Did you know that 33 – 50% of the population don’t get a good night’s sleep? And in America about 70 million people have insomnia.
And that’s all the time – not just the week following the beginning of Daylight Savings Time!
If you also have autoimmune or any chronic health issues, insomnia may be worse or it can cause worsening of your symptoms.
What about you? Did you wake up feeling refreshed this morning? Or were you tired?
Let’s talk about what insomnia is, the different types, how poor sleep affects us especially with autoimmune and chronic health issues, how it can cause weight gain (which most of us don’t want), and what you can to improve your sleep.
What is insomnia and why do we have it?
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that includes when you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up during the night, having trouble falling back to sleep, and/or waking earlier than desired.
Insomnia can be either acute or chronic.
Acute or short-term occurs when it lasts one night to only a few weeks. Maybe you’ve been sick the past week and can’t sleep due to congestion. Or maybe you’re up at night taking care of a sick child or spouse. Or perhaps you’ve been stressed due to a work project or a relationship so you can’t sleep.
Chronic or long-term insomnia is defined as poor sleep for three nights a week for three months or more.
What are symptoms of insomnia?
Fatigue
Irritability
Depression or anxiety
Problems with concentration or memory, decision making, focusing or thinking
Digestive issues – yes, it can cause tummy issues like cramping, constipation, or sluggish digestion
Weight gain
Increased pains throughout body
Now if your insomnia becomes chronic, the lack of sleep can negatively affect your physical, mental, and emotional health.
It may contribute to the following:
Hypertension, heart disease, and stroke
Diabetes
Mood disorders – long-term depression and anxiety
Weight gain and obesity
Driving accidents and injuries
So how much sleep do we need?
It varies per individual, but most adults need about 7 – 8 hours per night to function at their best. The quality of your rest is just as important as how much, though. If you’re tossing and turning, you’re not getting adequate sleep either.
What causes insomnia?
There are many factors encompassing environmental, physiological, and psychological such as:
Life stressors – job, relationships, finances, health
Anxiety disorders and depression
Chronic diseases like cancer
Chronic pain – arthritis, fibromyalgia
GI issues – heartburn, GERD, diarrhea
Hormone fluctuations due to menopause, thyroid disease, pregnancy
Medication side effects
Poor diet and nutrient deficiencies
Neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s
Sleep disorders – restless leg or sleep apnea
Who is affected by insomnia?
Anyone can be but more often it occurs in women, probably due to pregnancy and hormonal shifts that disturb sleep. Insomnia becomes common over 60 due to hormonal fluctuations. For example, progesterone declines as we age which is the hormone that helps us relax, calm down, and sleep.
If you have autoimmune disease, how can poor sleep make your symptoms worse?
*You may have increased pain. Why? Because one thing that happens during sleep is cellular repair as the growth hormone is activated. But if you don’t sleep well, then your body isn’t able to regenerate. So you’ll feel pain more because repair isn’t happening properly. It’s a cycle because oftentimes pain such as joint pain keeps us from sleeping and then poor sleep makes the pain worse.
*When you don’t sleep, your weight can increase. Why? There are two hormones, ghrelin and leptin that affect hunger. Ghrelin tells you to “go” and eat more. When you’re sleep-deprived you have more ghrelin. Leptin tells you to stop eating so when you sleep poorly, you have more leptin. More ghrelin = more hunger = weight gain. Plus, when tired, you crave more of the processed carbs and sugars so you reach for a donut or potato chips for comfort which packs on the pounds. Your blood sugar levels in your bloodstream increase which eventually can lead to type 2 diabetes.
*Poor sleep keeps your sympathetic nervous system in high gear and prevents your parasympathetic nervous system from kicking into gear. Remember, the sympathetic nervous system is the one that helps you in fight or flight mode so you can run from danger. You’re on high alert and your breathing, heart rate, and cortisol levels increase which is needed in times where you’re running from a thief or your child is about to be hit by a car and you run to move them out of danger. The parasympathetic nervous system conserves energy; it’s the rest and digest condition that is calm, where you can chill, relax, and have peace. Obviously, you want your body’s PNS to be able to kick in for good sleep to occur.
*When we sleep, cytokines are produced to help fight infection and inflammation. We know in autoimmune disease, patients have more inflammation. So if you’re not sleeping well, then the antibodies to fight the inflammation are reduced.
Sleep is more important than we think! And there are so many other things that can happen when our sleep is not adequate for long periods of time.
So what can you do?
There are behavior and lifestyle changes, called sleep hygiene techniques, you can do to help such as:
-Don’t eat large meals right within two hours of bedtime
-Limit caffeine so you don’t have it 7 – 10 hours before bedtime (some people can’t have it past noon). I know – you’re tired so you want that coffee or chocolate in the afternoon to give you energy, but it can have counterproductive outcomes. There are healthier foods to increase energy later in the day.
-Exercise earlier in the day, not within 2 hours of bedtime
-Have a regular bedtime routine to help you wind down such as relaxing with soft music, a warm bath, or read a good old-fashioned book
-Turn off electronics 30 minutes before bed
-Connect with loved ones
***I’ve got some more tips for better sleep for you in a freebie. Just DM me for it and I’ll send it to you.
Now if you’re having chronic insomnia (remember 3 X a week for several months) and have tried these sleep hygiene techniques but nothing is helping, you need to see your medical practitioner. Some will recommend medication. But be cautious because it can have side effects.
I’ve also been asked about a more natural supplement you can buy called melatonin. Melatonin is actually a hormone your body produces to help you sleep. Normally our bodies produce it when the sun goes down at nighttime. And some people are low in it so taking additional melatonin may help. However, melatonin can cause side effects as well so don’t begin without checking with your doctor. And usually melatonin is only to be taken temporarily, not long-term.
You may need to have a sleep study done because there is a possibility you have sleep apnea, which is when you actually stop breathing during the night – which, of course, is dangerous. So listen to your body and if you’ve tried sleep hygiene methods and still have problems sleeping, talk to your medical practitioner.
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If you need some additional guidance with sleep and fatigue, reach out to me because I work with clients on behavioral and lifestyle modifications as well as nutrition which does benefit your sleep and health. If you have autoimmune or chronic health issues, you want to get the best possible sleep you can. As a health and wellness coach, I would love to help you. You can schedule a free 20 minute discovery call by clicking here. We will talk and see if we’d be a good fit to work together. — Leah Cheshire, NBC-HWC
