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Insomnia and Liver Disease

Many of us have been there — feeling tired and exhausted, but still being unable to get a good quality sleep at night. The quality of our sleep is extremely sensitive to what we eat, drink, and do during the day. Insomnia can have a huge physical and mental toll on our body and vice versa — can be a catalyzer of many medical conditions. In this article, we look into the link between insomnia and liver disease.

What is insomnia? How are insomnia and liver disease connected? How to prevent insomnia?

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by disturbed sleep patterns such as being unable to fall asleep, staying asleep through the night, or waking up too often or too early. There can be many physical and mental causes of insomnia, with liver disease being one of the risk factors.

How are insomnia and liver disease connected?

According to studies*, liver disease are strongly interconnected with sleep disorders. For example, in those individuals diagnosed with cirrhosis, this connection can be explained by the liver´s impaired ability to metabolize melatonin leading to higher melatonin levels during the day and lower levels at night. Disruptions in thermoregulation, a body´s ability self-regulate its core internal temperature, that many cirrhotic patient experience can be another explanation of the link between liver disease and sleep disorders. When the organism’s ability to regulate the body temperature is impaired, the body is unable to decrease and maintain its fluctuating temperature at the end of the day leading to sleep disturbances. Since almost 70% of individuals with cirrhosis** also suffer from diabetes, glucose fluctuations that come with it are sometimes to blame for insomnia and other disturbed sleep patterns in these individuals.

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How to prevent insomnia?

Sleep deprivation can have various negative effects on our physical and mental health. Establishing a healthy sleep routine may be very helpful when it comes to conquering insomnia. Here a few tips:

Try to put away your phone and turn off the TV at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
Avoid drinking caffeine-containing beverages as well as alcohol in the late afternoon and evening.
Block out light. A pitch-black room is the ideal environment for quality sleep. Blocking out the light while sleeping will help you stay in the “deep sleep phase” much longer.
Late-night snacking. Having a small pre-bedtime snack has many health benefits. It can help improve energy malnutrition, glucose intolerance, and amino acid imbalance which are often prevalent in liver disease patients.
Exercise. Exercising before bed has many health benefits. It can help you reduce stress and relieve anxiety as well as help with insomnia and other sleeping disorders. It can also help you enter the “deep sleep phase” easier and for longer periods of time.

Sources:

*Mir HM, Stepanova M, Afendy H, Cable R, Younossi ZM. Association of Sleep Disorders with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): A Population-based Study. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2013;3(3):181-185. doi:10.1016/j.jceh.2013.06.004.

**Bruyneel M, Sersté T. Sleep disturbances in patients with liver cirrhosis: prevalence, impact, and management challenges. Nat Sci Sleep. 2018;10:369-375. Published 2018 Nov 2. doi:10.2147/NSS.S186665.