There are several so-called parameter you can evaluate sleep with especially in the course of polysomnographies. From sleep latency, total sleep duration, course of the sleeping phases (light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep), the percentage of the single sleeping phases up to sleep efficiency get evaluated with brain waves. In addition, body movements, blood pressure, snoring noises, oxygen saturation of the blood and so an are recorded and analyzed. 6.5 to nine hours of sleep is a common sleeping duration of a grown up, for example. You only talk about sleep disturbances, when the disturbance lasts more than a couple of weeks or a month and is accompanied by tiredness during the day, irritability, depression, anxiety states, inattentiveness, or other symptoms.
In 1828 the German family doctor and later on professor for psychiatry Heinroth, Leipzig, wrote: “Normally, the origin of sleeplessness is psychosomatic, but every phase of life may completely contain the reason for that by itself.”
The possible reasons for sleep disturbances constantly changed during time. Prehistoric men had other sleep disturbing factors than modern civilization nowadays. What stayed the same, are the psycho-biologic mechanisms and prerequisites, especially the harmony of mind and soul. This is an important factor to not let sleep disturbances arise at first place.
More and more, the interdisciplinary conviction emerges, that a direct fight of sleep disturbances by chemical-synthetical substances are missing the real cause of the problem. Only when we accept that sleep disturbances often arise due to daily strain of body, mind and soul and due to adverse general conditions we will be able to steer in a different direction.
So, sleep disturbances may be the consequence of stress and disharmony of body and soul. But, not only our sleep is suffering under stress but the whole human being, too. Meaning, our body, our soul and our mind – our entire condition, our relationships, our performance and above all our attitude towards life.
Sleep disturbances are a serious warning sign; the wisdom of our body tells us more or less distinct that something is wrong in our interconnected body-mind-soul grid.
Basically, sleep disturbances can be split into two causes: the inner and outer causes. Therefore, the remedy of sleep disturbances has to take place via both directions, because only than you can expect to have recreational sleep that regenerates body, mind and soul.
Imagesource: @istock
This post is also available in / Diesen Beitrag gibt es auch in: German
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