When all you need is sleep

Sleep sustains sanity. It is only after a good night's sleep that we feel revived. But what happens when sleep is a blessing but we feel cursed and devoid of it? When one is sleep-deprived, it brings forth numerous other discomforts and interferes with our daily life activities. 

Persistent sleeping disruptions or deprivation could be a result of sleeping disorders, as it ranges from involuntary movements during sleep, to waking up frequently, to not sleeping at all. Sleeping disorders require medical attention, as the worst conclusion that we draw ourselves is by taking sleeping pills, which may cause more damage than repair in the long run.

TYPES OF SLEEPING DISORDERS
Sleeping disorders are very common but it varies from mild to severe levels. A common mild sleep disorder is teeth grinding (known as bruxism), where one involuntarily grinds and clenches his teeth during sleep. 

Moderate sleep disorders are restless leg syndrome, for instance, where one involuntarily kicks during sleep, or feels unavoidable urge to move his legs. Delayed sleep phase is another disorder where one gets sufficient sleep but not at the regular night-time cycle (e.g. sleeping at 4am and waking up at noon) and so it is mostly common among teenagers. Similar to this is narcolepsy and hypersomnia, where one gets excessive urge to sleep at inappropriate times and inappropriate places. 

One of the most severe disorders that people nowadays are commonly dealing with is sleep apnea, when sleep is disrupted frequently due to the blockage of airway, and unconsciously the sufferer gasps in sleep and is awakened due to lack of air entering in the lungs. Sleep apnea is often overlooked as normal snoring, but this ignored condition could be highly dangerous as long term risks include heart diseases, blood pressure and stroke. 

And what seems worse than problems during sleeping which we are unaware of is finding it difficult to sleep at all, i.e. insomnia. Insomnia is a chronic problem to fall asleep, which happens either for psychological conditions like stress, anxiety or depression, or for underlying health conditions like asthma, diabetes, pregnancy, heart disease or neurological problems, or for lifestyle picks like over-drinking caffeinated drinks, lack of physical activities, or side-effects of medication of another disease. 

WHAT SHOULD WE DO
To deal with any sleeping problem, first and foremost it is important to make lifestyle changes. A revised daily routine with proper food intake, balanced diet, physical work and less stress could bring changes to the sleep-cycle. But if that does not help, what should absolutely NOT be done is to take over-the-counter sleeping pills without getting prescribed by the doctor. It is important to consult a doctor if persistent discomfort is faced. But where should we go?

SLEEP MEDICINE
There are various techniques of treating sleep disorders. Research has led to tests and medicines based on the precise difficulty one suffers with, and Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital has successfully established Sleep Disorder Clinic to help cure these highly ignored conditions, especially sleep apnea.

They have the complete set of facilities to diagnose and to offer proper treatment of sleep problems. Dr. Sardar A Baki, a prominent specialist of the hospital, and especially trained in sleep medicine, asserts that sleeping pills is not a solution for sleeping problems. It is a cure for a night or two, but for the long run one has to see the underlying cause of the disorder. 

"The root cause has to be identified" he said. For example, patients of insomnia should not take unprescribed sleeping pills because they might get dependent on it, or worse, get addicted. Also, patients of sleep apnea could be making their case worse with sleeping pills, and it only deteriorates their condition.

A good night's sleep is sometimes all that you need to have for a healthy and productive life. A sleeping disorder may seem like a curse to the sufferer but now there are treatments for almost all sorts of sleep related ailments. Patients no longer need to suffer indefinitely as help is available.

By Sonya Soheli
Photo: Collected