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Sleep disorders: Carenity members share their experience!

Published 19 Mar 2021 • By Candice Salomé

It is not uncommon to feel tired or sleep-deprived after a night of non-restorative sleep. This feeling can be temporary or can become chronic. In the UK, it is thought up to one third of the general population may suffer from a sleep disorder.

But what are the different types of sleep troubles? What causes them? What can we do to sleep better?

To answer these questions, we surveyed Carenity members in France and in the United States. 568 members responded to our survey!

Discover the results below!

Sleep disorders: Carenity members share their experience!

We spend almost a third of our lives sleeping. Sleep is crucial for many biological functions: memory and learning, metabolism, immunity, and more! However, sleep disorders affect a significant proportion of the population and this figure is on the rise. 

568 members responded to our survey in France and in the United States

We conducted a survey from March 2 to 15, 2021 in which 568 Carenity members in France and the United States participated. We asked them questions about the quality of their sleep.

The majority of respondents were aged between 46 and 55 years old (31%) or over 55 years old (42%).

The majority of respondents (88%) are affected by a chronic illness:

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Many Carenity members have trouble sleeping on a regular basis

87% of the Carenity members surveyed struggle with a sleep disorder.

In France and the United States, 56% have trouble sleeping every night and 35% have trouble several times a week.

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Members cited the following causes of their sleep issues:

editor_meta_bo_img_adb0f35cdf516c36a99964a254770601.png Their stress (56%)

editor_meta_bo_img_df3e047d7a2787eead19364a8dbb0fad.png Their chronic illness (46%)

editor_meta_bo_img_7babe0d1a7ea779568f8df2afdd1d11f.png Their medication (16%)

Lack of sleep can have significant consequence on a person's daily life. Here's what some Carenity members had to say about it:

"During the day I feel tired, I have trouble performing complex mental tasks, my morale is low and I feel impatient and irritable".

"I fall asleep at the wheel, I have trouble concentrating and have memory issues".

"I am awaiting diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis or/and fibromyalgia... The fatigue is hard to manage in the day-to-day and causes me to lose focus. I'm less alert and experience memory loss".

"I have two or three nights a week where I sleep relatively well, but only because the accumulated fatigue throughout the week eventually makes me fall asleep".

"I constantly feel tired and can't focus. I feel sad, I procrastinate, I have a hard time accomplishing simple daily tasks or even leaving my house. I'm constantly irritable and have mood swings".

To sleep better, 31% of respondents take sleeping pills or sedatives, while 18% use natural remedies and 17% use dietary supplements like melatonin. However, the majority of those surveyed (32%) do nothing to fight their sleep troubles.

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For the members who answered that they use "Other" methods, they mentioned using:

  • Anti-anxiety drugs,
  • Mood stabilisers, 
  • Antihistamines,
  • Cannabis,
  • Self-hypnosis,
  • Sophrology,
  • Meditation,
  • Reflexology,
  • Self-massage of painful areas,
  • Reading,
  • Listening to relaxing or Zen music.

What advice do experts give to help us to fall asleep easier?

Reduce blue light exposure in the evening

The blue light produced by phone screens, computers, televisions and tablets hinders the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone). Thus, exposure to blue light between 9pm and 11pm can shorten one's night and cause poor quality sleep.

To solve this, try to stop watching TV and turn off any bright lights and screens 2 hours before heading to bed

Take a warm bath before bed

The Sleep Medicine Review journal reveals that people who are used to taking a warm bath 1.5 hours before going to bed fall asleep more quickly.

Every evening, our body temperature must drop to release melatonin, the hormone that triggers sleep. The 1.5 hours before bedtime is important to follow, because it is not the hot water that helps people fall asleep, but the drop in body temperature that occurs upon leaving the bath.

Sleep on clean bedding

Our bedsheets absorb body secretions and retain dead skin cells, which are highly prized by dust mites. Dust mites can cause allergies that interrupt sleep, so make sure to change your sheets once a week.

Take care of your diet

Certain foods can help us to fall asleep more quickly. This is the case with fibre-rich foods such as lentils, brown rice, wholegrain cereals, peas and fruit and vegetables.

Exercise

Regular physical activity (2 to 3 sessions per week) can improve your sleep quality. However, the results are only significant after 8 weeks, so you may need to be patient.

Carenity members' tips for better nights 

We asked our survey participants to share their advice for getting better sleep, here's is what they advise:

"I put lavender essential oil on my pillow and Marjoram essential oil around my wrists. The sophrologist who comes over from time to time gives me a little Bach flower cocktail for more regular sleep, fewer nightmares and negative thoughts".

"To all the people suffering from sleep disorders, I recommend plants: chamomile, lime or valerian... It's not miraculous but it helps! If you nap, don't nap for more than 30 minutes, otherwise your night will be disrupted, even more so if you're not very active".

"I need a lot of sleep and this is what helps me: I meditate at the end of the day using videos on YouTube. There huge selection of videos, right now I'm following mindfulness meditation videos. Maybe start with a short meditation for those who are just starting out... It's very calming!".

"To get better sleep, I bought an ergonomic pillow, which really take a lot of pressure off of my neck".


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Share your thoughts and questions with the community in the comments below!
Take care!


Sources:


avatar Candice Salomé

Author: Candice Salomé, Health Writer

Candice is a content creator at Carenity and specialises in writing health articles. She has a particular interest in the fields of women's health, well-being and sport. 

Candice holds a master's degree in... >> Learn more

9 comments


Mandy59
on 19/03/2021

I have tried warm baths, milky drinks, sleep apps, aromatherapy oils & audio books designed to assist in getting to sleep. Sadly l haven’t had much luck with any of those things. My lack of / poor quality of sleep is due to chronic pain from my rheumatoid arthritis. When l mentioned it at a hospital appointment l was prescribed amitryptyline in increasing doses over the 3 months & it had no affect on either my pain or my ability to sleep through the night.  I was told not to take herbal supplements to aid sleep as they wouldn’t be safe with the prescribed drugs l am on. So l am at a loss. Will admit to taking a catnap in the day if l can no longer stay awake but never longer than 30 minutes so l do not jeopardise my nights potential sleep.


wednesday
on 19/03/2021

I have tried many ways to get better sleep. Due to back pain I was prescribed Amitriptylene but after many years on it I find it doesn't work as well. I try a bath and a pillow spray but to no avail. I have never been a good sleeper since having children. I am a worrier and do lay awake pondering things. Every now and then I will have what I call a decent night, four hours without waking, but most nights I can wake every hour. I find it very wearing but haven't found a solution yet.


Goldengloss
on 19/03/2021

I have not been a good sleeper since I was approx. 27yrs I am now coming up to 70th Birthday in July. I have been on sleeping tablets for 20yrs which I was assured were not habit forming.  However, they are extremely addictive and I am

now weaning off them slowly. Zopiclone and all the Zs are extremely addictive. Add to that the fact I am on Lexapro for over 12 years and anti depressants for about 40 plus years and    it is a sleep wake sleep wake situation with early waking. 

I feel so envious of those who get a good nights sleep. Meditation, breathing, I have done it all. 


Dingle
on 19/03/2021

I remember struggling at work after lunch but not having the opportunity to nap despite knowing that 5 or 10 minutes undisturbed sleep your see me through the remainder of the day. The experience taught me that I should regularly put my feet up for 10 minutes or so after lunch. I am 81 now and almost every day enjoy the luxury of a short nap in the afternoon. I usually drop off to sleep straight away when I go to bed at night despite an awful lot of arthritis pain. I often wake in the early hours and remain awake for anything between 30 and 90 minutes.  It doesn’t worry me because I am retired and I know that I will enjoy a nap in the afternoon. My solution to a bout of sleeplessness at night is to take a short nap in the afternoon. Works wonders. 


avatar
Unregistered member
on 20/03/2021

 For all of my adult life it has been the same every night. I have no trouble going to sleep, it’s staying asleep where I have a major problem. It doesn’t matter what time I go to bed be it 22-00 or 23-00 or 02-30 am. I wake up two hours later give or take 10 minutes every night. I wear a C.P.A.P. mask at night to keep me breathing. Without it I probably wouldn’t be writing this? I then ‘doze’ and awake every 30 to 40 minutes for 20 minutes or so. That’s how I spend my night’s sleeping. As soon as its 7-30 to 8 am, that’s it I am fully awake and the day starts, I get up and shower etc have breakfast and then around 11 am I have a coffee, lunch around 1 pm then sit down to let lunch go down and yes, you’ve guessed I drop off to sleep for anything up to an hour. Then spend the remainder of the day doing this and that, dinner at 6 pm, coffee at 20-30 pm, hot chocolate and a couple of biscuits. Then it’s up to the office and spend up to 3 hours on the computer Researching for Carenity, visit e-bay, read the up-to-date news, then when I go to bed the cycle starts again. I have tried all sorts to get a good night’s sleep, but to no avail.

Oh! It'll soon be bedtime?

Take Care  but most of all STAY SAFE.

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