Sleep Disorders: Myths and Strategies for Good Sleep

Sleep disorders like sleep apnea can affect your mental and physical health. Learn about the myths and strategies to combat sleep disorders.

Healthy sleep is necessary for optimal functioning. There can be severe health problems that occur as a result of poor sleeping patterns. Sleep disorders like sleep apnea can affect your weight, mood, and hormone levels.

Sleep is an essential part of life, and when you do not get enough sleep, you will not only feel tired, but it might affect your mental and physical health.

If, for example, you seek sleep apnea treatment in Houston, TX, our doctors might talk about your weight as one of the causes. This means that sleep can affect your body more than you know.

Sleep Disorders

Here are some of the sleep disorders:

• Insomnias – where you have problems falling asleep and staying asleep
• Sleep apnea – is a sleeping disorder in which your breathing is interrupted while you are sleeping
• Hypersomnia – is where you find it challenging to stay awake during the day
• Parasomnia – is a disruptive sleep disorder that involves unwanted experiences that happen when you are falling asleep, sleeping or waking up
• Restless leg syndrome – is a tingling sensation in your legs accompanied by a powerful desire to move them
• Circadian rhythm disorders – is a sleep disorder that is characterized by the disruption of the sleep-wake cycle.

Myths About Sleep Problems

Dr. Rubin Naiman, PhD, a sleep specialist at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine explains some of the myths about sleep:

• People are supposed to sleep not less than eight hours each night. On the contrary, people have different sleep needs, which vary from person to person.
• You have the power to make yourself sleep. This isn’t true; no one has control over the process of falling asleep.
• Sleeping through the night is the ideal sleeping pattern. It is quite normal for you to wake up occasionally during sleep.
• People who sleep well fall asleep faster. The truth its normal to take up to 20 minutes to fall asleep.
• Another myth is that you have to stay in bed even if you aren’t sleepy. It would be in your best interest if you left the bed at this moment.
• Your day would be terrible if you do not get enough sleep. Not necessarily, as human beings, we are more resilient than we seem.
• If you are a sound sleeper, then you will not dream. On the contrary, a sign of good sleep is dreaming nightly.
• If you can’t sleep, then be productive. This will not help if you desire to sleep; instead, you will be disrupting your sleep.
• It is okay to check the time when you are sleepless. This isn’t in your best interests because clock watching makes it harder to get back to sleep.
• As we age, we tend to sleep less. It can be a common occurrence, but it is not healthy, inevitable, or normal.

Tips for Good Sleep

It is challenging when you have to battle a chronic sleep disorder. It is only natural to seek a holistic treatment approach in Houston, TX. However, here are some strategies that you can employ according to the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine:

• Let Your Bedroom Be a Sleep Sanctuary
• Don’t Force Sleep
• Calm Your Body Before Sleep
• Let Darkness and Dusk Be Your Sleep Medication
• Don’t Fight Sleep
• Find Balance Between Activity and Rest
• Be Intentional When You Wake Up

If you are suffering from a sleep disorder in Houston, TX, contact My Pure MD, and we will help treat the disorder using a comprehensive integrative approach.