Evie Summers
Sleep is a precious commodity, and for many people, a good night's sleep is a dream. Interrupted sleep, or broken sleep, is a common problem, with almost two-thirds of UK adults suffering from disrupted sleep, according to research by Aviva. Broken sleep can be defined as waking up during the night, sometimes within a sleep cycle, and either struggling to fall back asleep or falling back asleep but only for a short time. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including age, stress, lifestyle, and external factors such as noise or disruptions. While short awakenings between sleep cycles are normal, broken sleep can lead to insomnia, sleep deprivation, and daytime sleepiness, impacting an individual's health and well-being.
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What You'll Learn
- Sleep disorders: There are over 80 sleep disorders, including insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome
- Lifestyle factors: Alcohol, eating before bed, caffeine, and napping can disrupt sleep
- Age: Older adults experience more interrupted sleep, with shorter, less deep sleep cycles
- Stress: Stress can cause and exacerbate sleep issues, making it hard to fall and stay asleep
- Sleep maintenance insomnia: when you can't return to sleep after waking up in the night
Sleep disorders: There are over 80 sleep disorders, including insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome
Sleep is essential for our health and well-being, but many people struggle to get a good night's rest. Broken sleep, or interrupted sleep, is a common problem, with research from Aviva indicating that almost two-thirds (67%) of UK adults suffer from disrupted sleep, and a quarter (23%) managing less than five hours of sleep per night.
There are over 90 sleep disorders, with 50 to 70 million US adults affected by at least one. Sleep disorders can have serious impacts on daily functioning and health, and it is important to address sleep issues to prevent negative consequences. Here are some of the most common sleep disorders:
Insomnia
Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder, with approximately 33% to 50% of adults experiencing symptoms. It is characterised by difficulty falling or staying asleep, and sufferers often feel drowsy during the day. Insomnia can be aggravated by poor sleep habits, environmental changes, medications, and co-occurring medical conditions such as asthma or sleep apnea. It can lead to sleep deprivation, increased irritability, depression, and anxiety.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening disorder where breathing is interrupted during sleep, causing brief, repetitive pauses in breathing that may sound like snoring or gasping. It can lead to irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when air cannot flow into or out of the nose or mouth, even with conscious breathing efforts.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
RLS is characterised by uncomfortable sensations in the legs, such as itching or prickling, and an overwhelming urge to move them. These symptoms often occur during periods of rest and can make falling asleep challenging. RLS is most common in individuals over 60 and may be linked to iron deficiency or conditions like kidney failure, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder caused by a lack of hypocretin, a brain chemical that promotes wakefulness. It results in excessive daytime sleepiness, with sudden sleep episodes during the day. It can also cause sudden-onset muscle weakness (cataplexy) triggered by strong emotions.
Hypersomnia
Hypersomnia is characterised by excessive sleep (over 10 hours a night), yet sufferers still feel groggy. It is associated with sleep attacks, hallucinations, and excessive daytime sleepiness, although typically less severe than in narcolepsy. The cause of hypersomnia is currently unknown.
If you suspect you may have a sleep disorder, it is important to seek help from a healthcare professional or a sleep specialist, who can provide guidance and tailored care plans to improve your sleep quality and overall well-being.
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Lifestyle factors: Alcohol, eating before bed, caffeine, and napping can disrupt sleep
Lifestyle choices can have a significant impact on sleep quality. Alcohol, caffeine, eating before bed, and napping are all factors that can disrupt sleep.
Consuming alcohol before bed can lead to a night of restless sleep. While some may find that alcohol helps them fall asleep, it can also cause disruptions throughout the night.
Eating a large meal before bed can affect digestion and sleep quality. It can lead to obesity, acid reflux, heartburn, and weight gain. However, eating a small, nutrient-dense snack 1-2 hours before bedtime can stabilize blood sugar levels, satisfy cravings, and help some people fall asleep faster. This is especially important for people with diabetes, as low blood sugar can cause nightmares, excessive sweating, and irritability upon waking up.
Caffeine promotes wakefulness by blocking adenosine, a sleep-inducing chemical. Consuming caffeine close to bedtime can disrupt the natural sleep-wake cycle, making it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Caffeine use can exacerbate sleep deprivation, creating a vicious cycle of increased caffeine consumption and decreased sleep quality. It is recommended to avoid caffeine at least 8 hours before bedtime to ensure better sleep quality.
Napping during the day can also disrupt nighttime sleep, especially for people with insomnia. A daytime nap may reduce the sleep drive at night, making it challenging to fall asleep or maintain a restful night's sleep.
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Age: Older adults experience more interrupted sleep, with shorter, less deep sleep cycles
Sleep is essential for our health and well-being, but many people struggle with getting a good night's rest. Broken sleep, or interrupted sleep, is a common issue, with almost two-thirds of UK adults suffering from disrupted sleep, according to research by Aviva. While broken sleep can affect anyone, older adults are more likely to experience interrupted sleep and shorter, less deep sleep cycles.
As we age, our sleep patterns change, and older adults tend to experience more fragmented and less restful sleep. This is because older adults spend more time in the earlier, lighter stages of sleep and less time in the deeper stages. These shifts contribute to older people waking up more frequently during the night. Additionally, as we age, our sleep cycles become shorter, and we tend to get less deep sleep. Children experience much deeper sleep than adults, and this deep sleep tends to decline as we get older.
There are several factors that can contribute to interrupted sleep in older adults. One factor is changes in the body's internal clock, also known as circadian rhythms, which are controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain. These rhythms follow a 24-hour cycle and can be affected by daily and nightly habits, such as inconsistent bedtimes, daytime napping, and exposure to noise or light. Older adults may also experience longer recovery times from changes in their sleep schedule, such as daylight savings or jet lag.
Medical conditions and medications can also play a role in sleep disturbances. Older adults with multiple health conditions are more likely to experience poor sleep quality and shorter sleep duration. Additionally, certain medications and their interactions can contribute to sleep issues. Lifestyle factors, such as alcohol consumption, recreational drug use, smoking, and caffeine intake, can also impact sleep.
Optimizing sleep routines and environments can help prevent sleep interruptions. This includes maintaining a consistent bedtime routine, reducing alcohol consumption, limiting exposure to electronic devices, and ensuring a comfortable sleeping environment. While broken sleep is normal to some extent, if sleep problems become persistent or interfere with daily life, it is important to seek professional help as it may indicate an underlying sleep disorder.
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Stress: Stress can cause and exacerbate sleep issues, making it hard to fall and stay asleep
Broken sleep refers to interrupted sleep, where one wakes up during the night. It is normal to experience brief awakenings between sleep cycles, but sometimes one may wake up within a sleep cycle, which is more disruptive.
Stress is a significant cause of broken sleep. It can make it hard to fall and stay asleep. Sleep reactivity refers to the degree to which stress exposure disrupts sleep. Individuals with high sleep reactivity experience a drastic deterioration of sleep when stressed, while those with low sleep reactivity are relatively unaffected. Research has shown that genetics, family history of insomnia, gender, and environmental stress influence how the sleep system responds to stress.
Stress can cause insomnia, a common sleep disorder. People under stress tend to think excessively about responsibilities, such as work, family, and finances, and these thoughts continue when they try to sleep, causing disruptions in sleep patterns. High levels of stress impair sleep by prolonging sleep onset and fragmenting sleep. This sleep loss triggers the body's stress response system, leading to elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which further disrupts sleep.
Stress exposure and insomnia can create a vicious cycle, with insomnia increasing sleep reactivity and vulnerability to future insomnia episodes. Stress can also cause short-term insomnia, and changes in the regulation of stress and sleep.
To manage stress and improve sleep, one can maintain a balanced lifestyle, including regular meals, moderate physical activity, and relaxation techniques. Additionally, a consistent bedtime routine and good sleep hygiene can help with falling asleep more easily.
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Sleep maintenance insomnia: when you can't return to sleep after waking up in the night
Sleep maintenance insomnia is a condition where a person falls asleep with ease but wakes up after a few hours and is unable to fall back asleep. This results in them not getting enough sleep before having to start their day. Sleep maintenance insomnia is different from standard broken sleep, where a person wakes up and falls back asleep multiple times during the night, ultimately getting enough sleep.
Sleep maintenance insomnia is a common problem, with up to one in five Americans facing difficulty getting back to sleep. This condition is more common in women than in men. There are many factors that can cause sleep maintenance insomnia, such as health problems, depression, stress, pain, or sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. As people grow older, the normal sleep cycle becomes shorter, and they spend less time in deep sleep. This can also lead to sleep maintenance insomnia.
There are several strategies that can help with sleep maintenance insomnia. Firstly, it is important to maintain good sleep habits and practice relaxation techniques. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a useful tool that teaches individuals new ways to think about their problems and deal with them more effectively. Research has shown that CBT provides better long-term relief for insomnia than sleep medications. Additionally, it is recommended to avoid the use of electronic devices before bed due to the blue LED light they emit, which affects melatonin production.
Another strategy is to optimize your sleep environment and routine. For example, reducing alcohol consumption can improve sleep quality as alcohol negatively impacts sleep for the remainder of the night. It is also beneficial to avoid napping during the day, as this will increase your body's appetite for sleep at night, ensuring a better night's rest.
Lastly, if you are struggling to fall back asleep, it is recommended to get out of bed and only return when you feel drowsy. Staying in bed when you are unable to sleep can lead to your brain associating your bed with wakefulness instead of sleep. By getting out of bed, you can break this association and improve your chances of falling back asleep.
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Frequently asked questions
Broken sleep refers to interrupted sleep, where an individual wakes up during the night. This can be a few brief awakenings or several, and the timing and length of these episodes can vary.
Broken sleep is normal, especially short awakenings between sleep cycles. Normal sleep cycles are around 90-110 minutes long and repeat across the night, and everyone usually stirs briefly between each cycle.
The effects of broken sleep include daytime sleepiness, cognitive decline, mood disturbances, and health risks. Research has found a strong correlation between sleep continuity and total sleep time, indicating that people with disturbed sleep are at a higher risk of not sleeping enough hours.
There are various factors that can cause broken sleep, including age, stress, lifestyle, and external disruptions. Lifestyle factors that can interrupt sleep include consuming alcohol or caffeine close to bedtime, napping too much during the day, and eating within a few hours of bedtime.
To improve broken sleep, it is recommended to optimize your sleep routine and sleep environment. This includes establishing a regular bedtime routine, avoiding electronic devices before bed, sleeping in a quiet, dark, and cool space, and getting regular exercise.
