Difficulty sleeping is a common neurologic condition that has been reported to affect 35% adults in the United States per year. Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Insomnia can be more common in women, older adults, and shift workers. Fortunately, there are medical and behavioral treatments that your neurologist can recommend to help you get a good night sleep.
Why Do You Need Sleep
Adults need 7-8 hours of good sleep. You need quality sleep to maintain a healthy brain and body. During sleep, your brain responds to internal stimuli and shuts down external stimuli distractions. This allows your brain to recharge and restores your body’s homeostasis. You wake up feeling more refreshed, alert, energetic, and in a better mood.
Poor sleep can lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, migraines and headaches, memory loss, and depression. Not getting enough sleep can make you feel daytime drowsiness, poor attention and concentration causing bad decisions, and irritability.
What Happens During Sleep
Sleep is a complex process of neurotransmitter release initiated in your sleep center, the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus. This is considered the “switch” that turns on sleep and inhibits wakefulness. Your brain slows down and becomes less responsive to visual, auditory, and environmental stimuli as you enter the first stage of sleep.
Stages of Sleep
Your body cycles through 4 stages of sleep. The first 3 stages are called non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) and the 4th stage is called rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Each cycle lasts about 90-120 minutes and NREM sleep constitutes about 75%-80% of each cycle.
- Stage 1 NREM – Light sleep where your muscles relax and your heart rate, breathing, eye movements and brain waves slow down.
- Stage 2 NREM – Light to deeper sleep characterized by continued slowing in heart rate and eye movement. Your body temperature begins to drop.
- Stage 3 NREM – Deep sleep characterized by no eye movement or muscle activity. It is difficult to wake someone from this stage of sleep. This stage is also responsible for how refreshed you feel in the morning.
- REM sleep – You appear unconscious but your brain waves appear more active. Dreaming and penile erections appear in this stage of sleep. You have no muscle tone which is thought to be protective in acting out your dreams. Your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure increases.
Good Sleep Habits To Get Good Sleep
- Sleep schedule – go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday including the weekend
- Good sleep environment – use comfortable bedding, turn down the lights, comfortable temperature
- Daytime exercise – do not exercise few hours before bed
- Relaxation – take a warm bath, reading, breathing exercises
- No caffeine, alcohol, large meals a few hours before bed
- No daytime naps
- No electronics before bed including laptops and phones. Screen lights can interfere with melatonin production
Practicing good sleep habits will help with promoting quality sleep. However, insomnia medications are available as a temporary measure while you retrain your body for good sleep. Insomnia medications include benzodiazepine and benzodiazepine receptor agonists (Ambien, Lunesta), melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists (ramelteon), sedating antidepressants, and antihistamines (Benadryl).
Make an appointment with our expert neurologists for a brain wave test (EEG) and see how we can help you sleep better.