b12 and sleep disorders

sleep disorders

Evidence from a recent National Sleep Foundation polls shows that:

• 75% of people polled stated that they suffer from frequent sleep problems.



• As little as half of people polled stated that they usually slept reasonably well.



• 25% of people polled stated that problems sleeping impacted upon their daily lives.

The poll also revealed that:

• Just under two thirds of motorists polled reported driving while drowsy in the past twelve months. (4 % said that they had had an accident or near-accident as a result of tiredness or having fallen asleep while they were driving.)



• People questioned named sleep-related issues as the usual reason for being late for work. Almost 1 in 3 of working adults reported missing work, events/activities or making mistakes at work because of sleep-related problems in the previous three months.



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



• A quarter of adults polled with partners report difficulties in their sexual relationship as a result of tiredness. They enjoy sex less often or lose interest in having sex through tiredness. Numerous couples sleep separately because of sleeping difficulties.

Many of us have the occasional 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 stimulating unpleasant crawling, prickling, or tingling sensations in the legs and feet and an urge to move them if you want relief, is emerging as one of the more common sleep disorders, especially in the elderly.

Affecting as many as 12 million people in the USA, this disorder leads to unremitting leg movement during the day and insomnia at night.

Severe RLS is most often seen in elderly people, although symptoms might come on at any age. In some cases, it may be associated with other conditions such as anemia, diabetes, or pregancy.

Put simply, jet lag is an extremely common sleep disorder suffered by millions of travelers daily. It affects both those traveling on holiday and on business and, in a recent survey of international business travelers, 1 in 4 of those questioned said that they often suffered from jet lag.

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

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

Jet lag also increases as you cross more and more time zones. If the time difference between your point of departure and your destination is merely an hour or two, then you might not experience jet lag at all. But, if the difference in time is three hours or more then jet lag will begin to appear and its effects will become increasingly pronounced the larger the time difference.

Finally, the symptoms of jet lag don't always appear instantly and, for a few people, it might be two or three days before it hits.

Sleep apnea is among the commonest and most dangerous sleep disorders. An estimated 18 million individuals in America suffer from this condition, that is characterised by recurring episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep. In time this can cause high blood pressure, cardiac disease, and disordered thinking.

Typically linked with aging, sleep apnea can occur in association with fat buildup or loss of muscle tone. These changes permit a collapse in the windpipe while breathing When muscles relax during sleep.

This form of the condition, named obstructive sleep apnea, is more commonly associated with loud snoring (though not everybody who snores has this condition). Sleep apnea may also occur if the neurons responsible for controlling breathing do not function correctly during sleep.

During obstructive sleep apnea, your effort to inhale air will create suction that causes the collapse the windpipe. This, in turn, obstructs the air flow for between ten seconds and one minute while you struggle to breathe. When your blood oxygen level falls, the brain reacts by awakening you enough to tighten the muscles of the upper airway and open the windpipe. You may snort or gasp, then start breathing again. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night.

The frequent awakenings which you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently sleepy and could well result in personality changes like irritability or depression. Sleep apnea also deprives you of oxygen, which can lead to a loss of interest in sex, a decline in mental functioning, or morning headaches. High blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack also Often arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you have from severe, untreated sleep apnea you are also 2 to 3 times more likely to have an automobile accident than the general population.

Mild sleep apnea can often be overcome by loosing weight or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You may also need special devices or surgery to correct the obstruction.

In addition to the clock on your mantelpiece, your wrist watch or the alarm clock beside your bed, all of which, if you are anything like me, govern your life to a great extent, you also have an internal clock that dictates the rhythm of your body.

Your internal clock governs many of your body's functions, regulating such things as temperature and the release of hormones and, most importantly, telling you when it's time to go to sleep and to get up.

Following the pattern of night and day (darkness and light) your internal clock tracks a pattern of approximately 24 hours thus giving your body a 24 hour rhythm or, more correctly, a circadian rhythm - from the Latin circa (about) dies (a day).

When you circadian rhythm is upset because of shift work, you may suffer from temporary sleep disorders such as transient insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. If not treated, transient sleep problems linked to a change in your work schedule could become chronic and in serious cases could even require medical intervention.

Shift work also places you at increased risk of chronic cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems. Heartburn, flu, colds, indigestion, high blood pressure, menstrual irregularities and weight gain are all documented more amongst shift workers.

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