[Vinmec - Q&A with experts] Number 01: The topic of insomnia (Part 1)

Insomnia is a complex symptom, including difficulty sleeping or maintaining sleep for a long time, directly affecting the health and spirit of the patient, and at the same time, insomnia is also a warning sign. Report many dangerous diseases such as depression, weight gain, chronic pain... To better understand your sleep, Vinmec answers questions related to insomnia and measures to deal with it from an expert perspective.

Questions consulted by Doctor CKII Pham Thi Son - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital

1. Friend Ta Tuyet Mai (Students of Hanoi National University): Hi Doctor, I'm 20 years old, a 3rd year student, currently my main job is studying and having a part-time job. Work and study take up most of the time, but I still balance the time to rest and get enough sleep. However, recently, you have appeared symptoms such as fatigue, stress, dozing during the day, can't concentrate but at night, you are very awake, can play the phone continuously without eye fatigue? Doctor, can you tell me if I have insomnia? And when is it called insomnia? Thank you doctor.

Doctor CKII Pham Thi Son: Hello! Insomnia is a complex symptom, including difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep for a long time. Called insomnia when:
Difficulty sleeping at night. Wake up at night. Waking up too early. Didn't feel relaxed after a night of sleep. Daytime fatigue or drowsiness. Irritability, depression or anxiety. Difficulty paying attention, concentrating on tasks, or remembering. Insomnia is generally divided into three categories:
Transient Insomnia - occurs when symptoms last up to three nights, it is usually the result of stress or an anxiety-provoking event. Acute insomnia - also known as short-term insomnia. Symptoms persist for several weeks. Chronic insomnia - this type that lasts for months, and sometimes years, is often associated with chronic medical conditions: chronic pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, sleep apnea, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease , hyperthyroidism, arthritis... To know exactly your medical condition, you should go to a hospital, a reputable medical facility to be diagnosed by a specialist as well as given an appropriate treatment course.

2. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (Yen Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi): Hello doctor, I'm 35 years old this year an office worker. In recent years, I often lose sleep despite trying to improve by exercising, changing my diet. So is my insomnia a disease and does it need treatment? Thank you doctor!
Dr. CKII Pham Thi Son: Insomnia or sleeping dificulties is a disease that affects many people's lives. Difficulty falling asleep can take many forms, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up early in the morning and not being able to go back to sleep, or waking up many times during sleep, each time longer than 30 minutes. Women suffer from insomnia more than men, especially near menopause. The cause is probably related diseases rather than hormone deficiency. The older you get, the higher your risk of insomnia. Insomnia can be classified as follows:
Insomnia is related to mental illness. Acute insomnia is short-term insomnia and often occurs because of life circumstances. Chronic insomnia is when you lose sleep at least three nights per week and last for at least three months. In your case, if you have applied non-drug methods to improve sleep without success, you should see a neurologist or psychiatrist for advice.

3. Mr. Tran Xuan Duc (37 years old - Ly Nhan, Ha Nam): Hello doctor, due to the nature of my work, I usually sleep very little for the past 2 weeks, many days I can only sleep 5-6 hours. Although I slept little and did not increase my diet, I still gained 2 kg. My friends told me that I gained weight due to insomnia. Is this true, ask a doctor for help. Why does insomnia cause weight gain?
Doctor CKII Pham Thi Son: Hi, through your description, the cause of your insomnia and weight gain can be summarized as follows: Not sleeping enough, the body needs a lot of energy to function, so eat a lot. Moreover, while the metabolism is less efficient, it is easy to store excess fat.
Sleep disturbances will increase the amount of Ghrelin and Leptin hormones that stimulate appetite, increase fat production and increase weight. So maybe you only sleep about five hours a night and when you start sleeping again for seven or eight hours, you will see weight loss and improved health.

4. Friend Nguyen Minh Ngoc (26 years old, Minh Khai, Hanoi): Doctor, what should I do if I'm pregnant and have insomnia? I am pregnant in the 3rd month, in addition to not being able to eat, I also have insomnia. Lying tossing and turning to sleep forever, but sleep is not deep, only a small noise wakes me up in the middle of the night. I am very afraid of affecting my children but the ways people have told me have not worked. Ask your doctor for advice!
CCII Doctor Pham Thi Son : You can lose sleep during pregnancy for many reasons. Whatever the reason may be, it's important to understand that sleep loss is not harmful to your baby. Insomnia during pregnancy is normal and affects about 78% of pregnant women.
Causes of insomnia during pregnancy include:
Discomfort due to the increased size of your belly. Backache. Heartburn. Urinate frequently at night. Fatigue, vomiting, poor appetite due to morning sickness. Endocrine changes. To improve insomnia during pregnancy, you can apply some of the following measures:
Sleeping position: should lie on the left side. This position helps the best blood circulation to the fetus. A U-shaped pillow can be used to support sleep. Take a pregnancy yoga class. Massage your feet and hands before going to bed to avoid cramps. Do not drink too much water before going to bed.

5. Dinh Hai Yen friend (28 years old, office worker): Yes, hello doctor. I am pregnant with my first baby at 11 weeks. This time, I often have trouble sleeping with insomnia. I'm only 25 years old this year, I have an office job, so I don't have any pressure, and I've only had insomnia since I was pregnant. I don't know if it is dangerous for pregnant women to lose sleep in the first 3 months, doctor?
Doctor CCII Pham Thi Son: Dear friends! You should not be too worried because insomnia is a common condition during pregnancy and does not affect the fetus. However, if you have a lot of and prolonged sleep loss (sleeping less than 6 hours a night) there may be a higher risk of a cesarean section and also a longer labor time than pregnant women who sleep 7 or more hours per night. And can make the baby low weight, fussy and difficult to feed.
Insomnia during the first trimester of pregnancy is often caused by causes: In the first months of pregnancy, pregnant women will often lose sleep the most because the body is too tired to mobilize blood and oxygen to form the placenta and nourish the baby. fetal care. In addition, the growing fetus over time expands the mother's pelvis, compresses the blood vessels, causing leg swelling, back pain, making it difficult for the mother to sleep.
During pregnancy, the mother needs to share nutrients and oxygen for the baby, especially in the first 3 months, many mothers have morning sickness, inadequate nutrient supplementation leads to weakness, body weakness, fatigue and poor sleep. In the last months of pregnancy, the uterus grows larger, takes up space and presses on the diaphragm, making the movement of the diaphragm less, so the pregnant woman has to breathe more deeply and more deeply to get more oxygen. This makes pregnant women feel uncomfortable and affects the quality of sleep.
Solutions to improve insomnia symptoms in pregnant women in the first month:
Diet: Increasing foods rich in B vitamins such as green leafy vegetables, whole grains can help you sleep better No should eat before going to bed. Limit sweets and stimulant drinks. Regular physical activity helps blood circulation, sleep easier, reduce stress. Mother can walk every day or swim, before going to bed, you can take a warm bath, drink a glass of hot milk,... In addition, before going to bed, soak your feet in warm salt water with lemongrass leaves, lemongrass leaves, etc. ... will help blood vessels circulate, from which the mother will sleep much easier. Sleeping position: Pregnant women should practice for themselves a suitable sleeping position during pregnancy. The best and most comfortable position is lying on your left side, knees bent, legs raised. This pose helps to reduce pressure on the leg veins, limit edema, increase blood supply to the heart, reduce low blood pressure syndrome, and is beneficial to improving placental blood circulation. Reasonable rest.

6. Friend Tran Thu Ha (3rd year student at National Economics University): Hello doctor, my name is Ha, I'm 21 years old this year. I'm currently a 3rd year student. I go to work part-time at night. It's already 10pm when I get home, even after taking a shower and reviewing my homework, around 12 o'clock, I go to bed but I can't. can't sleep. I see that insomnia is also a disease, so I'm very worried, I don't know if insomnia can be cured, doctor? Help me.
Doctor CKII Pham Thi Son: Hello! Insomnia is curable. The treatment of insomnia must be based on the cause of the insomnia.
Causes of insomnia include:
Cell phone use: The blue light in the phone affects sleep by affecting the body's natural circadian rhythm. moderation. Stress, stress: is a typical cause of insomnia in young people. Life pressure makes the body lose the balance between mental comfort and inhibition, thereby strongly affecting the central nervous system, cerebral cortex, seriously affecting sleep. Working at computers, using smart devices too much: These devices will emit electromagnetic radiation, which is an agent that affects the brain and nervous systems of the eyes and is also one of them. leading cause of insomnia in young people. Use of stimulants: Regular use of stimulants such as tobacco, alcohol, beer .... will strongly affect the nervous system, making the nervous system and brain always in a state of alertness. Eat too full when sleeping: In the evening, if you eat too much before going to bed, it will make us lose sleep so that the body can digest the amount of food you have loaded inside the body. Suffering from a number of diseases: rhinitis, sinusitis, stomach diseases, bone and joint diseases... - abuse of headache medicine. To know exactly your condition, you should go to the hospital to be examined and treated by a specialist. Some remedies for better sleep:
Before going to sleep, put aside all your unfinished work, relax your body and let your mind be at ease by reading books, listen to music, play a light entertainment game...
Adjust daily living habits such as increasing exercise, maintaining reasonable eating and resting time.
Minimize the use of phones, computers, ... especially before sleeping.
Absolutely do not arbitrarily buy sleeping pills to use. In your case, the doctor thinks that the part-time job at night has some stimulating effects on the brain, so it is difficult for you to fall asleep. So when you go to sleep you should relax, relax your body, lie still, breathe evenly sleep will come to you
7.Friend Tran Thi Nguyen (Email address: giothaonguyen@gmail.com): Dear doctor, I am this year 33 years old, married and 2 children (younger 2 years old). The job is office worker. About 4 months ago, I had a problem of insomnia, normally I slept from 10 am to about 3 am when I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. All living habits are unchanged, no stress or thoughts. I have applied many natural methods but no improvement. Please consult your doctor.
Doctor CKII Pham Thi Son: Hello, When you wake up too early, and the time lasts more than 04 months. So you already have a sleep disorder. But your sleep disorder is not too serious, you can just use herbal sleeping pills, the drug will help you prolong sleep until 05 - 06 am, breaking the habit of waking up at 3 am. Your sleep disturbance should improve after a few weeks of taking the medicine. However, you should see a Neurologist or Psychiatrist for advice and prescription, even if it is herbal medicine.

Above are some questions related to Insomnia symptoms. Readers' questions continue to be answered by the doctor in the next section.