menopause sleep disorders

sleep disorders

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

• 3 out of 4 of individuals questioned said that they often suffer from difficulties in sleeping.



• Only 50% of individuals questioned said that they normally slept quite well.



• 1 out of 4 of individuals questioned said that sleep problems affected their daily lives.

The poll also demonstrated that:

• 60% of motorists polled reported having driven whilst 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 questioned named sleep-related problems 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 issues in the past 3 months.



• 3 out of 4 of those polled reported a sleep problem with their partner - with snoring being the most usual. 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 every night.



• 1 out of 4 of those polled with partners report problems in their sexual relationship as a result of tiredness. They enjoy sex less frequently or lose interest in having sex because of tiredness. A lot of couples sleep apart because of sleeping difficulties.

A significant number of us suffer from the occasional night of sleeplessness without any consequences. When, however, the occasional night here and there becomes a pattern of several nights in a row, you are looking at a sleeping problem.

It is thought that over 35 million individuals in the USA have a case of chronic insomnia (problems sleeping every night or virtually all nights for six months or more), with a further 20 to 30 million people suffering shorter-term insomnia (problems sleeping well for a period of one to six months). As well, a lot of people suffer from insomnia over shorter periods (under 4 weeks) and this is usually called transient insomnia.

Transient insomnia is normally brought on by excitement (a child anticipating the arrival of Father Christmas) or by stress (worry about making a speech). It also often results from long distance travel (jet lag) and can be seen in individuals who exercise late in the day, shortly before going to bed. It is also often connected to illness (colds/flu) and with various over-the-counter medications (for example, some medicines purchased for asthma or a cold).

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

Insomnia can be divided into three classes:

• "Initial" insomnia: where you have difficulty in falling asleep, typically taking 30 minutes or longer to fall into a sleep state.



• "Middle" insomnia: where, having fallen asleep, you have problems maintaining a sleep state and usually stay awake until the early morning hours.



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

Insomnia can occasionally be quite simply the symptom of some underlying medical conditions that might well require a visit to the doctor's surgery and medical care. Here it will be a matter of treating the underlying medical problem, rather than the insomnia.

If, however, your sleeplessness results from a pattern of not sleeping, or your body and mind find it difficult to settle into a state of relaxation necessary for sleep, then there are a number of choices for achieving healthy sleep without resorting to prescription drugs.

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

Affecting as many as 12 million adults in the USA, RLS leads to unremitting movement of the legs during the day and to sleeplessness at night.

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

Narcolepsy affects an estimated 250,000 Americans. People with narcolepsy get frequent "sleep attacks" in the day, even when they enjoy a normal amount of night-time sleep. Such "sleep attacks" can last anything from several seconds to in excess of half an hour.

People with narcolepsy might also experience cataplexy (a loss of muscle control in an emotional situation), hallucinations, temporary paralysis when they wake up, and interrupted night-time sleep. These symptoms seem to be features of REM sleep which appear during waking, suggesting that narcolepsy is a disorder of sleep regulation.

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

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

Once the condition has been diagnosed, antidepressants, stimulatns, 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 one of the most common and most dangerous sleep disorders. Around 18 million people in America suffer from this condition, which is characterised by repeated episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep. Over a period of time this can cause high blood pressure, cardiac disease, and disordered thinking.

Often linked with aging, 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, named obstructive sleep apnea, is more commonly associated with loud snoring (though not everyone who snores suffers from this condition). Sleep apnea may also occur if the neurons responsible for controlling breathing malfunction during sleep.

During obstructive sleep apnea, your effort to inhale air will create suction which collapses the windpipe. This, in turn, obstructs the air flow for anything from about ten seconds up to a minute while you struggle to breathe. As your blood oxygen level falls, the brain reacts by awakening you sufficiently 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 could cause changes in personality like depression and irritability. Sleep apnea also leaves you short of oxygen, which can lead to a decline in mental functioning, morning headaches, or a loss of interest in sex. High blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack also frequently arise in cases of sleep apnea.

If you are suffering from from severe, untreated sleep apnea you appear 2 to 3 times more likely to have automobile accidents than the general population.

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

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