Insomnia is a common problem, especially in elderly patients who regularly take medications to cure it. Many over-the-counter drugs that are used to treat sleeplessness have been found to cause dementia and Alzheimer?s disease. These drugs have ?anticholinergic effects,? which means they block a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This affects cognition and brain function.
A recent study in Seattle, followed dementia-free patients 65 and older through their journey with the medications. Nearly a quarter of the patients were diagnosed with dementia within seven years [1]. The results found higher cumulative doses create greater risks of dementia. Also, the Alzheimer?s disease is irreversible. Taken for less than 7-10 years, anticholinergic drugs may only cause mild cognitive impairment, which is a lesser form of dementia. This has the potential to be reversed, but can?t be guaranteed.
That?s why if you take sleeping pills or other anticholinergic drugs, it is urgent to talk to a medical professional about different treatment options. If you?re not sure if you take anticholinergic drugs, the best way to find out is to dump all of your medications in a bag, prescription and non-prescription, and show them to your primary physician. It?s better to be safe than sorry!
But there?s a good news?with persistent efforts, there are natural solutions to this issue!
The holistic medicine can help avoid harmful drugs, especially the patients with sleep disorders and insomnia. When someone has a sleep disorder, there may be an another source?a root cause that interrupts the sleep. The only problem is, this source isn?t always obvious. Root causes for sleep problems can be numerous. As always, educate yourself about your decisions, but ultimately see a doctor for any changes you decide to implement.
Here we take a look at the common reasons for sleep deprivation and what you can do to help.
1. Caffeine
Caffeine is supposed to stay in the system for only 30 minutes. However, this is the case only if your detoxification system is in perfect order. Too much mercury can block caffeine effects by preventing adrenalin from leaving the system for hours and hours. For most people, this means adrenalin produced because of caffeine can stay in the system for as long as eight hours. If you drink four or more cups of caffeinated drinks a day, you are likely to experience at least one insomnia symptom a couple nights a week, according to a National Sleep Foundation poll [2].
2. Alcohol
Alcohol may seem like it puts people right to sleep, but it actually prevents the deeper stages of sleep. If you have troubles sleeping, alcohol should be one of the first factors eliminated. A review of 27 studies on alcohol clearly shows that it in fact does not improve sleep [3]. Alcohol works like GABA, a central neurotransmitter, and suppresses the firing of neurons, slowing down nervous system activity. Alcoholics especially often have issues with insomnia. The function of the GABA neurotransmitter becomes dependent on the alcohol, so if they don?t have any alcohol in the system, their body doesn?t feel like it functions properly. Some people believe that if they drink a little bit, they?re safe. Unfortunately, there?s no such thing as a safe dose of poison.
3. GABA-Related Drugs
GABA, or gamma-amino butyric acid, is one of the main neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Many drugs that have GABA have anti-anxiety effects. These change the natural way the body works and can prevent sleep. GABA-related drugs are even more dangerous than alcohol because they stay in the body and blood longer. For instance, the drug Klonopin that treats seizures and anxiety has a three-month-long withdrawal period. In comparison, alcohol withdrawal is only about two weeks long! It?s extremely difficult to sustain withdrawal for three months. Drugs containing GABA are common in antidepressants, blood pressure or heart medicine, allergy medications, corticosteroids, and stimulants like Ritalin [4].
4. Heavy Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates and processed food can often disrupt sleep. Eating simple carbs, especially before bedtime, can lead to a drop in sugar which can wake a person up in the middle of the night. When the sugar goes down, adrenaline goes up. Eating too much before bed may also cause a person to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down, making it difficult to get to sleep. Who can sleep when they?re experiencing heartburn (a back-flow of acid and food from the stomach into the esophagus)?
5. Food allergies
Food allergies can create sleep problems. Depending on the allergy, there may be inflammation in the brain, swelling elsewhere, upset stomach, itching, or general discomfort [5]. Eight foods cause 90% of food allergies: milk, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts, other nuts, fish and shellfish [6]. A good way to find out if you have a food allergy is to check your pulse before eating and then 30 minutes after eating. If your pulse increases more than 15 beats per minute, you may have an allergy.
6. Sinus Allergies
In the US, 50 million people suffer from allergies [7]. Allergies can keep people from sleeping well due to the inflammation of the mucous membrane in the nasal passages. When this swells, the normal flow of oxygen is inhibited, preventing good sleep [8]. If you have sinus allergies and regularly take Benadryl as a sleeping aid, this is an anticholinergic drug that can promote foggy cognition and dementia. Do not take it for any prolonged amount of time. If you want to get better sleep with allergies, pharmaceutical grade vitamins may be able to help you improve. As always, only take supplements under medical supervision.
7. Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Our bodies know instinctually that when it?s dark outside, they should be sleeping and repairing. Called a circadian rhythm, our sleep is most quality when it is one with the sun. Often it is difficult for people to sleep well who work night shifts or have a constantly changing schedule. The body can sleep the best when the circadian rhythm is lowest, from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am. Going to bed at midnight is a different quality of sleep than going to bed earlier and rising earlier.
8. Lyme disease
Lyme disease is one of the most difficult illnesses to diagnose. It?s also called ?the great imitator? because it can mimic any other sort of medical condition [9]. However, a nearly universal symptom of Lyme disease is sleep problems. These sleep issues can hugely contribute to the fatigue, depression, brain fog and impaired immune function that many patients suffer from when they have Lyme disease as well [10].
9. Melatonin Overdose
Melatonin is not a sleeping pill. It is a duplicate of the hormone your body creates in order to prepare itself for sleep. Taking melatonin supplements without being closely monitored can be detrimental to sleep. Doses often need to be lessened and the hormone itself needs to be understood before taken. The most common side effects with melatonin are sleepiness in the daytime, headaches and dizziness [11]. However, if you take too much, your sleep may be disrupted even more. If you feel like you need melatonin to help fall or stay asleep, you may suffer from a circadian rhythm sleep disorder, where your body doesn?t naturally produce enough melatonin [12]. Your levels can be tested with a physician.
10. Hormone imbalance
Hormone imbalance is a common factor in many different sleep disorders. This especially happens with men and women over 40. As we age, our hormones can get unbalanced as they change with us. In men, both reduced and increased levels of testosterone can cause sleep disruptions. In women, reduced progesterone levels can alter sleep habits. Progesterone levels can fall when a woman experiences PMS, and they fall more consistently when she is about to enter menopause. Imbalances of estrogen and progesterone can also happen from food that contains chemicals and pesticides that are similar to estrogen [13]. A physician can figure out what is going on with a test called a sleeping profile, which reads patterns from neurotransmitters and other markers on the brain.
Well, these are some of the common causes of sleep deprivation. Try to avoid these situations to get a good sleep that everyone desires.
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