childhood sleep disorders

sleep disorders

A recent poll carried out for the National Sleep Foundation found that:

• Three quarters of individuals polled said that they frequently have sleep problems.



• As little as half of individuals polled said that they slept well on most nights.



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

The poll also demonstrated that:

• 60% of motorists polled reported driving while drowsy in the past twelve months. (4 % reported having an accident or near-accident as a result of tiredness or having fallen asleep while they were driving.)



• Those polled referenced 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 errors at work as a result of sleep-related issues in the preceding three months.



• 3 out of 4 of adults 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 could cause the other to lose, on average, nearly an hour of sleep every night.



• A quarter of adults polled with partners report troubles in their sexual relationship because of tiredness. They enjoy sex less frequently or lose interest in having sex because of tiredness. Many couples sleep apart because of sleeping problems.

Many of us suffer from the odd sleepless night without any consequences. When, however, the occasional night now and again becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you are looking at a sleeping problem.

It is judged that more than 35 million individuals in the USA have chronic insomnia (a problem sleeping each night or virtually all nights for at least, or in excess of, six months), with a further 20 to 30 million suffering shorter-term insomnia (a problem sleeping well for a period of one to six months). In addition, many individuals suffer from insomnia over shorter periods (under 4 weeks) and this is often called transient insomnia.

Transient insomnia is frequently brought on by excitement (a child looking forward to an outing) or by stress (worrying about an important meeting). It also often results from long distance travel (jet lag) and can be seen in people who take 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 asthma or colds).

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

Insomnia can be separated into three categories:

• "Initial" insomnia: in which you experience 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 often remain awake until the early hours of the morning.



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

Insomnia can sometimes be merely the symptom of an underlying medical conditions that could 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 mind and body find difficulty in settling into a state of relaxation necessary for sleep, then there are a variety of choices for achieving healthy sleep without resorting to prescription drugs.

Sleep apnea is among the commonest and most dangerous sleep disorders. An estimated 18 million adults in the US suffer from this condition, that is characterised by repeated episodes in which you stop breathing while sleeping. Over time this can result in cardiac disease, disordered thinking, and high blood pressure.

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

This form of the condition, referred to as obstructive sleep apnea, is usually linked to loud snoring (though not everyone who snores has this condition). Sleep apnea can also occur if the neurons that control breathing don't function properly during sleep.

During an episode of obstructive sleep apnea, efforts to inhale air will create suction which 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 the level of oxygen in your blood falls, the brain responds by waking you sufficiently to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. You may gasp or snort, 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 fatigued and has the opportunity to lead to personality changes such as depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also deprives you of oxygen, which can lead to a loss of interest in sex, morning headaches, or a decline in mental functioning. High blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke also Typically arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you suffer from severe, untreated sleep apnea you appear 2 to 3 times more likely to be involved in an automoblie accident than the general population.

Mild sleep apnea can commonly be overcome by loosing weight or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You might also need a special device or surgery to sort out the obstruction.

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

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

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

If disruption to your circadian rhythm takes place as a result of shift work, you may suffer from temporary sleep disorders such as transient insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. Without treatment, transient sleep problems connected to a change in your work schedule may become chronic and in serious cases may even require medical intervention.

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

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

Affecting as many as 12 million people in the US, RLS leads to constant leg movement during the day and to insomnia at night.

Severe RLS is most common in elderly people, although symptoms might well start at any age. In some cases, it may be linked to other conditions such as anemia, diabetes, or pregancy.

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