insomnia sleeping disorder

sleep disorders

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

• Three quarters of those questioned stated that they often suffer from difficulties in sleeping.



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



• A quarter of those questioned stated that sleep problems affected their daily lives.

The poll also revealed that:

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



• Those polled referenced sleep-related issues 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 as a result of sleep-related issues in the preceding 3 months.



• 75% of individuals polled reported a sleep problem with their partner - with snoring being the commonest. Partnered adults, suffer doubly disruptive sleep difficulties, as one partner's sleep problem could cause the other to lose, on average, about an hour of sleep every night.



• A quarter of individuals polled with partners report problems in their sexual relationship because of tiredness. They enjoy sex less frequently or lose interest in sex because of tiredness. Many couples sleep separately because of sleeping difficulties.

A large number of people experience the occasional sleepless night without any consequences. Once, however, the occasional night once in a while turns into a pattern of several nights in a row, you are facing a sleeping problem.

Narcolepsy affects close to 250,000 people in America. Individuals with narcolepsy suffer frequent "sleep attacks" during the day, even when they experience a normal amount of night-time sleep. Such "sleep attacks" can last anywhere from a number of seconds to over half an hour.

People with narcolepsy might also experience cataplexy (the loss of muscle control in emotional situations), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they wake up, and disrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms are features of REM sleep which appear during waking, indicating that narcolepsy is a sleep regulation disorder.

The symptoms of narcolepsy ordinarily appear in adolescence, though it commonly takes years to get a correct diagnosis.

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

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

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

This internal clock controls many of your body's functions, regulating such things as temperature and the release of hormones and, most especially, telling you when it's time to get up and go to sleep.

Following the pattern of day and night (light and darkness) this internal clock tracks a pattern of about 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).

If you circadian rhythm is upset because of shift work, you may suffer from temporary sleep disorders such as transient insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. Without treatment, transient sleep problems linked to a change in your work schedule could become chronic and in serious cases may even demand medical intervention.

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

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

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

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

Sleep apnea is among the commonest and most dangerous types of sleep disorder. In the region of 18 million people in the USA suffer from this condition, that is marked by repeated episodes in which you stop breathing while sleeping. Over a period of time this can lead to cardiac disease, disordered thinking, and high blood pressure.

Frequently 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 during sleep.

This form of the condition, called obstructive sleep apnea, is normally linked to loud snoring (though not everybody who snores has this condition). Sleep apnea might also occur if the neurons responsible for controlling breathing malfunction during sleep.

During an episode of obstructive sleep apnea, efforts to inhale air will create suction that collapses 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 waking you enough to tighten the muscles of the upper airway and open the windpipe. You may gasp or snort, then resume breathing. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night.

The frequent awakenings that you experience as a sleep apnea sufferer leave you feeling permanently fatigued and might well lead to personality changes such as depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also leaves you short of oxygen, which can lead to morning headaches, a decline in mental functioning, or a loss of interest in sex. High blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, and a raised risk of stroke and heart attack also Often arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you suffer 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 sometimes be overcome through weight loss or by preventing yourself from sleeping on your back. You may also require special devices or surgery to sort out the obstruction.

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