Since her retirement, Aunt Liu has lived a very fulfilling life, dancing square dances, traveling, and living a very smooth life.
However, in recent months, she has found that she always wakes up at three or four in the morning, and she complains to her friend Aunt Wang.
After Aunt Wang heard about it, she thought that waking up at three or four o'clock in the morning might be a distress signal from her body, and suggested that she hurry up to have a check-up.
In this case, many elderly people around Aunt Liu said that they had similar experiences, so what does sleeping always waking up in the early hours of the morning imply?
1. Sleeping always wakes up at three or four o'clock in the morning, what does it imply?
Li Shize, chief physician of the Sleep Disorders Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Zhengzhou Central Hospital affiliated to Zhengzhou University, said: Waking up at three or four o'clock in the morning is intermittent insomnia, and some patients may have the situation that although it is not difficult to fall asleep, the sleep duration is not long, it is easy to wake up, and it is impossible to fall asleep after waking up.
Waking up all the time in the early hours of the morning can be a sign of these diseases!
1. Disharmony between the spleen and stomach
The spleen and stomach are responsible for the digestion and absorption of food in the body, and disharmony in the spleen and stomach may lead to frequent night awakenings and nightmares.
2. Abnormal lung function
Between 3 and 5 a.m. is the time period for lung function to detoxify, and if you always wake up during this time, it may be a sign of abnormal lung function.
3. Depression
Studies have found that most patients with depression also experience symptoms such as insomnia and early awakening, so it is important to pay attention to it.
4. Cranial neurasthenia
People who are coerced by multiple stresses may have a cerebral neurasthenia for a long time, and their sleep quality will be affected, so they often wake up at three or four o'clock in the morning.
In addition, waking up in the early hours of the morning can also be caused by diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and drinking too many refreshing drinks.
2. What is the reason for waking up with leg cramps and pain when sleeping?
In addition to waking up in the early hours of the morning, waking up with leg cramps in the middle of the night also affects sleep.
Obviously, as soon as I had sleepiness, I was suddenly woken up by the cramping pain in my calf, and I had no choice but to bear it, so what was the reason for the leg cramp symptoms when I was sleeping?
After the muscles are stimulated, the nervous system that originally controlled the muscles becomes excited, and it may send instructions that cannot make the muscles relax, and the blood vessels and nerves between the muscles continue to be compressed, which may cause severe muscle pain symptoms.
Many people think that leg cramps are caused by calcium deficiency, but in fact, leg cramps are caused by a variety of reasons when sleeping at night!
1. Excessive fatigue
In the process of climbing mountains, climbing and other high sports, the calves are easily overtired, and once the fatigue reaches a certain level, cramps may occur.
2. Wrong sleeping position
Sleeping on your back or stomach for long periods of time may also cause your calf muscles to relax for a long time, triggering passive contractures.
3. Sleep in the cold
If you don't cover yourself with a quilt when you sleep, your calf muscles are stimulated by the cold, which can also cause calf cramps and cramps.
4. Calcium deficiency
Calcium is important during muscle contraction, and once calcium deficiency causes the concentration of calcium in the blood to be too low, it can lead to muscle excitation and spasm, which can lead to leg cramps.
5. Abnormal metabolism
If you exercise for too long and too much, it will lead to electrolyte imbalance in the body, the accumulation of metabolic waste, and the risk of leg cramps.
6. Muscles continue to contract too quickly
During strenuous exercise, the human body is in a state of tension, and the leg muscles contract too quickly, which will lead to an increase in the local metabolite lactate, and the muscle relaxation and contraction are difficult to coordinate, resulting in calf muscle spasms.
3. Poor sleep is harmful, do a good night's sleep at five o'clock!
The "2023 White Paper on Healthy Sleep in China in the New Era of Healthy Sleep" released by the Chinese Sleep Research Association pointed out that inability to sleep, easy to wake up, and difficulty falling asleep after waking up are common sleep problems among the elderly.
The elderly often do not sleep well, which will affect their mental state, and may also lead to decreased immunity, be troubled by emotional problems such as depression and anxiety, and even affect the treatment of diseases.
Zhou Lina, Department of Mental Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, reminded that to improve the sleep quality of the elderly, we should start from the following points!
1. Change your sleep habits
Some older people have unhealthy habits such as drinking tea before bedtime, drinking alcohol, and going to bed too early, which may affect sleep and lead to frequent waking up at night.
2. Relaxation therapy
For the elderly with good physical fitness, it is recommended to do more relaxation treatments such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation to improve sleep quality.
3. Improve the sleeping environment
A good sleeping environment helps to improve the sleeping situation of the elderly, and it is recommended to ensure that the indoor temperature is appropriate, the lighting is soft and dim, and the environment is quiet when sleeping.
4. Give psychological care
Giving more psychological care to the elderly can relieve the mental pressure of the elderly, make them feel better, and improve their sleep quality.
5. Drug intervention if necessary
Patients with severe sleep disturbances can be treated with medication as prescribed if necessary, and should be concerned about adverse reactions.
Always waking up at three or four o'clock in the morning, it may be caused by various diseases such as spleen and stomach disharmony, abnormal lung function, cerebral neurasthenia, depression, etc.
For sleep disturbances caused by diseases, it is necessary to receive timely treatment and pay more attention to the improvement of sleep quality in life.
Resources:
[1] "Sudden calf cramp in the middle of the night, don't think it's just a lack of calcium", Xinhua News Agency.2017-06-11
[2] "Calf cramps when sleeping, is it calcium deficiency or illness?", Tencent Medical Codex.2021-03-29
[3] "How to Sleep Well for the Elderly?|National "Respect for the Elderly".Healthy China.2023-10-27
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