Sleep Disorders - Dubai Psychiatry Clinic

Sleep is a natural phenomenon required for the proper functioning of the brain. It is an essential biological requirement for human life, along with food, water, and air. The sleep phenomenon comprises many physiological functions of the body. Most people sleep for 20–40% of the day. Contrary to popular belief, sleep is not a passive process and is associated with a high degree of brain activation and metabolism.

A lot of variability is seen in Sleep behaviors and practices. Although it is under neurobiological regulation, it is heavily influenced by various environmental, interpersonal, and societal factors. Failure to sleep adequately or satisfactorily affects our thoughts, emotions, and physical health.

There are some common terms used concerning sleep disorders:

• Parasomnias - abnormal episodic events occurring during sleep; in childhood, these are related to the child's development, while in adulthood they are psychogenic in nature, i.e. sleepwalking, sleep terrors, and nightmares.
• Dyssomnias - psychogenic conditions in which there is an unsatisfactory change in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep due to physical or emotional causes e.g. insomnia, hypersomnia, and disturbance in the sleep-wake cycle.
• Hypersomnia - refers to excessive sleepiness, excessive duration of sleep, and drowsiness with decreased alertness during usual periods of wakefulness. It adversely affects attention, concentration, and memory, and can lead to failure at school, loss of employment, motor vehicle accidents, and industrial disasters.
• Insomnia is a condition of reduced quantity and quality of sleep, with difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, or early-morning awakening with an inability to resume sleep.

Insomnia or reduced sleep is the most common sleeping disorder, seen amongst all age groups of the population. Persistent insomnia can make people feel tense, anxious, worried, or depressed as if their thoughts are racing at bedtime. They frequently keep thinking about getting enough sleep, personal problems, health status, and even suicidal ideas. In the morning, they feel physically and mentally fatigued, while during the day, they feel depressed, worried, irritable, and preoccupied with themselves. It affects their concentration on work and interferes with interpersonal relationships.

Insomnia is frequently co-morbid with mental health disorders. Patients with anxiety disorder worry excessively about multiple events and have difficulty controlling the worry, especially during the night at bedtime. Ninety percent of patients with depression have insomnia. Patients with bipolar disorder, if they break from their sleep-wake routine and stay up very late or all night, may provoke a manic episode

Insomnia Treatment has both Pharmacological and Psychological Components:

• Sleep Hygiene
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
• Medications for Sleep Disorders
• Treatment of underlying psychiatric conditions
• Other therapies based on specific sleep disorders are light therapy, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), or other devices to manage sleep apnea.

If you are experiencing any signs and symptoms of a Sleep Disorders or a crisis in your life, please don't hesitate to contact our best psychiatrist in Dubai at the Dr Rami Hamed Center, Call +97142798200 to Schedule Your Appointment Today. We have the best psychiatry doctor, and our psychiatry clinic is situated in Dubai Healthcare City.