fmla sleep disorder

sleep disorders

In a recent poll carried out on behalf of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF):

• Three quarters of individuals questioned reported that they frequently have difficuly sleeping.



• Just 50% of individuals questioned reported that they slept well on most nights.



• A quarter of individuals questioned reported that sleeping difficulties affected their daily lives.

The poll also revealed that:

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



• People referenced sleep-related problems as the usual reason for being late for work. Almost two thirds of working adults reported missing work, events/activities or making mistakes at work as a result of sleep-related issues in the preceding three months.



• 3 out of 4 of individuals questioned reported a sleep problem with their partner - 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, nearly an hour of sleep a night.



• A quarter of individuals questioned with partners report troubles in their sexual relationship as a result of tiredness. They enjoy sex less frequently or lose interest in having sex as a result of tiredness. Many couples sleep apart because of sleeping difficulties.

Many people suffer from the occasional night of sleeplessness without any consequences. Once, however, the odd night from time to time becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you face a sleeping problem.

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

This internal clock controls many of the functions of your body, regulating such things as temperature and the release of hormones and, above all, telling you when it is 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 approximately 24 hours thus giving your body a 24 hour rhythm or, to give it its full title, a circadian rhythm - from the Latin circa (about) dies (a day).

When your body's circadian rhythm is disrupted due to shift work, you may suffer from temporary sleep disorders such as transient insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. Left untreated, transient sleep problems connected to a change in your work schedule can become chronic and in serious cases can even necessitate medical intervention.

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

Sleep apnea is one of the commonest and most dangerous sleep disorders. About 18 million adults in the US suffer from this condition, which is marked by repeating episodes in which you stop breathing while sleeping. Over time this can produce disordered thinking, high blood pressure, and cardiac disease.

Typically linked with aging, sleep apnea can occur together with fat buildup or loss of muscle tone. These changes permit the windpipe to collapse while breathing Whenever muscles relax during sleep.

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

During obstructive sleep apnea, attempts to inhale air will create suction which collapses the windpipe. This, in turn, blocks 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 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 continual awakenings which you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently sleepy and could well lead to changes in personality such as depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also leaves you short of oxygen, which could 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 heart attacks and stroke also Commonly arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you suffer from severe, untreated sleep apnea you are also two to three times more likely to have automobile accidents than the general population.

Mild sleep apnea can sometimes be overcome by dieting or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You might need special devices or surgery to correct the obstruction.

It is believed that more than 35 million adults in America have a case of 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 individuals suffering shorter-term insomnia (difficulty sleeping well for between a month and six months). Additionally, a significant number of people suffer from insomnia over shorter periods (less than 4 weeks) and this is normally known as transient insomnia.

Transient insomnia is normally brought on by excitement (a child anticipating his birthday) or by stress (worrying about your upcoming driving test). It also often results from long distance travel (jet lag) and can be seen in individuals who take exercise late in the day, shortly before going to bed. It is also often connected to illness (colds/flu) and with a few over-the-counter medications (for example, some medicines bought for a cold or asthma).

Women and men of all ages suffer from insomnia, although it is more common in women and in the elderly, especially after the menopause.

Insomnia can be split into three categories:

• "Initial" insomnia: in which you display problems in falling asleep, generally taking 30 minutes or more to fall asleep.



• "Middle" insomnia: in which, after falling asleep, you have problems maintaining a sleep state and frequently remain awake into the early hours of the morning.



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

Insomnia can frequently be merely the symptom of an underlying medical conditions which could require your doctor's advice and medical care. Here it is a matter of treating the cause, rather than the insomnia.

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

Put simply, jet lag is a very common sleep disorder experienced by many millions of travelers each day. It affects both those people traveling on business and on vacation and, in a recent survey of international business travelers, 74% of those questioned said that they often suffered from jet lag.

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

Further, if you already have a problem sleeping, you are likely to 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. However, if the difference in time is three hours or more then jet lag will begin to appear and its effects will become increasingly pronounced the larger the time difference.

Finally, the symptoms of jet lag do not always appear at once and, for a few people, it might be two or three days before it hits.

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