Numerous sleep disorders can disrupt one’s sleeping pattern and quality of life, but it’s not just these that may affect a person’s ability to get a good night’s sleep. Certain medical conditions can also directly or indirectly cause sleep problems.
Poor sleep quality and daytime fatigue may be caused by sleep disturbances that are due to a non-sleep-related medical issue. From “normal” things like pregnancy and menopause to diseases such as osteoarthritis and prostate hyperplasia, understanding what is preventing you from a restful night’s sleep is important.
How Do Medical Conditions Disrupt Sleep?
Even if you feel like you get plenty of sleep at night, you may still be bothered by excessive fatigue or sleepiness during the day. This can be the result of an underlying medical condition, a lifestyle issue, or even medication you use – and the sleep disturbance causing daytime fatigue is a symptom of this rather than of a distinct sleep disorder.
The type of medical issue you are dealing with will determine how it impacts your sleep. Consider, for example, the physical discomfort of menopausal hot flashes and night sweats; the grinding pain of arthritis; or the frequent trips to the bathroom due to benign prostate disease. So, too, the stress and anxiety associated with a chronic health condition or disease can lead to insomnia and its associated daytime tiredness.
6 Common Medical Conditions That Impact Sleep
Osteoarthritis
There are more than 100 types of arthritis; osteoarthritis is by far the most common of these. Osteoarthritis occurs when the joints swell, usually in response to damage to the protective cartilage that caps the bones within joints. It can affect the bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, and is a progressive disease that can arise anywhere in the body (but most commonly in the fingers, knees, hips, and spine). It is common from middle age, affecting women more than men. Symptoms include swelling, pain, stiffness, permanent changes in the joints, and a diminished range of motion. The pain and stiffness of arthritis can make comfortable sleep difficult, and steroid medicines used to alleviate symptoms can cause insomnia.
Prostate Issues
There is a very strong association between sleep and prostate health. The prostate is a gland in the male body that is situated just below the bladder; it produces seminal fluid, which nourishes and transports sperm. It is extremely common for men to experience swelling of the prostate as they get older – this is called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. BPH causes symptoms including urinary frequency (especially at night; this is nocturia), urinary urgency, difficulty urinating, and discomfort when urinating. The condition is not cancerous (although the risk of developing prostate cancer also dramatically increases with age). BPH often disrupts sleep, can lead to insomnia, and is worse when it occurs in tandem with obstructive sleep apnoea.
Nocturia is also a feature of other health conditions including (but not limited to) heart failure, diabetes, liver failure, urinary tract infection, pregnancy, multiple sclerosis, certain medications, and drinking too much liquid after dinner.
Prostate Cancer also physically impacts sleep quality. Not only is a cancer diagnosis and living with the disease stressful, but hormone treatments for prostate cancer can cause anxiety, hot flashes, and insomnia. Furthermore, the removal of the prostate and/or radiation therapy to the area can lead to problems with continence, which may also impact sleep.
GORD
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease or GORD (GERD in the USA) causes the symptom commonly known as “heartburn”. This occurs when stomach acid backs up into the oesophagus, and it occurs most commonly when a person lies down flat in bed. It can be anything from mildly uncomfortable to severely painful and its symptoms can mimic those of a heart attack. Heartburn can often be avoided by saying no to coffee, alcohol, and fatty or heavy meals, especially in the evening. Choose to not lie down or go to bed within a few hours of eating, and elevate the upper body in bed when you do go to sleep. If this is an ongoing issue or the pain/discomfort is moderate to severe, you must see your GP for a proper diagnosis to ensure appropriate treatment and management. Medication to suppress the secretion of stomach acid may be required.
Perimenopause/Menopause
The period leading up to the menopause is known as perimenopause. Lasting up to a decade, the hormonal changes in the body this time (and potentially for several years after menopause) can wreak absolute havoc on a woman’s sleep. From hot flushes to night sweats, insomnia to joint pains, urinary symptoms to heart palpitations, mood changes to an increase in snoring, and more (!), it’s no wonder that sleep and menopause are not a great combination for so many women. Women need to consult with their GP to find the most appropriate ways for them to individually manage these symptoms and get through this period of life as comfortably and healthily as possible.
Diabetes
This chronic, increasingly common disease is characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose (sugar) and develops when the body’s cells don’t properly respond to insulin. The pancreas may also fail to produce insulin. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to sleep disturbances due to low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) symptoms, night sweats, skin itching, and the need to urinate frequently. Over time, the condition can also damage the nerves, especially in the legs and feet.
Pregnancy
Sleeping problems go hand-in-hand with pregnancy – with many women experiencing insomnia, nausea, nighttime heartburn, urinary frequency, restless legs syndrome, snoring/sleep apnoea, and physical discomfort. Most of these (if purely pregnancy-related) will resolve after the baby is born (and a whole other realm of infant-related sleep issues commence).
Some other health conditions that often impinge upon sleep include:
- thyroid disease
- heart failure
- kidney disease
- Alzheimer’s disease & dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- fibromyalgia
- migraine & cluster headaches
- epilepsy
- stroke
- mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia)
- cancer.
It is critically important that you maintain regular GP checkups to identify, prevent, and diagnose health conditions as early as possible. This is essential not just for your sleep quality but your overall health, well-being, quality of life, and longevity.
What Role Does Snoring Play?
If you snore, regardless of whatever other medical issue you may be dealing with, your sleep will be disturbed. This is because snoring compromises how you breathe during the night and how effectively your blood (and hence your body and brain) are oxygenated. From diminishing the quality of your sleep (and your well-being during the day) to completely waking yourself up due to the snoring itself, snoring does your health and well-being no favours, and it can even worsen the effects of those other medical conditions that, in and of themselves, disturb your sleep.
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