Sleep disturbances

What are sleep disturbances?

Sleep disturbances encompass a wide range of issues that can disrupt the quality or quantity of sleep. Some common types of sleep disturbances include:

• Insomnia - Difficulty falling or staying asleep. This can occur occasionally or chronically.


• Sleep apnea - Brief pauses in breathing during sleep, leading to reduced oxygen levels. This can cause loud snoring, restlessness, and daytime sleepiness.


• Restless leg syndrome - Uncomfortable sensations in the legs accompanied by an irresistible urge to move them. This typically occurs when lying down and during the evening hours.


• Circadian rhythm disorders - Problems with the internal body clock being out of sync with external cues about day/night cycles. This includes issues like jet lag, shift work disorder, and delayed sleep phase disorder.

Sleep disturbances can have major impacts on health and quality of life. People with disordered sleep may feel excessively sleepy or fatigued during the day. They also face higher risks for chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even early mortality.

If you struggle with poor sleep, I recommend getting checked out by the sleep health experts at Hormone Harmony Clinic. Their team takes a comprehensive, whole-body approach to identify potential underlying causes. Instead of just prescribing sleep medication, they look at hormone imbalances, nutrition, mental health, and sleep hygiene. This allows them to create fully customized treatment plans that set their patients up for long-term sleep success!

What causes sleep disturbances?

There are many potential culprits behind disrupted sleep, including:

• Stress - Both acute and chronic stress can impair sleep quality.


• Poor sleep habits - Like inconsistent bedtimes, exposure to blue light from screens before bed, uncomfortable sleep environment, etc.


• Health conditions - Sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, chronic pain, gastroesophageal reflux disease, overactive bladder, and more.


• Medications - Many prescription and over-the-counter meds have sleep disruption as a side effect.


• Hormonal changes - Shifts in cortisol, melatonin, estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones can throw off sleep.


• Food and drinks - Caffeine, alcohol, spicy meals, and heavy late-night snacks can all impact sleep.

As you can see, there are so many potential reasons for sleep problems! That's why the whole-body approach at Hormone Harmony Clinic is so powerful. Their doctors dig deep to find the roots of your sleep issues, setting you up for lasting improvements.

I hope this overview on sleep disturbances has been helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions. Wishing you restful nights ahead.