Sleep Therapy

Sleep is a vital part of your overall health and well-being. It plays a crucial role in physical recovery, immunity, metabolism, mood regulation, mental clarity, and focus which are all important to living a healthy life. When sleep disturbances occur due to chronic pain or inflammation, the effects can be far-reaching. Poor sleep can lead to fatigue, trouble concentrating, increased stress levels, and difficulty managing pain.

Excellent Vs. Poor Sleep Quality

When you get good quality sleep, it’s like recharging your batteries. When you sleep enough, you’ll feel refreshed and energized the next day, which, in turn, helps you perform better both mentally and physically. However, if you don’t sleep enough or you get poor-quality sleep, it can have a major impact on your health. Studies have shown that long-term sleep loss can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, and weight gain.

What Is Sleep Disturbance?

Sleep disturbance is a term used to describe any disruption in the sleep cycle that causes difficulty falling and staying asleep. Various factors, such as chronic pain or inflammation, stress, anxiety, medication side effects, sleep apnea, or other underlying health conditions, can cause it.

Symptoms of sleep disturbances include poor quality of sleep, feeling tired and groggy during the day, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and difficulty falling asleep. In addition, long-term sleep disturbances can cause fatigue, reduced alertness and performance throughout the day, as well as increasing your risk of developing more severe health problems.

When Sleep Testing And Therapy Becomes Necessary

If you are experiencing sleep disturbances due to chronic pain or underlying medical conditions, it is vital to seek help from a physician. Sleep testing may be recommended to evaluate your sleep patterns, while sleep therapy can help manage the underlying causes of the problem and restore balance in your body. The following are some of the common sleep-related conditions that can be diagnosed as a result of a sleep test and that will require sleep therapy to address:

Insomnia

Insomnia is a condition in which you may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Various factors can lead to insomnia, including anxiety, stress, depression, certain medications, and other underlying medical conditions. People with insomnia may feel exhausted during the day and find it difficult to concentrate or perform everyday tasks. 

Insomnia is diagnosed if you have difficulty sleeping for at least three nights out of the week. The condition may be diagnosed as chronic if you continue having difficulty sleeping at least three nights out of the week for over three months.

Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is a sleeping disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness. People with hypersomnia may feel sleepy during the day despite getting enough sleep at night. This can lead to problems staying awake for extended periods of time, as well as memory problems and difficulty concentrating. Hypersomnia can be caused by various medical conditions (including other sleep disorders), nervous system disorders,  as well as lifestyle factors (such as overeating, drug or alcohol abuse, and extreme exertion, to name a few). 

Hypersomnia is usually diagnosed if you’ve experienced extreme sleepiness during the day for at least three months.

Parasomnia

Parasomnia is a type of sleep disorder characterized by unusual behaviors that occur during sleep. These behaviors can include talking in one’s sleep, walking or running while sleeping, night terrors, and nightmares. People with parasomnia may also have difficulty staying asleep throughout the night and experience excessive daytime sleepiness. 

In some cases, parasomnias can be caused by underlying medical conditions such as epilepsy or narcolepsy. Parasomnia is typically diagnosed based on the patient’s medical history and their details about their sleep disturbances.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is when breathing pauses or becomes shallow during sleep, resulting in disrupted sleep and daytime fatigue. People with sleep apnea are known to snore loudly and have difficulty concentrating or staying awake during the day. 

To diagnose sleep apnea, an overnight sleep test may be ordered. For example, a nocturnal polysomnography test may be done, during which your heart, lung, and brain activity, as well as breathing patterns and movements, are all measured during sleep.

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Circadian rhythm disorders are sleep-wake cycle disturbances caused by an imbalance between the internal body clock and the external environment. These disorders can cause difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up at the desired times. Circadian rhythm disorders can also lead to excessive daytime sleepiness and other symptoms such as headaches or irritability. Treatment for circadian rhythm disorders typically involves lifestyle changes such as setting a fixed bedtime and avoiding bright lights in the evening.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder.  It causes an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. These sensations can range from mild tingling or itching to intense pain or burning and typically occur when a person is lying down or sitting for long periods of time. RLS can cause sleep disturbances because the symptoms often worsen at night, disrupting sleep.

RLS is usually diagnosed through a combination of patient history and sleep testing, while treatment may involve medications, lifestyle changes, physical therapy, or other therapies.

The Relationship Between Sleep And Chronic Pain

Chronic pain and inflammation can significantly disrupt a person’s sleep cycle. Pain has been linked to increased nighttime awakenings, difficulty falling asleep, and overall reduced sleep quality. Additionally, the inflammation often associated with chronic pain can cause increased cortisol levels, further contributing to sleep disturbances. As a result, many people with chronic pain experience significant daytime fatigue and impaired concentration and performance.

Sleep Testing And Therapy In Neuragenex Neurofunctional Pain Management

Our Neuragenex NFPM protocol involves a Neuragenex Neurofunctional Pain Management approach to treating chronic pain. This means that we employ safe, non-invasive, drug-free, and non-chiropractic methods to address the root cause of your symptoms. To diagnose and treat sleep disorders, we perform sleep testing using a home sleep study that’s automatically loaded into an app. A certified sleep specialist physician will evaluate the study and then prescribe the appropriate therapy.

Because we take a whole-person approach to treating our patients, we also incorporate lifestyle counseling into our Neuragenex NFPM protocol to help patients identify specific habits that could be contributing to their condition. For example, when it comes to sleep disorders, we may suggest lifestyle changes such as avoiding caffeine in the evening, exercising regularly, and following a consistent bedtime routine.

Additionally, we may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or biofeedback to help our patients learn new coping strategies for managing pain and improving their sleep quality.