diagnosing sleep disorder

sleep disorders

It was shown in a recent poll carried out for the National Sleep Foundation that:

• 75% of those questioned reported that they frequently have sleep problems.



• Just half of those questioned reported that they slept without a problem on the majority of nights.



• A quarter of those questioned reported that problems sleeping had an impact upon their daily lives.

The poll also demonstrated that:

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



• People polled named sleep-related issues as the most usual reason for being late for work. Almost two thirds of working adults reported missing work, events/activities or making errors at work through sleep-related problems in the past three months.



• 75% 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 may cause the other to lose, on average, nearly an hour of sleep nightly.



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

A significant number of us have the occasional night of sleeplessness without any consequences. When, however, the occasional night once in a while becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you face a sleeping problem.

In simple terms, jet lag is a very common sleep disorder suffered by millions of travelers each day. It affects both those people traveling on business and on vacation and, according to a recent survey of international business travelers, 1 in 4 of those questioned said that they frequently suffered from jet lag.

Jet lag affects individuals of all ages and, though it varies widely from individual to individual, it tends to become more severe the older you are.

Further, if you are already experiencing a problem sleeping, you could 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 departure point 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 time difference is three hours or more then jet lag will start to appear and its effects will be more pronounced the larger the time difference.

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

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

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

This form of the condition, named obstructive sleep apnea, is generally 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 an episode of obstructive sleep apnea, efforts to inhale air will create suction that collapses the windpipe. This, in turn, blocks the air flow for 10 seconds to a minute while you struggle to breathe. As your blood oxygen level falls, the brain reacts 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 frequent awakenings which you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently fatigued and may well produce changes in personality like irritability or depression. Sleep apnea also leaves you short of oxygen, which could lead to a decline in mental functioning, morning headaches, or a loss of interest in sex. High blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and a raised risk of heart attacks and stroke also Typically arise in cases of sleep apnea.

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

Mild sleep apnea can sometimes be overcome through weight loss or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You might also require a special device or surgery to clear the obstruction.

In addition to the clock on your mantelpiece, the alarm clock beside your bed or your wrist watch, all of which, if you're something like me, govern your life to a large extent, you also have your own internal clock that dictates your body's rhythm.

Your internal clock controls many of the functions of your body, regulating such things as temperature and the release of hormones and, first and foremost, telling you when it is time to go to sleep and to get up.

Following the pattern of day and night (light and darkness) this internal clock tracks a pattern of close to 24 hours thereby giving your body a 24 hour rhythm or, to give it its proper title, a circadian rhythm - from the Latin circa (about) dies (a day).

When you circadian rhythm is upset 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 might even necessitate medical intervention.

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

Narcolepsy affects roughly 250,000 people in America. People with narcolepsy get frequent "sleep attacks" in the day, even if they experience a normal amount of night-time sleep. Attacks can last anywhere from a number of seconds to in excess of half an hour.

Individuals with narcolepsy may also experience cataplexy (the loss of muscle control during an emotional situation), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they awaken, and interrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms seem to be features of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep which appear during waking, which suggests that narcolepsy is a disorder of sleep regulation.

The symptoms of narcolepsy usually appear during adolescence, though it commonly takes years to obtain a correct diagnosis.

The disorder (or at least a predisposition for it) is generally hereditary, but it is now and again linked to brain damage from a head injury or to neurological disease.

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

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diagnosing sleep disorder, sleep disorders