adhd and sleep disorders

sleep disorders

A poll carried out for the National Sleep Foundation showed that:

• Three quarters of individuals questioned said that they frequently experience difficulty in sleeping.



• Only half of individuals questioned said that they slept without a problem on the majority of nights.



• 1 out of 4 of individuals questioned said that sleep problems impacted upon their daily lives.

The poll also showed that:

• 60% of motorists polled said that they had driven while drowsy in the previous year. (4 % reported having an accident or near-accident because of tiredness or having fallen asleep while they were driving.)



• People named sleep-related problems as the commonest reason for being late for work. Almost 30% of working adults reported missing work, events/activities or making mistakes at work as a result of sleep-related issues in the preceding three months.



• Three quarters of those polled reported a sleep problem with their partner - with snoring being the most usual. Partnered adults, suffer doubly disruptive sleep difficulties, as one partner's sleep difficulty could cause the other to lose, on average, up to an hour of sleep a night.



• 1 out of 4 of those polled with partners report problems in their sexual relationship because of tiredness. They enjoy sex less often or lose interest in sex through tiredness. Many couples sleep separately because of a sleep problem.

A large number of us have the odd night of sleeplessness without any consequences. When, however, the odd night from time to time becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you are looking at a sleeping problem.

It is thought that over 35 million people in the USA suffer from chronic insomnia (problems sleeping every night or on the majority of nights for six months or more), with an additional 20 to 30 million suffering shorter-term insomnia (problems sleeping well for between one and six months). Also, many people suffer from insomnia over shorter periods (under 4 weeks) and this is commonly referred to as transient insomnia.

Transient insomnia is often brought on by excitement (parents expecting a visit from a son or daughter after a long absense) or by stress (concern about a forthcoming job interview). It also often results from long distance travel (jet lag) and can be seen in those who take exercise late in the day, shortly before going to bed. It is also often associated with illness (colds/flu) and with a few over-the-counter medications (for example, some medicines purchased for asthma or colds).

Men and women of all ages experience insomnia, although it is more commonly seen in women and in the elderly, particularly after the menopause.

Insomnia can be split into three classes:

• "Initial" insomnia: in which you demonstrate problems in falling asleep, invariably taking 30 minutes or longer to fall asleep.



• "Middle" insomnia: in which, having fallen asleep, you have difficulties maintaining a sleep state and frequently stay awake into the early hours of the morning.



• "Late" or "Terminal" insomnia: in which you waken early in the morning after less than 6 hours of sleep.

Insomnia can occasionally be only the symptom of some underlying medical conditions that may well require a trip to the doctor's office and medical care. Here it will be a matter of treating the cause, rather than the insomnia.

If, however, your sleeplessness results from a pattern of not sleeping, or your body and brain find it difficult to settle into a sufficiently relaxed state for sleep, then there are several different choices for achieving healthy sleep without the use of prescription drugs.

Narcolepsy affects an estimated 250,000 adults in the United States. People with narcolepsy suffer frequent "sleep attacks" in the day, even when they experience a normal amount of night-time sleep. Such "sleep attacks" can last anything from just a few seconds to more than half an hour.

People with narcolepsy can also experience cataplexy (loss of muscle control in an emotional situation), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they wake up, and interrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms seem to be features of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that appear during waking, suggesting that narcolepsy is a disorder of sleep regulation.

The symptoms of narcolepsy usually appear in adolescence, although it typically takes years to get a correct diagnosis.

The disorder (or at least a predisposition for it) is generally hereditary, but it is sometimes linked to brain damage from a head injury or to neurological disease.

Once narcolepsy has been diagnosed, antidepressants, stimulatns, or other drugs can be used to control the symptoms and prevent the embarrassing and dangerous effects of falling asleep at inappropriate times. Naps at certain times of the day may also reduce the excessive sleepiness during the day.

At its simplest, jet lag is a common sleep disorder endured by millions of travelers each day. It affects both those traveling on vacation and on business and, according to a recent survey of international business travelers, three quarters of those questioned said that they suffered frequently from jet lag.

Jet lag affects people of all ages and, though it varies widely from person to person, it tends to become more severe the older you are.

Furthermore, if you already have sleeping problems, you might find that jet lag is more of a problem.

Jet lag also increases as you cross a growing number of time zones. If the difference in time between your departure point and your destination is only an hour or two, then you may not experience jet lag at all. However, if the time difference is three hours or more then jet lag will begin to appear and its effects will be more pronounced the bigger the time difference.

Finally, jet lag symptoms do not always appear instantly and, for a few individuals, it might well be two or three days before it hits.

Restless leg syndrome (RLS), a familial disorder causing unpleasant crawling, tingling, or prickling sensations in the feet and legs and an urge to move them for relief, is emerging as one of the more common sleep disorders, especially in older people.

Affecting as many as 12 million adults in the US, restless leg syndrome leads to unremitting leg movement during the day and to sleeplessness at night.

Severe RLS is most common in elderly people, though symptoms may well appear at any age. In some cases, it may be associated with other conditions such as pregancy, diabetes, or anemia.

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