Actually the question: “How do you sleep” should be part of any medical or naturapathical diagnosis. Unfortunately it is missing too often. And once the topic actually is coming up representatives of classical medicine prescribe allopathic medications only available on prescription for eventually existing sleep disturbances too fast. At best, these medications only are able to alleviate the symptoms but are certainly not in the position to eliminate the cause. Naturopathy, alternative and energy medicine go in other directions -– with increasing success they are following a path of naturally based remedies.
Of course, the journey from own perception and description of sleeping problems to final acknowledgement and treatment through sleep medicine might be very long –- this also is shown in the example of the obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Nowadays, this is one of the most frequent sleep-related respiratory dysfunction that may lead to numerous sequelae like high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus. Astonishingly, this dysfunction first was not described by a clinical doctor. In fact it was Charles Dickens who described in his novel “The Pickwick Papers” a character named “Little Joe”– suffering under overweight and obesity. Dickens described the sleep-apnoea-syndrome with corresponding daytime sleepiness. It is worth mentioning that after the observations of Dickens on Joe in the Pickwick-Club it took more than 100 years until the sleep-apnoea finally got medical recognition by Prof. Charles Sidney Burwell of the Harvard Medical School –- first under the name “Pickwick-syndrome”. By the way, even today concerned people often don’t recognize sleep apnoea for a long time and don’t get treated, much to the disadvantage of their health.
Checklist of symptoms of a disturbed sleep
• Tiredness, sleepiness or exhaustion during the day
• Waking up in the morning without feeling recreated
• Need for a nap during the day
• Feelings of disorientation, confusion or “drunkenness” when waking up in the morning
• Falling asleep takes longer than 20 to 30 minutes
• Repeatedly waking up during the night
• Loud or excessive snoring during sleeping
• Waking up in the night due to respiratory problems
• Tossing and turning during sleep, restless sleeping phases
• Teeth grinding or tension of jaws during sleep
• Difficulties to fall asleep after waking up during the night
• Driving or working fatigue
• Waking up extremely early without being able to fall asleep again
• Scaring night mares
• Grown-up bed-wetters
• Sleepwalking
• Attention deficit during the day
• Irritability, anxious states or depressions during the day
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