Sleep helps restore energy and maintain immunity, but for people with chronic diseases, good sleep is often difficult to achieve. According to Dr. Bhumesh Tyagi, chronic diseases directly affect sleep, while prolonged insomnia makes the disease worse, creating a vicious cycle between disease and sleep.
How does chronic disease affect sleep?
Here are some common mechanisms that show that chronic diseases can cause sleep disorders, according to Onlymyhealth:
Chronic pain
People with conditions such as arthritis, back pain, and fibromyalgia often have difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position. Prolonged or sudden pain in the middle of the night makes them susceptible to waking up, poor sleep and fatigue during the day.
Cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure
People with heart disease may experience sleep apnea due to shortness of breath, chest pain, nervousness or arrhythmia. These symptoms often appear at night and disrupt sleep.
Chronic respiratory disorders
Diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or sleep apnea cause coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath during sleep. This causes patients to often wake up and not achieve deep sleep.
Diabetes
equalities in blood sugar can lead to urination, restlessness, or a burning, throbbing sensation in the limbs due to neurological complications. These factors seriously disrupt sleep.
Digestive disorders
Diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can cause people to have abdominal pain, chest burning or discomfort when lying down, especially at night.
Neurological and motor disorders
Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or strep can cause uncontrolled movements, twitching or calf abscesses while sleeping, leading to repeated sleep interruptions.
Mental disorder
People with depression, anxiety or post-concussive stress disorder (PTSD) often have difficulty falling asleep, or easily waking up in the middle of the night due to nightmares, excessive thinking or mood discomfort.
Insomnia worsens chronic diseases
Lack of sleep not only causes fatigue, but also seriously affects the ability to recover and control the disease:
Weakens the immune system
Increased pain
Effects on memory and concentration
aggravate underlying diseases
Contributing to increasing the risk of new chronic diseases
Steps to manage insomnia in chronic diseases
Control underlying diseases: Effective treatment of chronic diseases is an important step to improve sleep.
Create an ideal sleeping environment: Keep the bedroom quiet and cool, avoid blue light and choose the right mattress and pillow.
Maintain healthy habits: Eat on time, limit caffeine, avoid eating on your stomach or exercise vigorously before bed.
Relax before bed: Practice meditation, yoga, listen to light music or take a deep breath to help you sleep better.
Consult your doctor when needed: If insomnia persists, see your doctor for appropriate advice and treatment, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I) if needed.
