Are you concerned about the quality and quantity of your sleep? Is your sleep cycle variable, disrupted with times of insomnia, or frequent arousals? At Florida Sleep Specialists in Bradenton and Sarasota, FL, sleep physician Dr. Jeremy McConnell helps people identify the factors which affect how they sleep. Sleeping is more complex than you may realize.
It's not just a matter of fatigue
We're all had nights when we are exhausted but just can't get to sleep. Other times, we may fall asleep easily but wake up multiple times during the night. This can become a disturbing pattern. The result is fatiguing sleep debt and also significant physical harm such as poor cognition, depression, decreased libido, hypertension, obesity, and more. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your sleep specialist in Bradenton FL.
What affects our sleep
Many external and internal factors affect sleep, say experts at Harvard Medical School. Some come from within us and others influence from the outside. Either way, the impact is cumulative.
Factors include:
- Age: Our brains do not shut off as easily or move through various sleep cycles as efficiently as we get older.
- Medications: Beta-blockers, antihistamines, and antidepressants break a night's sleep into smaller fragments.
- Alcohol: While a drink or two in the evening may make you sleepy, this chemical wakes you up during the night as you metabolize it. Marijuana and other recreational drugs do this too.
- Tobacco: Smoking contributes to a disorder called sleep apnea in which your brain is deprived of oxygen. You wake up several times an hour--many times without even knowing it.
- Light: Whether it's a light bulb, TV, computer, or smartphone, light in the evening discourages sleep and changes our internal clocks. So does shift work and air travel which crosses time zones.
- Room temperature: Some like it hot, and some like it cold. If your bedroom feels the opposite of your preference, you'll wake up again and again.
- Medical conditions: GERD, PMS, arthritis, and migraines disrupt sleep patterns as can depression, stress, and anxiety.
Talk to us
At Florida Sleep Specialists, Dr. Jeffrey McConnell partners with patients and their primary care physicians to provide sleep evaluations, care strategies, and education which help regularize sleep patterns, reduce the impact of sleep disorders, and increase overall health and well-being. To learn more, phone our Bradenton FL office for a personal consultation: (941) 792-8383. Enjoy all the benefits of a good night's sleep.