Sleeping should be a relaxing activity that gives you the necessary energy to get through the next day. However, many people experience sleep problems and insomnia, which has a major impact on their whole life.

What are sleep problems?

Sleep problems have a bad influence on your lifestyle and can have serious consequences such as insomnia. In the first 3 hours of your sleep cycle you are in a deep sleep. This is when we produce growth hormones. However, in children with sleep deprivation, this can cause a disturbed production of growth hormone and can lead to consequences such as dwarfism.

Sleep problems in adults increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. Waking up in the middle of the night makes you stressed, because you produce more adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. This increases your risk of high blood pressure and can cause a heart attack or stroke. Recent research also showed that a poor night's sleep affects your immune system, increasing the risk of diabetes and colon cancer.

How do sleep problems arise?

There are a number of causes which can affect sleep problems:

• Tension / fretting: constantly thinking about everything makes your head tired and also your body so you can not sleep.

• Alcohol consumption and caffeine: alcohol consumption makes you fall asleep faster, but your sleep is less deep and you sleep more restless. Caffeine stimulates your breathing, nervous system and heart rate, making you less likely to fall asleep.

• Stress: stress creates tension and your body produces adrenaline, which makes your body alert and keeps you awake.

• Blue light: using your mobile phone, laptop or TV before bedtime can affect your sleep.

• Physical problems: think of sleep apnoea, pain, shortness of breath, having to urinate at night, palpitations, hot flushes, muscle and joint pain, hormonal changes, toothache, coughing and itching.

• Prescription: some medications can affect your sleep.
  • Eating habits: A nice burger or spicy Indian food can be tasty, but it can disrupt your sleep. You may start to perspire more and have stomach problems.
  • Depression: suffer from depressive thoughts? Then the chances are that your sleep is disturbed.

  What is insomnia?

  Insomnia can be a long-term consequence of sleep problems and prevents your daily functioning. Someone suffers from insomnia if they sleep badly more than twice a week and if you lie awake for more than half an hour before you really sleep. This can make you feel tired, lacking in energy, sleepy and/or irritable.

  Sleepiness can have serious long-term consequences. Think of increased blood pressure, depression, hallucinations and obesity. It is important to make an appointment with your doctor if you suffer from insomnia.

  Comforts you can experience as a result of insomnia

  • Sleep apnoea: breathing stops for more than 10 seconds at night and it happens more than five times an hour.

• Stressless legs syndrome: a drowsy feeling or tingling in the legs.

• Hyperthyroidism: phenomenon that occurs when you have an accelerated thyroid gland. This can be accompanied by cardiac arrhythmia, trembling, sweating, diarrhoea, agitation and weight loss.

Disturbed biorhythmia: it is important to always go to sleep around the same time to reduce the risk of sleep problems. You increase the risk of a disturbed biological clock when you work irregular night shifts, suffer from jet lag and/or take naps during the day.

• Parasomnias: waking up without being 100% alert. Think of sleepwalking.

• Narcolepsy: if you suffer from narcolepsy, you fall asleep during the day while doing your activities and wake up a few times during the night.

A good night's sleep is crucial

A bad night's sleep can have many consequences, both in the short and long term. So try to intervene as much as possible, so that you don't get insomnia in the future. Suffering from a bad night's sleep? Svensson offers a sleeping package that can alleviate your problems.