alcohol dependent sleep disorder

sleep disorders

The release of a recently conducted poll on behalf of the National Sleep Foundation reveals that:

• 75% of adults questioned stated that they frequently have sleep problems.



• As little as half of adults questioned stated that they slept well on most nights.



• A quarter of adults questioned stated that sleeping difficulties had an impact upon their daily lives.

The poll also revealed that:

• Just under two thirds of motorists polled said that they had driven while drowsy in the previous twelve months. (4 % said that they had had an accident or near-accident through tiredness or having fallen asleep while driving.)



• Those questioned cited sleep-related issues as the most usual 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 problems in the past three months.



• 75% of individuals polled reported a sleep problem with their partner - snoring being the most common. Partnered adults, suffer doubly disruptive sleep problems, as one partner's sleep difficulty may cause the other to lose, on average, up to an hour of sleep a night.



• 25% of individuals polled with partners report difficulties in their sexual relationship as a result of tiredness. They enjoy sex less frequently or lose interest in sex because of tiredness. Numerous couples sleep separately because of sleeping problems.

A large number of people suffer from the odd night of sleeplessness without any consequences. Once, however, the odd night now and again turns into a pattern of several nights in a row, you are facing a sleeping problem.

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

Affecting as many as 12 million people 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 might appear at any age. In some cases, it may be associated with other conditions such as pregancy, diabetes, or anemia.

Narcolepsy affects an estimated 250,000 individuals in the US. People with narcolepsy endure frequent "sleep attacks" in the day, even if they enjoy a normal amount of night-time sleep. Such attacks can last anywhere from several seconds to more than half an hour.

Individuals with narcolepsy can also experience cataplexy (a loss of muscle control during emotional situations), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they wake up, and disrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms are features of REM sleep that appear during waking, suggesting that narcolepsy is a disorder of sleep regulation.

Narcolepsy symptoms often appear during adolescence, although it often takes years to get a correct diagnosis.

The disorder (or a predisposition to it) is typically hereditary, but it is from time to time linked to brain damage from a head injury or to neurological disease.

Having been diagnosed, antidepressants, stimulatns, or other drugs can help control the symptoms and prevent the embarrassing and dangerous effects of falling asleep at improper times. Naps at certain times of the day can also reduce the excessive sleepiness during the day.

It is figured that in excess of 35 million individuals in the USA suffer from a case of chronic insomnia (problems sleeping each night or on the majority of nights for a period of more than six months), with an additional 20 to 30 million adults suffering shorter-term insomnia (problems sleeping well for between a month and six months). As well, a lot of people suffer from insomnia over shorter periods (less than 4 weeks) and this is frequently referred to as transient insomnia.

Transient insomnia is frequently brought on by excitement (a child anticipating his birthday) or by stress (concern about a coming examination). It also often results from air travel (jet lag) and can be seen in individuals who exercise late in the day, shortly before going to bed. It is also often linked to illness (colds/flu) and with some over-the-counter medications (for example, some medicines bought for a cold or asthma).

Women and men of all ages experience insomnia, but it is more common in the elderly and in women, especially after the menopause.

Insomnia can be split into three classes:

• "Initial" insomnia: in which you display a difficulty in in falling asleep, more often than not taking 30 minutes or more to fall into a sleep state.



• "Middle" insomnia: in which, after falling asleep, you have problems maintaining a sleep state and often stay awake until the early morning hours.



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

Insomnia can frequently be only the symptom of an underlying medical conditions which could require a visit to the doctor's surgery 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 brain and body find difficulty in settling into a sufficiently relaxed state for sleep, then there are several different choices for achieving healthy sleep without the use of prescription drugs.

Sleep apnea is one of the most common and most dangerous types of sleep disorder. In the region of 18 million people in the US suffer from sleep apnea, that is marked by repeating episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep. Over time this can result in cardiac disease, high blood pressure, and disordered thinking.

Usually linked with aging, sleep apnea can occur together with fat buildup or loss of muscle tone. These changes cause the windpipe to collapse while breathing As muscles relax during sleep.

This form of the condition, known as obstructive sleep apnea, is normally associated with loud snoring (though not everybody who snores has this condition). Sleep apnea can also occur if the neurons responsible for controlling breathing malfunction during sleep.

During an episode of obstructive sleep apnea, efforts to inhale air will create suction that causes the collapse the windpipe. This, in turn, blocks the air flow for anything from about ten seconds up to a minute while you struggle to breathe. When the level of oxygen in your blood falls, the brain reacts by waking you sufficiently to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. You may snort or gasp, then start breathing again. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night.

The constant awakenings that you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently tired and can produce changes in personality like depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also deprives you of oxygen, which can lead to morning headaches, a decline in mental functioning, or a loss of interest in sex. High blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and a heightened risk of heart attacks and stroke also Frequently arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you suffer from severe, untreated sleep apnea you are also two to three times more likely to have an automobile accident than the general population.

Mild sleep apnea can sometimes be overcome by dieting or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You might also need special devices or surgery to rectify the obstruction.

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