Health: Worry over Divorce Can Cause Sleepless Nights for Some People
It’s one of those nights. You’ve been watching the numbers change on the clock for hours and the sheep you were counting have long since turned into lamb chops. If you’re racking up more hours awake than asleep, you’re not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, nearly seven out 10 Americans experience frequent sleep problems.
While researchers aren’t exactly sure what causes insomnia, stress clearly plays a part. If you find yourself stressed from a relationship and mulling the future, as people contemplating or going through divorce tend to do, you may be setting yourself up for chronic insomnia. “People with insomnia tend to have underlying stress and they tend to have a lot racing through their mind,” said Neomi Shah, MD, MPH, a Fellow at the Yale Center for Sleep Medicine.
Insomnia begets insomnia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says chronic psychophysiological insomnia (learned or conditioned insomnia) may result from a stressor combined with the fear of not being able to get to sleep. During the day, people who have chronic insomnia tend to fear going to bed, because they’re thinking about lying in bed for hours on end trying to fall asleep. So, insomnia is a vicious cycle,” said Dr, Shah.
Sleep helps regulate body temperature, hormone production, appetite and your metabolism. The amount of sleep you need varies depending on age. According to the CDC, infants under two months of age need between 10.5 and 18 hours of sleep a day. Babies two to 12 months old need 14 to 15 hours of sleep. Toddlers 12-18 months old need 13 to 15 hours of sleep and those 18 months to three years need 12 to 14 hours. Children three to five years need 11 to 13 hours of sleep, while those nine to 12 need nine to 11 hours. Adolescents need 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep and adults need seven to nine hours.
Yet, according to the NSF, an alarming 63 percent of American adults do not get the recommended eight hour of sleep and more than two-thirds of our children experience sleep problems one or more nights a week. Lack of sleep can pose serious health risks. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says Research shows that your risk of diabetes increases if you get less than seven hours of sleep per night. The risk is even higher if you sleep for five hours or less per night. Negative effects appear after only a brief period of sleep loss.” That’s because sleep loss causes abnormal glucose metabolism. So, that gut you’ve developed while going through a divorce could be related as much to your loss of sleep as it is to the extra potato chips and ice cream you’re downing.
FOUR TYPES OF ISSUES
The National Institutes of Health reports that chronic and/or severe insomnia affects about 10 to 15 percent of adults. Those suffering from insomnia have problems falling asleep or they may awaken several hours early and not be able to get back to sleep. Insomnia can be treated with behavior modifications and/or medications.
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that involves excessive daytime sleepiness, sometimes to the point of falling asleep right in the middle of everyday activities. The Narcolepsy Network estimates narcolepsy affects 293,000 people in the U. S. Those suffering from narcolepsy may experience sudden muscle weakness after strong emotion or surprise. Like insomnia, it can be treated with behavior modifications and/or medications.
Restless Leg Syndrome
According to the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 12 million Americans have RSL, a sleep and movement disorder characterized by tingling, crawling, creeping and/or pulling feelings in the legs. These sensations cause an urge to move in order to relieve the symptoms. Because RSL is often associated with abnormalities in the neurotransmitter dopamine, treatment may involve medication to address the dopamine abnormality.
If your partner complains that you snore, snort or gasp during your sleep, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. The National Institutes of Health estimates that sleep apnea affects 18 million people. It can be related to congestive heart failure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that interruption of regular breathing or obstruction of the airway of an individual during sleep can pose serious complications for the health of the individual. Sleep apnea should be taken seriously.” Treatment of sleep apnea involves addressing any underlying medical issue as well as gentle air pressure administered during sleep.
NINE TIPS FOR A GREAT NIGHT’S SLEEP
1. Create a cool, dark, and quiet sleeping environment.
Turn down the thermostat at night. Optimal sleep temperature is 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Put up light darkening shades so the streetlight doesn’t stream into your room and cover up that alarm clock with the big illuminated numbers. Sleeping in a dark room helps melatonin production. Melatonin is a neurohormone that performs a number of important functions, including helping us feel drowsy. If you’re bothered by noise, get a white noise machine or CD.
2. Make your bedroom clean, clutter free, and comfy and use it only for sleep and sex.
Do you dive into an unmade bed at the end of a stressful day? Is your bedroom piled high with laundry, paperwork, and miscellaneous projects? Then, you’re probably spending a lot of time tossing and turning. Mom was right. Make your bed when you get up and scoop up all that clutter and put it someplace else. If at all possible, move the computer and home office out of your room. You’ll be able to sleep much better. If you can afford it, splurge for sheets that are at least 300 count, a mattress pad with a pillow topper, and get one of those soft, cuddly blankets.
3. Establish a regular sleep schedule.
Everyone has a natural time when they can feel their body winding down. Too often, we push past that and force ourselves to stay awake so we can finish our work. Women tend to be the worst offenders here. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, 52 percent of women say they sacrifice sleep when they run out of time. Only 20 percent of women put work on the backburner when they run out of time or are sleepy. Listen to your body’s natural rhythm and try to go to bed by 10 p.m. An hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours of sleep after midnight, because sleep before midnight optimizes melatonin production. Melatonin production peaks between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., when it’s darkest.
4. Have a relaxing bedtime routine.
Remember bedtime stories and those cups of warm milk? Turns out having a relaxing routine right before bed really does help you sleep better. The National Sleep Foundation says, “A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety that can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep. Avoid arousing activities before bedtime such as working, paying bills, engaging in competitive games or family problem-solving. Some studies suggest that soaking in hot water (such as a hot tub or bath) before retiring to bed can ease the transition into deeper sleep, but it should be done early enough that you are no longer sweating or over-heated.”
Neomi Shah, MD, MPH, says that you should shut off your computer about an hour to an hour and a half before bed. “No text messaging or working on your laptop in bed,” said Dr. Shah. “Likewise, avoid watching TV in bed. The brain takes those light signals as a message to stay awake.”
5. Exercise regularly early in the day.
Vigorous exercise helps relieve tension and leads to natural fatigue at day’s end. A pleasant walk after dinner works, too. Just don’t do heavy aerobics shortly before bedtime. That will wake you up, rather than help you fall asleep.
6. Avoid caffeine.
It can impair sleep.
7. Avoid alcohol.
Stay away from the after dinner drink or the glass of wine before bed. While it may help you nod off, alcohol can fragment sleep, which means you’ll find yourself waking often during the night.
8. If you can’t get to sleep within 30 minutes, get up and go into another room.
Dr. Shah recommends you do something relaxing like reading a book and then go back to bed. “If you still haven’t fallen asleep after another 30 minutes, repeat. Initially, this may cause some increased tiredness, but it can work because you are training yourself to associate your bed with sleep rather than with wakefulness,” said Dr. Shah.
9. Learn relaxation techniques.
Take yoga, do Pilates, get acupuncture and learn progressive relaxation techniques, which consist of slow deep breathing while tensing and relaxing your muscles. The good news, for most people, is that sleep is only a few behavior changes away. As long as the patient is willing to change some of their behavior, there’s an 80 to 85 percent chance they can cure their insomnia,” said Dr. Shah.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Information about sleep and sleep disorders and a link that helps you find an accredited sleep center or lab near you.
American Sleep Apnea Association
Offers a video on sleep apnea as well as a test to help you assess whether you may have this common sleep disorder. Also offers forums to discuss sleep issues and links to find certified sleep centers and/or physicians in your area who are board certified in sleep medicine.
According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2008 Sleep in America poll, 36 percent of Americans report nodding off or falling asleep while driving and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drowsy drivers cause approximately 100,000 accidents annually. If you’ve found yourself fighting to stay awake while behind the wheel, check out this website for videos and other information to help you stop being a zombie driver.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder of neurological origin, characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness. It can begin at any age and continues throughout life.
National Sleep Awareness Roundtable
Includes up-to-date research on sleep as well as a link to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention podcast on sleep.
Great information on sleep as well as interactive tools and to assess your satisfaction with your sleep, test your sleep IQ and educate others about the importance of sleep. And, don’t forget to check out the dynamic 3-D animations of the Doze family members depicting effects of age and sleep and alertness influencers such as shift work, caffeine, alcohol, stress and “Monday morning blues.”
Great Web site for young children who are having problems sleeping. P.J. Bear! leads them through games to help them learn about what happens while we sleep and keep track of their own sleep.
