9 Causes of Sleep Disruption and How to Deal With It

Have you ever woken up after eight hours of sleep but felt as if you were hit by a bus? You remain tired, irritable, and want to return to bed. Sleep disruption may be a problem.

‘Sleep disruption’ refers to waking late or not sleeping soundly. In other words, you have disturbed sleep even though you had the recommended hours of sleep.

Interestingly, research suggests that the quality of your sleep impacts your overall health and well-being more than the quantity of sleep you get at night¹. Furthermore, while we usually regard insomnia as a condition whereby you do not get enough sleep, sleep disruption is often a symptom of the condition.

But what causes sleep disruption, and how can you deal with it?

Symptoms Associated With Sleep Disruption

Sleep disruption refers to someone constantly waking up at night. You may not even be aware of it happening. It may have many causes and present through various symptoms that seem unrelated.

The main symptoms of sleep disruption include waking up one or more times at night. You may also experience restlessness while you sleep. You may toss and turn.

However, not everyone is aware that they suffer from sleep disruption. Someone with sleep apnea, for example, may not be aware of the condition. Sleep apnea results in lapses in breathing that can interrupt deep sleep.

The most common symptoms of sleep disruption to look out for include the following:

• Feeling sleepy throughout the day
• Difficulty functioning as normal during the day
• Problems with your memory
• Feeling tired even after sleeping for eight hours
• Difficulties focusing or concentrating
• Feeling stressed
• Mood swings
• Aches and pains

Causes of Sleep Disruption

The causes of sleep disruption vary from person to person. Addressing the causes may help you get better-quality sleep.

Stress

Stress may affect not only your ability to fall asleep but also your quality of sleep². It may result from worries about your personal or professional life. You may stress about paying your bills or struggle to deal with a life event like a car accident. You may stress about your job, relationship, or life decisions. And having them wake you up multiple times at night also contributes to sleep disruption.

Compromised Mental Health

If left unchecked, stress may result in mental health issues like anxiety or depression, which increase your risk of interrupted sleep. On the other hand, not getting enough sleep increases your risk of developing mental health issues. There is a cyclical effect.³

Lifestyle Issues

Numerous lifestyle issues could contribute to sleep disruption.

Many people believe that alcohol will help them sleep. Unfortunately, while it may help you to fall asleep, drinking alcohol in the evening does not equate to a great night’s rest. This is because alcohol affects your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. ⁴ Furthermore, it may affect your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and the time you wake up in the morning.

Caffeine is another culprit. While it makes you stay alert, it also keeps you awake. Drinking too much caffeine could also promote waking during sleep and affect your time in light or deep sleep. Energy drinks can have a similar effect due to the stimulants found in them.

Eating at night also plays a role. The later you eat, the more likely you are to disrupt sleep. This is especially true if you eat snacks high in sugar or fat. So, if you need to snack, opt for foods that are easy to digest.

We also tend to spend too much time on our digital devices at night. The blue light from laptops, smartphones, and other digital devices lowers melatonin levels in the brain. We associate higher melatonin levels with our ability to fall asleep and sleep soundly. These devices also give off electromagnetic frequencies that can interfere with brain activity and thus influence sleeping patterns.

Health Issues

Various health disorders can interfere with your quality of sleep. These include, amongst many others:

• Painful conditions like arthritis and other forms of chronic pain due to an injury, for example
• Restless leg syndrome
• Allergies or asthma that interfere with your ability to breathe properly
• ADHD
• Heart issues
• Sleep apnea
• Neurological disorders like headaches, Alzheimer’s disease, and even Parkinson’s disease that causes involuntary body movements
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Bladder issues

Medications

Certain medications may interfere with your sleep. They may either make it difficult to fall asleep or interrupt your sleep. Over-the-counter decongestants are culprits, as well as certain medications commonly used for heart disease, blood pressure issues, Parkinson’s disease, allergies, and ADHD.

Aging

You naturally experience changes in your sleeping patterns as you get older. This is a result of shifts in your circadian rhythm. Older people get tired earlier and wake up earlier as well. And even if you go to bed at your normal time, you may find you wake up earlier. You may also experience more sleep interruptions because you spend more time in the light sleep than in the deep sleep stage.

As they age, women also experience menopause. During this time, their bodies produce less progesterone and estrogen. They may also experience hot flashes. The latter results from a surge in adrenaline, which raises their body temperature. Women may wake up from this if it happens while they sleep. Furthermore, the increased adrenaline also makes it difficult to fall asleep again.

Exercise

Exercise tends to give your body an energy boost. And it helps you stay toned and even lose some weight. However, the energy experienced results from the cortisol release. This hormone supports a state of alertness. Exercising shortly before bedtime could thus make it difficult to fall asleep and get a good night’s rest. So, if you cannot fit your exercise routine into the morning, try to get it done at least three hours before bed. This will allow your cortisol levels to subside.

Your Sleep Environment

Your sleep environment, i.e., your bedroom, may significantly affect sleep disruption. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is your bedroom too warm, bright, or loud?
• Does your partner snore?
• Do you charge your electronic devices in your bedroom?
• Do you sleep with a pet on the bed that moves around at night?
• Is your partner an uneasy sleeper who moves around or hogs the bed?

These factors all play a role in your ability to sleep without interruptions.

Your bedroom should be a calm environment with a comfortable bed and cool temperature. You should also ensure you sleep on a firm mattress. Nobody can sleep well on an old, lumpy mattress. And make sure that your electrical devices stay out of the bedroom. The electromagnetic frequencies associated with them can disturb your sleep.

While you cannot do much about your partner, you could explore sleeping in different beds or bedrooms if sleep disruption affects your health. And as for your pet, give them their comfortable bed and encourage them to stay off yours.

The Afternoon Snooze

If it is no longer than thirty minutes, there is nothing wrong with taking a mid-afternoon power nap. You will wake feeling rested and energized. However, sleeping more than this time may result in a disruptive, unhealthy sleep cycle.

Why Sleep Disruption Matters

Sleep disruption points towards an autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disruption. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) forms part of your Neuroaffect Circuit and plays a significant role in your body’s NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response governed by the HPA axis.

The ANS consists of multiple branches that include the following:

• Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) – helps your body deal with stress.
• Adrenomedullary hormonal system (AHS) – activated when stress becomes severe.
• Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) – helps your body slow down and recuperate from the effects of stress.

During stress, your SNS activates and promotes the release of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. Increased stress levels trigger the AHS to release a more potent neurotransmitter called epinephrine. Once the stress goes away, your PNS helps your body recover from the effects of stress.

Suppose stress escalates or persists over a long period. In that case, the AHS continues with its epinephrine release, which, in turn, burdens your adrenal glands with the task of producing more and more cortisol to fight the effects of stress. You may develop adrenal fatigue. Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is the non-Addison's form of adrenal dysfunction, where the body's stress response cannot keep up with life's chronic stressors. The latter stages of the condition will see a decline in cortisol production due to adrenal burnout.

Persistent stress is associated with various health issues that include panic attacks, anxiety, depression, and even the dysregulation of your biological clock, which could lead to sleep disorders or sleep disruption.

Supplements for Dealing with Sleep Disruption

Dealing with sleep disruption means removing the cause of the problem. This means you should do what is necessary to make your bedroom an inviting space conducive to sleep. You may need to put up heavier curtains to ensure your bedroom is dark, charge your electronic devices in another room, or even suggest you and your partner sleep in different bedrooms if their snoring, tossing, and turning wake you up at night. You could also address your eating habits and bedtime routine.

A further option is to explore the use of supplements that may help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Examples of these include the following.

• Adrenal Sleep – Adrenal Sleep promotes a gentle transition into a soothing sleep mode that leads to restorative sleep. It contains melatonin and 5-HTP, which have a calming effect, as well as GABA, L-Theanine, and Magnesium.
• Adrenal Stay Asleep – The ingredients of Adrenal Stay Asleep promote deep restorative sleep patterns that will help you feel revitalized in the morning. The active ingredients in this formula include magnesium, passionflower, GAPBA, 5-HTP, melatonin, taurine, chromium, vitamin B6, and niacin.

Sleep Disruption: In Closing

While it's a good idea for us all to get a good eight hours of sleep each night so that our bodies can restore themselves, sleep quality counts even more. So, if you wake up after eight hours and feel tired and wired, you may suffer from sleep disruption and not know it. Identifying the possible sleep disruption culprits and doing something about them may help with the situation. You can also go that extra mile and consider taking supplements that help support your circadian rhythm and sleep hormones in doing their job. For more sleep tips and a better lifestyle toolbox, consider Dr. Lam's Nutritional Adrenal Fatigue Recovery Program, which provides extensive education, sleep tools, supplements for healing, gentle exercises, and a 30-day meal plan and recipes to help any adrenal fatigue sufferer understand how to recover.