Too Little Sleep Worsens Asthma

Sleep is a fundamental part of life, so poor sleep affects many vital functions. Scientific research also revealed that too little sleep aggravates asthma.

As a respiratory disease, asthma can be mild or severe. Mild forms cause periodic symptoms. However, severe cases or asthmatic attacks can affect rest, and bronchospasm may occur during sleep.

Similarly, new findings have revealed that poor sleep exacerbates asthma and vice versa. The poorer the quality of the patient’s sleep, the more likely they are to see signs of the disease during the day.

We must mention the disorder sleep apnea in this regard. Many people who have had asthma for years and are overweight are likely to wake up suddenly during the night and feel short of breath.

Too little sleep aggravates asthma, and an underlying complex health problem that combines other risk factors also comes into play. This does not relieve the heart or cardiovascular disease.

According to a study, too little sleep aggravates asthma

A study that found that too little sleep aggravates asthma was published in the latest issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology . Similarly , the study reports that other sleep disorders have the same negative effect.

The authors assessed asthma patients over the age of 20 and divided them into three groups:

• Short-term sleep. Those who slept less than six hours.
• Normal sleep. Those who slept between six and eight hours.
• Prolonged sleep. Those who slept more than nine hours.

The last group consisted mostly of older women who smoked. In contrast, those who slept fewer hours used to be young.

In the long run , the group with short-term sleep was more likely to be hospitalized for asthma attacks and a higher frequency of dry cough. This did not happen with those who slept a lot. However, this group showed difficulty in performing daily activities.

In addition to pointing out that too little sleep aggravates asthma, these results also warned researchers about the effect of sleep on breathing. In fact, there may be a physiological link between breathing and resting brain.

Sleep apnea and asthma

As we mentioned above, some asthmatics also suffer from sleep apnea. This is a disorder in which the patient stops breathing for a few seconds during the night without noticing it. This causes insufficient oxygen levels, i.e. intermittently low oxygen levels in the blood.

Sleep apnea is twice as common in asthmatics as in the rest of the population. However, that risk increases if they take inhaled corticosteroids.

Poor sleep aggravates asthma and is almost inevitable in sleep apnea patients unless they start a specific treatment. This is a vicious circle. These people have a hard time getting good sleep because of these small awakenings caused by lack of oxygen.

In the morning, after a bad night’s sleep, the patient’s asthma worsens, which does not allow them to function properly during the day. The next night the cycle is repeated again: They do not get enough restful sleep and feel worse the next day.

How can an asthmatic get better sleep?

Some things can improve the quality of sleep in asthma patients. Now that you know that not getting enough restful sleep aggravates asthma, you should try to improve your sleep quality as much as possible.

First, make sure you are taking the correct medication for your asthma. Asthma patients should be monitored and medicated well to minimize the chances of a seizure.

Tobacco is, of course, contraindicated, as is exposure to toxic substances in the air. Experts recommend that these patients sleep in a room with objects that repel mites.

If the patient suffers from sleep apnea, they should go to a pulmonologist so they can get a machine that delivers constant and stable air pressure. These machines can significantly improve sleep.

Although asthma does not aggravate not getting enough sleep, this can be reversed

The bad news that bad sleep aggravates asthma should be interpreted as a recommendation for asthmatics to pay attention to their sleep hygiene. You can take a few simple steps to regulate your sleep.

In any case, these patients should always talk to a doctor to make sure their asthma is under control. Similarly, the only way to solve sleep apnea is by talking to a specialist.