excessive sleep disorder

sleep disorders

The release of a recent poll for the National Sleep Foundation shows that:

• 75% of those questioned stated that they suffer from frequent sleep problems.



• Only 50% of those questioned stated that they normally slept quite well.



• 25% of those questioned stated that sleeping difficulties had an impact upon their daily lives.

The poll also revealed that:

• 60% of adult motorists reported having driven whilst drowsy within the past twelve months. (4 % said that they had had an accident or near-accident because of tiredness or actually falling asleep while driving.)



• Those questioned cited sleep-related issues as the most common reason for being late for work. Almost two thirds of working adults reported missing work, events/activities or making errors at work as a result of sleep-related issues in the preceding 3 months.



• Three quarters of individuals polled reported a sleep problem with their partner - snoring being the commonest. Partnered adults, suffer doubly disruptive sleep difficulties, as one partner's sleep difficulty can cause the other to lose, on average, about an hour of sleep every night.



• 1 out of 4 of individuals polled with partners report troubles in their sexual relationship as a result of tiredness. They enjoy sex less often or lose interest in having sex through tiredness. Many couples sleep apart because of sleeping difficulties.

A significant number of us experience the odd 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 face a sleeping problem.

Narcolepsy affects an estimated 250,000 people in the United States. People with narcolepsy endure frequent "sleep attacks" in the day, even when they enjoy a normal amount of night-time sleep. These attacks can last anything from just seconds to in excess of half an hour.

Individuals with narcolepsy might also experience cataplexy (loss of muscle control in an emotional situation), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they awaken, and disrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms are features of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that appear during waking, suggesting that narcolepsy is a sleep regulation disorder.

Narcolepsy symptoms usually appear in adolescence, though it normally takes years to get a correct diagnosis.

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

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

Sleep apnea is among the commonest and most dangerous sleep disorders. In the region of 18 million people in the US suffer from this condition, which is characterised by repeated episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep. Over time this can produce disordered thinking, cardiac disease, and high blood pressure.

Often connected with aging, sleep apnea can occur in association 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, known as obstructive sleep apnea, is often associated with loud snoring (though not everybody who snores has this condition). Sleep apnea might also occur if the neurons responsible for the control of breathing don't function properly during sleep.

During obstructive sleep apnea, efforts to inhale air will create suction which results in the collapse the windpipe. This, in turn, obstructs the air flow for anything from about ten seconds up to a minute while you struggle to breathe. When the level of oxygen in your blood falls, the brain reacts by awakening you enough to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. You may snort or gasp, 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 sleepy and might well cause personality changes such as depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also leaves you short of oxygen, which could lead to a loss of interest in sex, a decline in mental functioning, or morning headaches. High blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke also commonly 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 need special devices or surgery to sort out 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 like me, govern your life to a large extent, you also possess 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 especially, telling you when it is time to get up and go to sleep.

Following the pattern of day and night (light and darkness) 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 disruption to the body's circadian rhythm occurs as a result of shift work, you may suffer from temporary sleep disorders such as excessive daytime sleepiness or transient insomnia. Left untreated, transient sleep problems connected to a change in your work schedule might become chronic and in serious cases can even require medical intervention.

Shift work also places you at greater risk of chronic cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems. Heartburn, indigestion, flu, weight gain, high blood pressure, colds 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 desire to move them to get relief, is emerging as one of the more common sleep disorders, especially among older people.

Affecting as many as 12 million adults in the US, restless leg syndrome leads to continual movement of the legs during the day and to sleeplessness at night.

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

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