Poor Sleep Makes Asthma Worse

Sleep is a fundamental part of life, so much so that without adequate rest, multiple vital functions are affected. Thanks to scientific research, we also know that poor sleep worsens asthma and these patients are more susceptible.

As a respiratory disease, asthma has a chronicity that can be mild or severe. In mild forms there are intermittent symptoms, but in severe cases or asthmatic attacks, rest is disturbed and bronchospasm may occur during sleep.

At the same time, the new findings reveal that poor sleep makes asthma worse in the form of a poor interaction. The worse the patient’s rest, the more likely they are to have signs of the disease during the day.

A special mention deserves the disorder known as sleep apnea. It is common for individuals who have had asthma for years and have a tendency to be overweight suffer from nocturnal awakenings that come from momentary shortness of breath when sleeping.

As we are anticipating, sleeping little worsens asthma, but behind it hides a more complex problem in which risk factors are combined. This does not exempt the heart or cardiovascular diseases.

Poor sleep makes asthma worse, study says

In the latest issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology  , a study was published stating that poor sleep worsens asthma. Similarly, research reports that other sleep disorders have the same negative effect.

The authors evaluated asthmatics over 20 years of age and divided them into three study groups:

• Those who slept little: less than 6 hours.
• Those who slept a stipulated time as adequate: between 6 and 8 hours.
• Those who slept a lot: more than 9 hours.

In the first instance, the last group already marked a composition trend, since they were mainly older women and smokers. On the contrary, those who slept less hours tended to be young.

In the long run, after follow-up, the group with fewer hours of sleep had more hospitalizations for asthma attacks and a higher frequency of dry cough. The same did not happen with those who slept a lot, although it was a group that showed problems to carry out the activities of daily life.

These results, in addition to pointing out that poor sleep worsens asthma, alerted researchers to the effect of sleep on respiratory dynamics. There could be a physiological link between breathing and the resting brain.

Sleep apnea in asthma

As we have advanced, there are asthmatics who also suffer from sleep apnea. This is a disorder in which, during the night, the patient interrupts his breathing for a few seconds, without realizing it. Repeating this apnea lowers oxygen levels in the blood.

Among individuals with asthma, sleep apnea is twice as common as in the rest of the population. In addition, if they are medicated with corticosteroids to inhale for their bronchospasm, that risk increases.

In a vicious cycle, sleep deprivation worsens asthma and is almost inevitable in patients with apnea of sleep , unless they start specific treatment. These people have serious difficulties for a continuous rest due to the small awakenings due to the lack of oxygen.

In the morning, after having had a bad rest, the next step is the worsening of asthma, which does not allow them to rest during the day either. Thus, they arrive at a new night where they will sleep little again and the cycle repeats itself.

How can an asthmatic person sleep better?

There are some keys to improving the rest of asthmatic patients. Understanding that getting too little sleep makes asthma worse, you should take steps to stabilize your sleep to the best of your ability.

In the first instance, it is essential that the medication for the underlying disease is correct. The patient with asthma must be monitored and well medicated to minimize the chances of an attack.

Tobacco, of course, is contraindicated, as is exposure to toxic substances in the environment that may be in suspension. A room with objects that repel mites is recommended.

In the case of sleep apnea, a pulmonologist must intervene so that the person uses devices for night use that insert the missing oxygen. These teams can significantly improve the conditions of rest.

Little sleep makes asthma worse, but it can be reversed

The bad news that poor sleep makes asthma worse should become a recommendation for asthmatics to pay attention to their sleep hygiene. There are simple steps you can take to regulate your hours of rest.

In any case, medical consultation is always imposed on these people so that their asthma is under control. In the same way, sleep apnea cannot be solved in any other way than with the intervention of specialists.