fibromyalgia and sleep disorders

sleep disorders

A poll carried out for the National Sleep Foundation showed that:

• 3 out of 4 of those polled reported that they often have difficulty sleeping.



• Just half of those polled reported that they usually slept reasonably well.



• 1 out of 4 of those polled reported that sleep problems affected their daily lives.

The poll also demonstrated that:

• Just under two thirds of motorists questioned reported driving while drowsy in the previous year. (4 % reported that they had had an accident or near-accident through tiredness or falling asleep while driving.)



• People referenced sleep-related problems 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 because of sleep-related issues in the past three months.



• 3 out of 4 of adults questioned reported a sleep problem with their partner - with snoring being the most common. 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 each night.



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

A large number of people suffer from the odd sleepless night without any consequences. If, however, the occasional night from time to time becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you are facing a sleeping problem.

Restless leg syndrome (RLS), a familial disorder producing unpleasant prickling, tingling, or crawling sensations in the legs and feet and an urge to move them for relief, is emerging as one of the more common sleep disorders, particularly among older people.

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

Severe RLS is most common in elderly people, although symptoms can appear at any age. In some cases, it may be associated with other conditions such as pregancy, diabetes, or anemia.

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

This internal clock controls 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) the internal clock tracks a pattern of almost 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).

Whenever your body's circadian rhythm is disrupted due to shift work, you may suffer from temporary sleep disorders such as excessive daytime sleepiness or transient insomnia. Without treatment, transient sleep problems linked to a change in your work schedule may become chronic and in serious cases could even expect medical intervention.

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

Narcolepsy affects approximately 250,000 individuals in the USA. People with narcolepsy get frequent "sleep attacks" in the day, even if they get a normal amount of night-time sleep. Such attacks can last anything from a number of seconds to more than 30 minutes.

People with narcolepsy can also experience cataplexy (a loss of muscle control in emotional situations), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they awaken, and interrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms are features of Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep which appear during waking, which suggests that narcolepsy is a sleep regulation disorder.

Narcolepsy symptoms usually appear during adolescence, although it typically takes years to get a correct diagnosis.

The disorder (or a predisposition to it) is typically hereditary, but it is occasionally linked to brain damage from a head injury or to neurological disease.

Once it has been diagnosed, antidepressants, stimulatns, or other drugs can be used to control the symptoms and prevent the embarrassing and dangerous effects of falling asleep at improper times. Naps at certain times of the day can also reduce the excessive sleepiness during the day.

Sleep apnea is one of the commonest and most dangerous sleep disorders. Roughly 18 million adults in the United States suffer from this condition, that is marked by repeating episodes in which you cease breathing during sleep. In time this can result in cardiac disease, disordered thinking, and high blood pressure.

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

This form of the condition, referred to as obstructive sleep apnea, is often linked to loud snoring (though not everybody who snores suffers from this condition). Sleep apnea may also occur if the neurons responsible for controlling breathing malfunction during sleep.

During an episode of obstructive sleep apnea, attempts to inhale air will create suction that causes the collapse the windpipe. This obstructs the air flow for 10 seconds to a minute while you struggle to breathe. When the level of oxygen in your blood falls, the brain reacts by awakening you sufficiently to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. You may snort or gasp, then resume breathing. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night.

The continual awakenings which you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently fatigued and might lead to personality changes such as irritability or depression. Sleep apnea also deprives you of oxygen, which may lead to morning headaches, a decline in mental functioning, or a loss of interest in sex. High blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and a heightened risk of heart attacks and stroke also Frequently arise in cases of sleep apnea.

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

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

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