood; according to one version, it is hereditary in combination with external provoking factors, such as past viral or infectious diseases. The condition is potentially life-threatening and requires mandatory correction.

Symptoms of narcolepsy:

● Sudden loss of muscle control or feeling of weakness, especially during moments of emotional stress.
● Temporary paralysis after waking up.
● Uncontrolled and rapid falling asleep during daytime, a person may fall asleep even while driving or talking. After sleep, there is a feeling of cheerfulness.
● Hallucinations during the transition between sleep and wakefulness.

Nightmares

Symptoms of nightmares:

● Cries, moans during sleep.
● Awakening abruptly and feeling frightened.
● Rapid breathing and palpitations.
● Increased perspiration.
● Pressure increase.

Somnambulism

A disease better known as sleepwalking. Manifested as physical activity while in a state of sleep, a sleeping person can do ordinary household chores: turn on the TV, brush his teeth, clean up. At the same time, his eyes are open, he can navigate in space, answer simple questions, but his actions are unconscious and after waking up he does not remember what he did.

The causes of the phenomenon include lack of sleep, epilepsy, fever, taking certain medications, alcoholism, drug addiction, high levels of stress and anxiety.

Symptoms of somnambulism:

● Moving around and performing simple operations while asleep.
● Sleep in a sitting position.
● Sleep talking.
● The person wakes up in a different place from where he went to bed.

Bruxism

Bruxism manifests itself as grinding or tapping of the teeth during sleep and may occur several times a night.

The causes include neurosis, high stress levels, mental imbalance.

Symptoms of bruxism:

● Pain in the muscles of the face, temples, jaws.
● Ringing in the ears.
● Morning migraines, headaches.
● Erasure of hard tissue of teeth, development of caries and inflammation of the gums.

How to help yourself cope with sleep disorders

Sleep disorders can be caused by various reasons, so an individual approach is important for their elimination. It is important to be examined to make sure that sleep disturbances are not the result of diseases that require immediate treatment.

Regardless of this, it is necessary to establish a regimen and improve sleep hygiene. Just by exercising, being outdoors more often, limiting the use of gadgets and TV two hours before bedtime, you will already feel improvements.

In the task of getting rid of sleep disorders, an individual approach is very important. Only in this case, therapy will bring the most effective result in the shortest possible time.

In recent years, new effective methods for the treatment of sleep disorders have appeared, including translingual neurostimulation (TLNS) – a non-invasive effect on the brain through stimulation of tongue receptors.