common sleep disorders

sleep disorders

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

• Three quarters of those questioned stated that they often have sleep problems.



• As little as 1 out of 2 of those questioned stated that they slept without a problem on the majority of nights.



• A quarter of those questioned stated that difficulty in sleeping affected their daily lives.

The poll also showed that:

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



• People polled referenced sleep-related problems as the most common reason for being late for work. Almost two thirds of working adults reported missing work, events/activities or making mistakes at work because of sleep-related issues in the previous three months.



• Three quarters of adults questioned 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 problem can cause the other to lose, on average, up to an hour of sleep each night.



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

A large number of people have the occasional sleepless night without any consequences. When, however, the odd night now and again becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you are looking at a sleeping problem.

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

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

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

It is considered that over 35 million adults in the United States have chronic insomnia (difficulty sleeping each night or virtually all nights for a period of more than six months), with an additional 20 to 30 million suffering shorter-term insomnia (difficulty sleeping well for a period of a month to six months). Additionally, a significant number of people suffer from insomnia over shorter periods (less than 4 weeks) and this is normally called transient insomnia.

Transient insomnia is usually brought on by excitement (a child anticipating the arrival of Father Christmas) or by stress (concern about a coming examination). It also often results from long distance travel (jet lag) and can be seen in people who exercise late in the day, shortly before going to bed. It is also often linked to illness (colds/flu) and with a few over-the-counter medications (for example, some medicines purchased for asthma or colds).

Both sexes and all ages experience insomnia, but it is more often seen in women and in the elderly, especially after the menopause.

Insomnia can be split into three categories:

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



• "Middle" insomnia: where, having fallen asleep, you have difficulty maintaining a state of sleep and commonly remain awake into the early hours of the morning.



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

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

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

Put simply, jet lag is a common sleep disorder experienced by millions of travelers every day. It affects both people 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 individuals of all ages and, although it varies widely from individual to individual, it tends to become more severe the older you get.

Further, if you already have difficulty sleeping, you may well find that jet lag is more of a problem.

Jet lag also increases as you cross more and more time zones. If the difference in time between your point of departure and your destination is only an hour or two, then it's possible that you won't experience jet lag at all. However, if the difference in time is three hours or more then jet lag will begin to appear and its effects will become more and more pronounced the bigger the time difference.

Finally, the symptoms of jet lag do not always appear right away and, for a few individuals, it may well be two or three days before it hits.

Sleep apnea is among the most common and most dangerous sleep disorders. Roughly 18 million individuals in the US suffer from sleep apnea, which is characterised by repeating episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep. In time this can cause disordered thinking, high blood pressure, and cardiac disease.

Typically connected with aging, sleep apnea can occur together with loss of muscle tone or a buildup of fat. These changes cause a collapse in the windpipe while breathing As muscles relax in the course of sleep.

This form of the condition, referred to as obstructive sleep apnea, is more commonly associated with loud snoring (though not everybody who snores suffers from this condition). Sleep apnea may also occur if the neurons that control breathing don't function properly during sleep.

During obstructive sleep apnea, efforts to inhale air will create suction that results in the collapse the windpipe. This obstructs the air flow for 10 seconds to a minute while you struggle to breathe. As the level of oxygen in your blood falls, the brain reacts by awakening you sufficiently 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 tired and may well cause personality changes like depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also deprives you of oxygen, which may lead to a decline in mental functioning, a loss of interest in sex, or morning headaches. High blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack also Frequently arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you are suffering from 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 commonly be overcome by loosing weight or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You may also require special devices or surgery to clear the obstruction.

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