Sleep Disorders

Abstract

Patients with sleep disorders present, have a variety of complaints including excessive daytime sleepiness, daytime sleeping spells, inability to sleep, uncomfortable sensations, and unusual night time behaviors. This article includes descriptive of the five stages of sleep and insight on ten topics of sleep disorders. Topics include: Insomnia, Short Term Insomnia, Chronic Insomnia, Narcolepsy, Rest Less Leg Syndrome, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Hygiene, Jet Lag, Sleep Walking, and Night Terror. A brief description of each is included in the paper regarding the various possible causes of sleep loss, poor quality sleep, day time sleepiness and disturbed sleep at night. The discussion provides information regarding the symptoms of each topic. Sleep disorders are known to affect children, and adults. Adults are more affected by these disorders than children. It has also been obvious that sleep disorders can be life threatening to some and a constant aggravation to others. Future research continues to provide treatment information regarding the sleep disorders.

At one time or another most of us have experienced trouble falling asleep, to lie awake in the middle of the night or feel sleepy and tired during the day. When sleep problems regularly occur, they get in the way of our daily life and ability to function; you may be suffering from a sleep disorder.

Sleep is the time the brain tells the body to heal and repair itself, rebuild damage tissues and restore chemical balance. Your immune system also manufactures more natural killer cells to fight off infection disease while sleeping ( Hirshkowitz / Smith 2004).

A sleep disorder is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. A lot of sleep disorders are serious enough to disturb normal physical, mental and emotional functioning. It is known that sleep disorders can be caused by a variety of things such as teeth grinding to night terrors. It is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic disorder of sleep and wakefulness affecting daily functioning and adversely affecting health (Morrison, 2001).

There are five phases of sleep. When we are sleeping, we begin at stage one and go through each stage reaching REM sleep and then we begin the cycle again. The complete sleep cycle takes 90 to 110 minutes. The brain acts differently in each stage of sleep.

Stage 1

Usually starts out with a light sleep. We drift in and out of sleep. Eye movement and body movement slows down. There may be sudden jerky movements of your legs or other muscles. You could experience a feeling of falling.

Stage 2

We spend around 50 percent of your time sleeping in stage two. During this stage eye movement stops and brain waves become slower.

Stage 3

This is the first stage of deep sleep. Stage three can make it very hard to wake someone up. If someone or something awakens you in this stage you usually feel groggy.

Stage 4

Is known as the second stage of deep sleep. This stage also makes it difficult to wake someone up. We need these two deep stages of sleep to feel refreshed in the morning. If you do not reach these stages, you will not be refreshed upon wakening.

REM Sleep

This is a stage where dreaming occurs. REM sleep produces fast and shallow breathing. Eyes will move fast and muscles become relaxed. Blood pressure and heart rate increases. This phase takes place after about 70 to 90 minutes of sleep. The first phase of REM sleep is shorter. The deepest sleep occurs during the second phase between 2:00 and 4:00 AM.

Doctors discovered through time that there are more than 100 different sleep disorders. They currently recognize two major categories: (1) In the dyssominias, the problem is with the amount or quality of sleep or with its timing. (2) In the parasomnias, something abnormal occurs during sleep ( Morrison 2001 ).

Usually when people have difficulty sleeping with no obvious cause, it is known as insomnia. Insomnia is the most common type of dyssomnia. Insomnia could be caused by various factors. The cause may be different, but the end results of all sleep disorders is that the body's natural cycle of slumber and daytime wakefulness is disturbed. Insomnia can be caused by stress, such as an illness, grieving of a love one, divorce, environmental issues such as extreme temperatures, light, or noise. One definition given states insomnia is difficulties initiating and / or maintaining sleep, or non-restorative sleep, associated with impairments of daytime functioning or marked distress for more than four weeks (Wikepdia.org/wiki/insomnia 2012).

Insomnia is known as short term when it occurs fewer than three times a week or if it happens for a period of less than four weeks. The most common cause of short term insomnia is stress. In addition medical problems or medication can disrupt sleep. Caffeine, coffee, tea, and chocolate can aggravate sleep. Another effect is our sleep environment. The place should be cool, comfortable and quiet. Sometimes our bed partner could cause a sleep change.

In many cases short term insomnia can be determined by identifying the stress or trigger causing the insomnia. In most cases the difficult sleeping may disappear.

Chronic ( long - term ) insomnia is diagnosed when a person has related symptoms at least three nights a week for four weeks. Insomnia symptoms have been among the diagnostic criteria for several other mental disorders, including major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorders ( Buyssee 2008 ).

Benca states that an estimated 10 to 15 percent of the adult population suffers from some form of chronic insomnia; and additional 25 to 35 percent could have transient or occasional insomnia ( Benca 2005 ).

Sleep disorder suffers may require medication, treatments, surgery, or having to stay awake. It is no surprise that so many people have disrupted, little or no sleep, with all the worry that goes on with the economy, job, family, etc. All sleep disorders are dangerous one way or another. With the right treatment, medication or psychological help, maybe these people can find a way to live their life well rested.

There is a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. This is one of the most common causes of sleep disturbance and affects approximately 18 million people. People that have this disorder have abnormal breathing and most likely snore. Morrison states, regardless of the cause of sleep apnea, the blood becomes depleted of oxygen until breathing starts again ( Morrison 2001 ). Sleep