Well-balance life with MNI – Pain and sleep

Sleep is essential to maintain physical health, emotional well-being, and cognitive performance. At night, during the sleep-cycle the body undergoes a renewal process, it “repairs and regrows tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system.” And of the most pronounced physiological changes that happens in the body during sleep, occurs in the brain. Thereby optimally maintaining the function of neurons which ultimately regulate mood, memory, and cognitive function.

Read more: Sleeping patterns 

Unfortunately, research shows that we get far less sleep than we need.

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.

A sleep disorder prevents you from getting quality sleep, despite the opportunity for it, with the result that you still feel tired when you wake up.

There are different types of insomnia: 

Transient insomnia lasts for less than a week and is caused by unusual events like noise, jetlag, or relationship issues.

At some point, many adults experience short-term or acute insomnia, which lasts for days or weeks. It is usually the result of stress or a traumatic event. 

A person suffers from chronic insomnia when you struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep for at least three nights a week for three months or longer. Here, insomnia may be the primary problem, or it may be associated with other medical conditions or medications. 

For most people, a short period of insomnia is not a major cause for concern. Your eyes may look red and puffy, you may feel moody, drink more coffee and crave junk food,

It also makes you more irritable and anxious. You may struggle to focus and concentrate on your daily activities and a lack of sleep increases your experience of stress. It takes time to recover, just 1 hour of sleep loss requires 4 days to recover.

Frequent or prolonged sleep deprivation can cause serious health issues, a lack of sleep can lead to poor cognitive function, moodiness, and stress. It may cause hormonal imbalances, reduced immune function, increased inflammation, and pain sensitivity.

Read more: About the immune system

Read more: About inflammation

There is a strong connection between a lack of sleep, mood, and pain. 

Poor sleep leaves you emotionally depleted and may result in negative moods like anger, frustration, and irritability, which further increases your stress level and preventing you from sleeping at night. And this may increase the risk of developing a mood disorder such as anxiety or depression, which in turn can further cause sleep problems, as sleeplessness is often a symptom of mood disorders. 

Research proved that sleep deprivation increases pain sensitivity. In other words, a lack of sleep can lead to pain. People who do not have pain and repeatedly have disrupted sleep will start to perceive themselves as suffering from pain. And for people who already suffer from pain, sleep deprivation acts as an amplification factor to increase their perception of pain.

Sleep deprivation also has metabolic effects, impacting hormones that control your eating behavior, so that you crave high-dense carbohydrates.  This affects blood sugar regulation, and causes weight gain and insulin resistance which may over time progress to T2D and Metabolic Syndrome.

Read more: About Type 2 diabetes

Sleep disturbances may independently lead to the clinical components and associated conditions of the metabolic syndrome. This includes central obesity, glucose intolerance, abnormal cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, and Insulin Resistance.

Read more: About central obesity

Read more: About blood pressure

The converse may also be true, that metabolic abnormalities associated with the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance may potentially exacerbate sleep disorders. 

Changes in sleep patterns are not uncommon, and something we all experience through different phases of life.

1.    Teenagers

Sleep is essential for people of any age. But the brain and body of a teenager undergo significant development, and for this, quality sleep is essential. Teenagers need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night to maintain their physical health, emotional well-being, and school performance. Unfortunately, research suggests that teens get far less sleep than they need. This is attributed to teenagers' internal clock which makes them go to bed later, but due to a school alarm clock and daily requirements, they cannot get up later.

Sleep patterns for adulthood are established during your teens, so supporting teens with their sleep cycle is a unique opportunity for health and wellness and may even prevent possible future health issues.

2.    Older Age

 Insomnia also becomes more common with age. With age, your internal clock changes again, so you get tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning.

But there are also many other factors that play a role.

Your sleep becomes lighter, so noise or changes in your environment are more likely to wake you up. Because you are less active, it affects your night's rest and with a less busy program, you may enjoy an afternoon nap that deprives you of a good night's rest.

Changes in your health, from chronic pain conditions to mood disorders, and bladder control can disrupt your sleep. Sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome become more common with age and you may also use more prescription medications that may be associated with insomnia.

Despite all these challenges, your body still needs 6-8 hours of quality sleep. 

3.    Insomnia is more common in women

The female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are involved in a variety of processes that regulate sleep. A fluctuation in hormonal balance, such as during menstruation, pregnancy and perimenopause can cause insomnia.

Stress and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, can also further increase the risk of insomnia in women. 

To improve your sleeping pattern, practicing good sleep hygiene is important.

Create a quiet bedroom without the use of Electronic devices at least a half-hour before bed. Manage your time and workload, this will help to reduce stress, and budget for at least 8 hours of sleep.  It is also important to Identify and address underlying conditions that can cause sleep problems, like anxiety and depression. ADHD can make it harder for you to sleep well.  

There are many challenges to getting consistent, restorative sleep, and you have to help your body further by choosing a well-researched, scientifically supported product.

SleepVance from the Medical Nutritional Institute contains a proprietary blend of ingredients and nutrients formulated to target different pathways involved in sleep quality and quantity, including optimizing hormones, neurotransmitters, and nutrients involved in regulating the sleep cycle.

What can SleepVance assist with? 

●     aids with the promotion of healthy sleep patterns

●     increases sleep quality

●     combats the daytime effects of sleep deprivation

●     It can be combined with any insomnia medication to improve sleep patterns 

SleepVance and SleepVance kids are available without a prescription from any pharmacy or buy online at www.mnilifestyle.co.za 

Take your SleepVance or SleepVance Kids for children ages 8-18, 2 hours before bedtime with a snack for effective absorption.

Visit www.mnilifestyle.co.za and use MNI sleep assessment to help optimise healthy sleeping patterns.

The MNI Product Specialists are available for your support, you can contact them directly at [email protected]