childrens sleep disorders

sleep disorders

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

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



• Just 1 out of 2 of people polled stated that they normally slept without problem.



• 1 out of 4 of people polled stated that sleep problems affected their daily lives.

The poll also demonstrated that:

• Just under two thirds of motorists questioned said that they had driven while drowsy in the past twelve months. (4 % said that they had had an accident or near-accident through tiredness or actually falling asleep while they were driving.)



• Those polled cited sleep-related problems 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 issues in the past 3 months.



• Three quarters of people questioned reported a sleep problem with their partner - snoring being the commonest. Partnered adults, suffer doubly disruptive sleep problems, as one partner's sleep problem may cause the other to lose, on average, almost an hour of sleep a night.



• A quarter of people questioned with partners report problems in their sexual relationship as a result of tiredness. They enjoy sex less frequently or lose interest in having sex because of tiredness. Numerous couples sleep separately because of sleeping problems.

A significant number of people experience the odd sleepless night without any consequences. Once, however, the occasional night from time to time turns into a pattern of several nights in a row, you face a sleeping problem.

Restless leg syndrome (RLS), a familial disorder inducing unpleasant prickling, tingling, or crawling sensations in the feet and legs and a desire to move them if you want relief, is emerging as one of the more common sleep disorders, particularly in older people.

Affecting as many as 12 million adults in the United States, restless leg syndrome leads to continual leg movement during the day and to insomnia at night.

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

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

Your internal clock governs many of the functions of your body, 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 about 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 your body's circadian rhythm is disrupted 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 associated with a change in your work schedule could become chronic and in serious cases can even require medical intervention.

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

Sleep apnea is one of the most common and most dangerous sleep disorders. Roughly 18 million adults in the United States suffer from sleep apnea, which is marked by repeating episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep. Over a period of time this can cause disordered thinking, cardiac disease, and high blood pressure.

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

This form of the condition, named obstructive sleep apnea, is typically linked to loud snoring (though not everyone who snores has this condition). Sleep apnea might also occur if the neurons responsible for controlling breathing do not function correctly during sleep.

During an episode of obstructive sleep apnea, attempts to inhale air will create suction that results in the collapse the windpipe. This obstructs the air flow for anything from about ten seconds up to a minute while you struggle to breathe. As the level of oxygen in your blood falls, the brain responds by waking you enough to tighten the muscles of the upper airway 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 which you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently sleepy and can produce personality changes such as irritability or depression. Sleep apnea also deprives you of oxygen, which might lead to a decline in mental functioning, morning headaches, or a loss of interest in sex. 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 suffer from severe, untreated sleep apnea you appear two to three times more likely to have automobile accidents than the general population.

Mild sleep apnea can frequently be overcome through weight loss or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You might need special devices or surgery to rectify the obstruction.

Put simply, jet lag is a common sleep disorder suffered by millions of travelers each day. It affects both those traveling for pleasure and on business and, according to a recent survey of international business travelers, 3/4 of those questioned said that they suffered frequently from jet lag.

Jet lag affects people of all ages and, although it varies widely from one individual to another, it tends to increase in severity the older you are.

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

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

Finally, the symptoms of jet lag do not always appear at once and, for some people, it could well be a couple of days before it hits.

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