Latent depression. According to new scientists, insomnia can be a hidden manifestation of depression. How to deal with it in this regard?
The fact that people do not sleep well when they are nervous and drink a lot of coffee is known to everyone. What new causes of insomnia became known?
Scientists have found that how well a person sleeps depends largely on the state of his stomach and intestines. It is noted that poor sleep is noted in those who suffer from intestinal dysbiosis. Moreover, it’s not only discomfort in the stomach that makes it difficult to sleep.
In modern people, the beneficial microflora often “sits on a starvation diet.” This can lead to the propagation of fungi of the genus Candida. Scientists have found that fungi secrete toxins that affect the nervous system. As a result, a person with difficulty falls asleep, sleeps superficially and often wakes up.
The situation is aggravated if there is also constipation. In this case, harmful substances also accumulate in the intestines. They can enter the bloodstream and cause sleep disturbances.
Food allergy also contributes to the emergence of insomnia. This ailment often proceeds covertly and disguises itself as increased fatigue, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome. In fact, the intolerance of stools and sleep disorders is to blame for the intolerance of certain products.
So, a person who sleeps poorly now needs to contact a gastroenterologist?
In fact, there are many reasons for sleep disturbances. And problems with the stomach and intestines are just one of them.
In some cases, insomnia is one of the main manifestations of depression. In modern people, its other manifestations can occur hidden, disguised. A person does not fully understand what is happening to him, and begins to take sleeping pills. And they can hurt in depression – cause side effects and dependence.
Of particular note is the so-called serotonin depression. The impetus for its appearance may be sharp fluctuations in blood sugar. In parallel with them, changes in the level of the hormone of pleasure serotonin in the brain occur. People have a strong dependence: to fall asleep, you need to eat something sweet. This increases weight, increases the risk of diabetes and hypertension.
Obesity can also upset sleep. In obese people, a rather serious condition is often noted – sleep apnea syndrome. With this disorder, a person does not get satisfaction from a night’s sleep, no matter how long it may be. Possible daytime drowsiness, headaches in the morning. But the most important thing – with the syndrome of night apnea, the cardiovascular system suffers, the risk of heart attacks, arrhythmias increases.
Therefore, with insomnia, in any case, a consultation with a somnologist is necessary. He will be able to determine which disorders led to sleep disturbance, and refer the patient to a specialist for further treatment. This may be a psychotherapist, and an endocrinologist, and a gastroenterologist, and a doctor of another specialty.
I think that many people do not take their insomnia seriously. And they’re unlikely to be checked by doctors.
Sleep disorders affect almost all areas of our lives and can lead to serious health problems.
It is known that there are phases of “slow” deep and phases of “fast” superficial sleep. It is the second one who is responsible for our dreams. Normally, these phases should change several times during the night. Only such a dream is considered normal.
In recent years, scientists have established that during a full sleep, very important processes occur. For example, in the phase of “fast” sleep there is an active process of information exchange between the hemispheres of the brain. As a result, the knowledge and impressions gained during the day are laid out on the shelves, something is sent to long-term memory, something to the subconscious.
It is also during sleep that information is exchanged between the nerve cells of the internal organs and the brain. Everything that has accumulated during the day is “digested” and regulated by the nervous system. And a violation of this process can lead to malfunctions in the body. Here are the most important ones.
Those who do not get enough sleep get older faster, they have much lower resistance to stress. According to statistics, people with insomnia are more likely to crave for overeating, alcohol and smoking. Everything is logical: without a normal night’s rest, discomfort occurs. And people are trying to get rid of it in accessible, but unhealthy ways – most often with alcohol and cigarettes.
People who are constantly sleep deprived have immunity, especially cellular, which is responsible for the fight against viruses and cancer cells. There are also problems with local immunity, which can become an impetus for the development of dysbiosis. So everything in our body is interconnected.
Well, and, of course, insomnia significantly decreases performance. At night, the brain does not process information well, attention decreases, mood worsens, and unmotivated irritability appears. Those who drive have a dramatically increased risk of accidents.
So I would not call insomnia a harmless and not serious problem. A person suffering from this ailment requires a comprehensive examination and treatment.
How have approaches to the treatment of insomnia changed due to new data?
Now there is a tendency to abandon potent sleeping pills. The fact is that they can disrupt the normal ratio of the phases of sleep. And a person, even having slept for 8–9 hours, still feels tired and broken.
In recent years, drugs of the natural sleep hormone melatonin have been used quite widely. It works especially well for sleep disorders due to work on the night shift, change of time zones, stress, with frequent awakenings. However, there are a number of contraindications to this drug: pregnancy, breastfeeding, renal failure, allergic, autoimmune and some oncological diseases, epilepsy, diabetes mellitus. Also, do not use it for individual intolerance.
It is important to monitor the diet – dinner at least four hours before bedtime. At night, the intestines, like the brain, “fall asleep”. If a person had a tight dinner before bedtime, food begins to stagnate in the upper intestines. Instead of digestion and assimilation, the processes of fermentation and decay are activated. This is fraught not only with a restless sleep. The appearance of chronic pancreatitis, gallstone disease, cholecystitis, and dysbiosis is possible.
In addition, in the complex treatment of sleep disorders, vitamin-mineral preparations have now begun to be recommended. It is proved that in people experiencing a deficiency of vitamins B1, B6, B12 and folic acid, insomnia is more common. The reserves of these vitamins are primarily depleted during stress.
Of the minerals for sleep, calcium and magnesium are important. If the body lacks them, a full sleep is unlikely. A deficiency of calcium and magnesium is now quite common, and especially in women. Magnesium reserves melt during nervous exertion. And calcium is actively consumed during pregnancy and lactation. Also, a large deficiency of this trace element is also characteristic of the period of menopause.
Some dietary supplements also help with insomnia.
Lack of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids can also lead to sleep disturbances. Few people know that they are important not only for the heart and blood vessels, but also for the smooth functioning of the nervous system.
With “serotonin depression”, dietary supplements are used that have compounds from which hormones of pleasure are produced in the body. They contribute to restful sleep.
These are general guidelines. In general, it is necessary to identify the main causes of insomnia in a particular person and, as far as possible, eliminate them. For example, if you suspect a food allergy, you must undergo an appropriate examination and adjust your diet. And with depression, it is important to work with a psychotherapist and appropriate medication support.