against insomnia and restless legs
The Center for Sleep Medicine and Research and the Community Service Unit at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, in cooperation with MedEvent, held a “remote” symposium under the slogan (Organized sleep .. for a healthy future) coinciding with the celebration of World Sleep Day. The symposium included scientific discussions and answers to public questions about Sleep diseases and disorders, where the symposium was moderated by: Professor Siraj Omar Wali, and each of: Dr. Fares Al-Hujaili and Dr. Sultan Qanash and Dr. Rania Al-Shamrani to answer the questions.
The following are the most important questions answered by the medical staff
• What is insomnia? And what are its types?
* It is one of the common and widespread sleep disorders in society, and it has two types:
Severe insomnia (short term)
, and chronic insomnia.
Insomnia medication treatment
• Is medication treatment a necessity for those with insomnia?
What is important before starting treatment is to know the patient''s medical history and attempts to find out the main cause of the disease and try to treat it
There are several methods of treatment, including
Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a treatment based on changing the behaviors and habits of the patient that help him sleep, such as healthy sleep behaviors, and is followed up continuously and periodically to see the extent of his improvement and development and continue to add new behaviors that help him improve his sleep.
healthy sleep behaviors
• What are healthy sleep behaviors?
Setting a fixed time for sleeping and waking up, avoiding mobile phones and screens at least an hour before bed, because they affect the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which helps sleep, making the bedroom a quiet place free of moderate noise, exercising before bedtime for a period of no Less than 4 hours, avoiding stimuli such as coffee, tea and smoking at night, organizing eating times by avoiding heavy meals or fatty food before bed, deep breathing before bed helps to enter sleep.
Use of the hormone melatonin
• What do you think of the use of the hormone melatonin as a treatment for insomnia?
Melatonin is a natural hormone secreted in the body that helps sleep and is called (the sleep hormone). Its secretion increases in the late hours of the night and decreases during the day. Its use as a sleep medicine is a misconception, but it is used as a nutritional supplement to regulate sleep hours for those who suffer from circadian clock disorders.
Go to the doctor
• When does an insomnia patient go to the doctor?
Going to the doctor depends on the type of insomnia
Severe insomnia (in the short term): It has transient causes if the patient is able to overcome them and return to his normal sleep. He does not need to visit a doctor, but there are reasons for which a doctor should be consulted, such as psychological diseases (anxiety, depression).
And organic causes such as reflux or pain in the body and joints.
Sleep and snoring problem
• Is snoring a disease?
Snoring is one of the common symptoms that makes the patient see a doctor and the partner usually complains about it because of the sound, and snoring is a sign of something benign indicating the presence of problems in the upper part of the respiratory system or in the teeth or a curvature in the nose brow, and it may be a sign of a problem As serious as sleep apnea syndrome.
Surgical intervention for snoring
• Do you advise the sufferer of chronic snoring to do surgical treatments directly?
I do not advise, but rather go to a sleep doctor to find out the causes of snoring to do a sleep examination and make sure that he does not suffer from sleep apnea syndrome that causes snoring.
Causes of narcolepsy
• What is narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is uncommon compared to other sleep disorders. It is caused by: the inability of the brain to regulate sleep and wakefulness cycles, which leads to a person feeling sleepy and suddenly falling asleep at any time, and its signs:
Feeling excessively sleepy
Narcolepsy (the inability of a person to control his muscles when a strong emotion such as laughter and anger), hallucinations before bedtime (audio or visual), and sleep paralysis (gathoom).
apnea syndrome
• Is it dangerous if I have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea?
* Determined based on the severity and severity of the injury (primitive, moderate, severe), all studies confirm that people with sleep apnea syndrome are more likely to develop heart and nerve diseases.
breathing during sleep
• What are the symptoms of sleep apnea syndrome?
* The main symptom of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring
Frequent awakening during sleep
And feel tired and tired after waking up from sleep due to lack of sleep quality
, high blood pressure
, and difficulty losing weight.
The ideal time to sleep
• What is the ideal enough time to sleep in children?
* According to the American Sleep Association, the number of hours of sleep in children varies based on age:
Newborns - 3 months: 16-20 hours
4 months - 12 months: 12-16 hours
1 year - 2 years: 12-14 hours
3 - 5 years: 11 - 13 hours
6 - 12 years: 10 - 12 hours
12-18 years: 8-10 hours.
Important tips for children
• What are the general tips for healthy sleep in children?
* Making a pre-sleep ritual so that the child is psychologically prepared, setting a constant wake-up hour every day, creating a specific routine for sleep such as taking a warm shower, brushing teeth, a short story, a bedroom free of noise, adequate lighting and a moderate temperature.
restless legs disease
• What is restless legs disease?
* It is one of the common diseases, especially in women. It is a strange feeling that the patient feels in his legs, such as numbness, tension, a feeling that forces him to move, and he feels comfortable afterwards, and it affects sleep by delaying sleep and one of the causes of insomnia.
Its cause is largely unknown, but some studies indicate that it is related to dopamine, iron deficiency, and some chronic diseases.
Its symptoms are: uncomfortable feeling in the legs, feeling comfortable after movement, increasing at night, and preventing sleep.
Signs of sleep disturbances
• What are the signs of sleep disorders in children?
* The most important signs of sleep disorders in children is snoring
Sleep apnea, daytime drowsiness, hyperactivity, violence, anxiety, and distraction that affect the educational level.
sleep walking
• What is sleepwalking?
* It is one of the behavioral disorders that occur during sleep. It occurs more often in children and decreases with age. It occurs in the first part of sleep.
And its causes: sleep deprivation - psychological stress - fever - sleep schedule disorder.
The importance of visiting a doctor
When to visit a patient walking during sleep the doctor?
* When there is a noticeable increase in sleepwalking on an almost daily basis, start walking during sleep at the age of puberty, if it causes excessive sleepiness during the day.
Reasons for not dreaming
• Why am I not dreaming?
* A person does not dream or does not feel that he is dreaming for several reasons, including:
He doesn''t remember it was a dream
, does not reach the stage of sleep in which he dreams, and this happens to patients with sleep apnea syndrome
Although studies indicate that a person dreams more than once at night, medicines.
Use of antihistamines
• What do you think of the use of antihistamines as a hypnotic?
* Antihistamines are common medicines that people use as a hypnotic, but it is not healthy to use this because they cause damage such as dizziness, dehydration and others.
I advise those who suffer from insomnia to go to a sleep doctor to dispense the appropriate medication for him based on his condition.
The importance of a short nap
• What is a nap?
* A nap is a short period of sleep during the day in order to rest, rejuvenate and rejuvenate, or to compensate for lack of sleep or a cultural habit
It is not recommended if it is a compensation for lack of sleep during the day and for those who suffer from insomnia
It is 15-25 minutes long.
