Do you turn around in bed a lot when you sleep? This situation can occur just when you are trying to fall asleep (for minutes or even hours) or also later, when you wake up and realize that you have moved all the sheets and that you have dismantled the bed.
But why does this happen? Its causes can be very varied, and include lifestyle habits, inappropriate behaviors, characteristic behavioral patterns, disorders… In this article we are going to see 7 possible causes that explain the fact of tossing and turning in bed a lot, and as a consequence, not resting well. .
Why do I toss and turn a lot when I sleep? Possible causes
Having a deep and restful sleep is essential so that we can lead a normal life and enjoy a good quality of life.
Not having it can make us feel tired throughout the day, make us unable to fulfill our obligations… and, ultimately, make us unable to enjoy things. This is why it is so important to sleep well. Many people, however, suffer from sleep problems, which They can turn into real sleep disorders
In this article we will talk about those people who turn a lot when they sleep, both when they are trying to fall asleep (without being able to), and when they manage to do so but continue to move a lot. Why is this happening? Here we will see the main causes that could explain it:
1. Accumulated fatigue
One of the reasons that may be causing you to toss and turn when you sleep is accumulated fatigue. Although it may seem paradoxical, and we think that being very tired we will sleep better, this is not always the case.
Sometimes the fact of being so tired of the day, or even of accumulated days, It can cause us to have more fragmented and less restful dreams which causes us to turn in bed a lot.
2. Anxiety
Anxiety is another possible cause of not stopping moving in bed when we go to sleep Let us remember that anxiety consists of an altered psychophysiological state, which makes it difficult for us to have a good quality of life, and that includes sleep.
In addition to the anxiety itself, if it manifests itself in excess and is accompanied by other symptoms, we can even talk about an anxiety disorder. We found several that could explain why we turn in bed when sleeping; Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (this one especially), agoraphobia, panic disorder, etc.
3. Rituals
When we talk about rituals, we refer to a series of behaviors that we “must” repeat constantly to reduce some type of anxiety or associated discomfort; In fact, rituals are found in the famous OCD, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (in this case they are called compulsions), although they can also appear in isolation, and not necessarily in the context of an underlying mental disorder such as OCD.
Well then, Rituals before going to sleep can also interfere with our rest, since if we feel that we have not carried them out correctly, or we simply “need” to repeat them again, that can make us get up, get restless, etc. If, beyond manifesting simple rituals, we also suffer from OCD, the problem worsens.
4. Concerns
Worries are another possible cause (in fact, one of the most common) that would explain why we toss and turn so much when we sleep.
That is to say, the fact of “having a lot of things on your mind”, and turning them over just when you go to sleep, can cause us not to rest well and cause us to toss and turn in bed a lot. Even having a single worry that worries us (it doesn’t have to be more than one) can also have the same effect.
Related to the previous cause, overthinking can also cause the same effect of turning around in bed. Thus, it would not be exactly the same as the previous cause, although it would have great parallels.
It’s one thing to be worried about something, and the other is simply to think a lot about what happened during the day, in plans that we want to make, in ideas that come to mind… (without the negative connotation associated with worry). There are people who are like that, who think a lot even when they have to “stop” to rest.
6. Sleep disorder
Another possible cause that explains why you toss and turn when you sleep is suffering from a sleep disorder.
There are multiple sleep disorders; Some that could explain this symptom would be: insomnia disorder (insomnia), restless legs syndrome (RLS), nightmares, night terrors, REM sleep behavior disorder, bruxism, etc. In practically all of these cases, anticipatory anxiety can develop, making it difficult to fall asleep or sleep deeply.
Two of these disorders deserve special attention:
6.1. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Restless Legs Syndrome (along with insomnia) is a common cause that explains the fact of tossing and turning in bed. This sleep disorder entails, as its main symptom, that we have an urgent need to move our legs, which is accompanied by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in this part of the body. This makes us not rest well and that we wake up with pain in our legs or a feeling of heaviness in them
However, it must be taken into account that this is a rare alteration.
Insomnia is a very common disorder in the population (between 1-10% of the adult population suffers from it; it is more common as age increases, and in women), which It entails great interference in our daily lives, eroding our quality of life (because it produces a lot of fatigue).
Specifically, insomnia implies dissatisfaction with the quantity or quality of sleep, and is associated with different symptoms, which can be: difficulties in starting or maintaining sleep and/or waking up early in the morning, together with the inability to sleep. go back to sleep. Thus, insomnia could be either the cause of us tossing and turning when we sleep, or its consequence.
7. Poor sleep hygiene
Finally, poor sleep hygiene could also explain why we toss and turn a lot when we sleep. Let us remember that sleep hygiene is made up of all those guidelines, habits and behaviors that we carry out just before going to sleep, and that promote easy, deep and restful sleep
Some examples of them are: having a glass of warm milk before going to bed, playing relaxing music, reading a little, going to sleep at the same time every day (and getting up at the same time), not taking stimulant substances before to go to sleep (such as coffee or soft drinks), etc.
Well, if our sleep hygiene is not good (for example if we eat excessively before going to sleep, if we spend many hours in front of the cell phone or computer, etc.), this can interfere very negatively with our quantity and quality. of sleep, and can also cause us to toss and turn in bed.
