Interrupted Sleep – Common Causes and Adverse Side Effects

Imagine being tired, getting into bed, shutting your eyes, and drifting off to a restful night’s sleep.  You wake up the next morning feeling energetic, rested, refreshed, and ready to take on the new day.  Then reality sets in and you suddenly realize it was all a dream.  If, in fact, you were only dreaming and it wasn’t real by any stretch of your imagination, then you’re probably one of millions of individuals that suffer from a condition known as “interrupted sleep.” Disrupted sleep is caused due to multiple reasons so let’s look at it in detail. 

What exactly is Interrupted Sleep?

Interrupted sleep is sleep that gets broken up for a number of different reasons ranging from having a new baby at home to one of several sleep disorders.  While the reasons for this often vary, the consequences are typically the same and are bad for mental and physical health overall. Over the long-term, prolonged periods of poor sleep will take a toll on the individual. For example, it can cause your brain to be overactive, it can take longer to fall asleep, you may wind up waking up your partner, and much more.

There are long-term consequences on your health when your sleep is disrupted. You are at risk of developing hypertension, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and gain weight. One of the key reasons for interrupted sleep is snoring and sleep apnea. When you snore, you and your bed partner don’t get proper sleep while if you are a heavy snorer, you already must be waking up suddenly multiple times a night as obstructions in the airways lead to choking and gasping for breath. When this happens frequently, chances are you are at risk of develop sleep apnea. 

Sleep Quantity vs. Sleep Quality

When you think about the relationship between getting good sleep and your health, it’s common to think about the “quantity” of sleep rather than the “quality” of sleep.  Granted, the total number of hours spent sleeping is important.  However, sleep continuity or being able to avoid dealing with interrupted sleep is equally as important if not more so.  Most individuals realize that interrupted sleep isn’t as refreshing.

Research has shown us that there is a correlation between the subjective ratings of sleep continuity and sleep quality.  Fragmented or interrupted sleep contributes to daytime drowsiness and fatigue, insomnia, sleep deprivation, and other potential consequences of poor sleep.  So, it’s important to know the causes, implications, and symptoms of interrupted sleep so you can make well-informed decisions about it.

Common Causes of Interrupted Sleep

In the simplest of terms, sleep deprivation results from a consistent lack of good sleep or decreased quality of sleep.  If you consistently get less than 7 hours of sleep, it can eventually cause other health consequences that can have adverse effects on your entire body.  It can also be caused by sleep disorders.  As we mentioned above, there can be a number of different causes of interrupted sleep and sleep deprivation such as:

• alcohol
• anxiety and depression
• bedroom conditions
• caffeine
• Too much light in the room
• using digital devices at bedtime
• Insomnia.
• life events
• side-effects of medications
• sleep apnea
• sudden shift in routine
• unexpected noises

Just as it needs air and food, your body needs good quality sleep. When you sleep, it enables your body to heal itself and restore its chemical balance. Sleeping also helps your brain develop new thought connections and improves memory retention.

Additional Causes

Interrupted sleep can also be attributed to chronic snoring, which may or may not be a symptom of sleep apnea. Chronic or regular snoring can disrupt your quality of sleep which in turn can lead to:

• daytime drowsiness or fatigue
• erratic mood swings and irritability
• increased health problems

Furthermore, if your snoring interrupts your bed partner’s sleep, it can cause major problems in your relationship as well. Fortunately, having to sleep in separate bedrooms isn’t the only solution for chronic snoring. There are a number of effective solutions that will enable you and your partner to get the sleep you need (see below).

What happens during Interrupted Sleep?

For many individuals, the primary symptom of interrupted sleep is readily apparent – waking up one or more times throughout the night (or daytime for those individuals who work the graveyard shift at their job). The length and timing of these waking episodes often varies.  For example, you may only have a single break in your sleep while others will have several during the night.

In other cases, individuals may experience restless sleep or tossing and turning throughout the night. Interestingly enough, a person may not realize they are suffering from interrupted sleep. Some individuals experience brief arousals during sleep or slight breaks without realizing it. For instance, sleep apnea sufferers have repeated breathing lapses that cause brief interruptions in their sleep. Over time, this can lead to sleep disorders and a myriad of health issues that can be serious. 

Can Interrupted Sleep be fixed?

We know how difficult life becomes when you don’t get enough sleep. Although interrupted sleep has a number of adverse or negative consequences, there are a few ways that it can be fixed including:

• avoid your electronic devices at least two hours before bedtime
• develop a sleep schedule and stick to it
• meditate, read, or engage in some other relaxing activity
• monitor your sleeping and wakefulness
• sleep in a cool, dark, quiet space

If chronic snoring is at the root of your interrupted sleep issues, consider trying Asonor Anti-snoring Solution, a clinically proven, one-stop solution for chronic snoring issues.  It has FDA approvals and has cleared clinical trials, giving excellent results on its anti-snoring properties. 

Our product has long been regarded as one of the most effective anti-snoring solutions throughout Europe and the US.  For more information, visit our website or send us a message at [email protected] today. Our business representatives are available online to answer your queries.