Sleeplessness. Treatment in Dubai

Sleeplessness. Treatment in Dubai. Introduction.

Wasn’t it once the case that you lay down every evening, closed your eyes, and sank away, for hours? Wasn’t sleeping once quite simple? What happened?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH Publication No. 11-5271), the most common sleep disorder is insomnia. “Chronic insomnia is defined as having symptoms at least 3 nights per week for more than 1 month,” says the NIH. Most cases of chronic insomnia are secondary, which means they are due to another disorder or medications.

In this article we describe different sleep disorders, their root causes and therapy options. Our psychiatric clinic in Dubai offers assessment and treatment for sleeplessness with psychiatric origin.

Sleeplessness in Dubai. The “24-hour Society”

Modern life is an overtired life. In the big megacities around the globe likewise in Dubai in average one out of three people experience problems staying asleep. One in five says they always sleep “pretty poorly”. The problem lies in the life style called “24-hour society.”

Sleep is a natural process, vital for body and mind, it happens on its own. Normally. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always go smoothly for every third adult. People whose sleep is delicate, like others’ stomachs or heads. It is plausible that the number of individuals with sleep-disorders increases as many of the causes contributing to the sleeplessness have also increased.

For example, the dense sensory overload to which most people are now exposed. The artificial light now emanates not only from lamps but also from screens of all sizes. It is the “24-hour society” in which you can stream movies, book flights, and discuss in internet forums at any time.

Sleep Deficit and Its Impact

According to research done at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine the vast many people do not get the sleep they require. In our hectic world many individuals are developing a sleep deficit. The average hours of healthy sleep per night are between 7 and 9 hours. Most people feel their best when they get 8 hours of sleep.

Over time being short on sleep causes psychological and physical deficits. The psychological impairments include fatigue, lack of focus, and reduced ability to make proper decisions. In long run stress combined with sleeplessness causes burn out, depression and anxiety.

Not getting enough sleep increases the risk of car accidents, impacts work performance, and affects one’s mood and relationships. Lack of sleep impacts the body as well. Sleeplessness triggers the realise of “fight and flight” hormones such as adrenaline and corticosteroids. Being for years in such “overdrive” is the rout cause of civilization diseases like hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, heart attacks, stokes, and more.

Types of Sleeplessness (Sleep Disorders)

If despite practicing good sleep hygiene there are difficulties falling, or staying asleep, there could be an underlying sleep disorder. Another sign of a sleep disorder is tiredness during the day despite enough sleep time. Many people have a few sleepless nights here and there due to circumstantial life challenges, such as stress, excitement, or trauma. This is a quite different experience from people who suffer from a sleep disorder.

The following is a list of sleep disorders with different origins:

Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep. Sleeplessness called also inomnia is a symptom with different root causes such as psychiatric, neurological, or physical, we discussed more profund in the below sections.

Sleep Apnea: Disrupted breathing during sleep

Snoring combined with sleeplessness can indicate a condition known as sleep apnoea. Nocturnal breathing disorders affect 2 to 5% of the population, with snoring being a common indicator. Individuals who snore often experience breathing interruptions during sleep, known as apneas, leading to decreased blood oxygen levels. The most prevalent type, obstructive sleep apnea, involves airway collapse due to muscle relaxation and anatomical factors. These interruptions disrupt sleep continuity and trigger stress responses, increasing the risk of vascular and metabolic diseases. Despite the frequent occurrence of these interruptions, many affected individuals remain unaware of their sleep disturbances, experiencing only heightened daytime fatigue.

Restless Legs Syndrome: Prickly tingly feeling in legs.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder: Muscle twitches or kicking of the legs.

Narcolepsy: Sudden onset of sleep during the day.

Common Causes of Sleeplessness and treatment Approaches in Dubai

Sleeplessness is frequently not a disorder on its own but secondary symptom of psychiatric, neurological or physical illness. Depending on the underlying root cause, treatment for insomnia should focus on the psychiatric, physical, or neurological disorder causing the symptoms of sleeplessness.

Insomnia Caused by Psychological Factors

There are long-standing sleep disturbances that are not attributable to a physical illness. Sometimes unfavourable work circumstances, such as shift work or persistent nocturnal noise are the root cause. Work and personal worries often cause temporary sleep disturbances, resolving once the stressor diminishes. However, if private and professional stressors persist or sleep disturbances endure, seeking evaluation and treatment is advisable.

The sleep environment significantly influences sleep quality, with factors such as noise, light conditions, and room temperature playing crucial roles. Certain behaviours, like irregular sleep schedules, shift work, and consuming large meals before bedtime, can also adversely affect sleep

Psychiatric Causes of Sleeplessness

Psychiatric disorders often accompany more than half of all sleep disturbances. Severe forms of these disorders commonly entail difficulties in falling and staying asleep or feeling unrefreshed during the day.

Sleeplessness in Depression

Patients with depression, for instance, frequently experience early morning awakenings, complicating their ability to return to sleep. Therapy of insomnia in depression focuses on treatment of depression, for examples with antidepressants. In the middle term even using an antidepressant in the morning with regulate the sleep.

Sleeplessness in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood swings between two extrems, mania and depression. In bipolar disorder sleeplessness is one of the leading symptoms of mania; it is also associated with bipolar depression.

Sleeplessness and Anxiety

Anxiety disorders significantly disrupt falling asleep, while dementia patients may undergo substantial shifts in sleep patterns, sometimes sleeping excessively during the day and remaining awake at night. A successful treatment of anxiety will remove sleeplessness as one of the symptoms. In short term anti-anxiety medication like benzodiazepines can be used; in middle term the use of antidepressants as a mono-therapy is sufficient.

Sleeplessness and Substance Abuse

Substance abuse, notably alcohol and drug dependency, can lead to various sleep disturbances, with severe sleep disruptions often persisting even after discontinuation of the triggering substances.

Sleeplessness Caused by Physical Illnesses

They are various physical illnesses associated with chronic insomnia:

• Severe dysfunction of the liver and kidneys,
• Circulatory disorders of the brain,
• Hormonal disorders, i.e. thyroid dysfunction,
• Chronic inflammatory processes like rheumatoid arthritis
• Asthma,
• Chronic pain,
• Cancer
• Various prescribed and over-the-counter medications
• Alcohol

Neurological Causes of Sleeplessness

Some of the above-mentioned sleep disorders have neurological origin:

-Conditions affecting the brainstem, like idiopathic hypersomnia or narcolepsy, can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.

-Nighttime movement disorders, such as restless legs syndrome, interfere with falling asleep and disrupt sleep continuity. Other nocturnal movement disorders, including sleepwalking, can also affect sleep.

-Neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, narcolepsy, and stroke.

Examining Sleep Quality

Insomnia can occur temporarily, for example, in acute conflict situations within the family, or it can persist chronically over months. Short-term sleep disturbances due to psychological stress, such as exam situations or family conflicts, are normal and usually do not require medical treatment.

Chronic sleep disturbances, however, are a serious health problem. Their frequency and impact on daily life (such as daytime fatigue, increased risk of accidents, depression) are underestimated. In recent years, the possibilities for diagnosis and therapy have significantly improved. Sleep medicine deals with sleep, the natural physiological changes of the body during sleep, and with disorders affecting the natural restorative function of sleep.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Sleeplessness in Dubai

Psychiatrists (medical doctor with a mental health specialization) and psychologists (trained in psychotherapy techniques) can diagnose and treat sleep disorders. Sleep disorders often require and interdisciplinary approach. In this case, neurologist, pulmonologist, ENT, and other specialists will work together to diagnose and treat a sleep disorder.

At our psychiatric clinic in Dubai, we can assess and treat your insomnia. Our professional team will be able to address the mental health aspect of your sleep and determine if depression or anxiety play a role. In such a case, as available treatment options are medication and psychotherapy/counselling. In case your insomnia doesn’t have a psychological background, our psychiatrist or psychologists will refer you to other specialists.

Assessing Sleeplessness in Sleep Laboratories

Ambulatory sleep medicine diagnostics involve assessing sleep quality by recording breathing, blood oxygen saturation, pulse, and other parameters overnight. This examination can be done on an outpatient basis, meaning at your home and in your familiar environment. If there are specific questions or indications of disorders, further diagnostics in a stationary sleep laboratory may be necessary.

Treatment of Sleeplessness at CHMC in Dubai

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in Treatment of Sleeplessness

The prvoven psychotherapy method for treating chronic insomnia is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with its benefits lasting long after therapy concludes. Therefore, experts often recommend CBT as the initial treatment for adults.

CBT can be delivered in person, or online, and consists of various components. Patients learn relaxation techniques and receive guidance on improving sleep habits. Additionally, they learn strategies to break negative thought patterns.

Treatment of Sleeplessness with Medication

If CBT is ineffective or not feasible, your doctor may prescribe medication. However, these medications can have side effects. For instance, benzodiazepines or benzodiazepine-like drugs can lead to dependency. Sedating antidepressants may also be considered for insomnia. According to experts, while benzodiazepine-like drugs or antidepressants may improve sleep, they should only be used short-term due to limited data and potential side effects.

The efficacy of herbal remedies such as valerian, passionflower, lemon balm, or hops in treating insomnia is not well-established, and therefore, experts do not recommend them.

Other Treatment Approaches of Sleeplessness in Dubai

Other treatment options include mindfulness, acupuncture, aromatherapy, exercise, homeopathy, light therapy, massage, meditation, music therapy, or yoga. However, their effectiveness has not been sufficiently supported by studies.

What Can I Do Myself to Get a Better Sleep

1. Create a sleep schedule by going to bed and rising at the same time each day (including the weekend).
2. Take care to have a bedroom that is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.
3. Assure your bed and is very comfortable and that it is only used for sleep and intimacy. (Leave your gadgets and TV in the common living space.)
4. Agree on a time during the day to discuss and resolve issues.
5. Avoid eating heavy meals too late in the day.
6. Nap carefully. Napping in the afternoon for more than 60 minutes can disrupt night-time sleep.
7. Exercise as often as possible, but not too close to bedtime.
8. Avoid drinking alcohol, as it interferes with getting good quality sleep.
9. If you consume caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, energy drinks etc.) keep in mind that caffeine can remain in your body up to 14 h.
10. Use the last hour of your waking time relaxing in a dimly lit space.
11. Don’t use alcoholic drinks as a “sleep aid”.

Sleeplessness. Treatment in Dubai. Summary

Sleep disorders are among the most common health problems affecting one-third of the adult population in Western countries.

Sleep disorders occur when individuals experience insufficient or non-restorative sleep for various reasons. The majority of those affected have difficulty falling asleep (sleep onset insomnia), staying asleep (sleep maintenance insomnia), or both. The clinical picture of insomnia also includes symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness or sleepiness (hypersomnia) as well as sleepwalking or talking in sleep (parasomnia).

Primary insomnia, characterized by severe sleep disturbances with physical or psychiatric root causes requires treatment. Our clinic offers diagnostics and treatment of the sleep disorders caused by psychiatric conditions, which account for up to 50% of sleep disturbances.