Archive for November, 2006

Research has shown that approximately 40% of Americans are experiencing occasional bouts of insomnia and one out of every ten people suffers from more chronic insomnia that is ongoing.

Some people can have relief from their sleeplessness with the help of sleeping pills and your chances for getting a restful night’s sleep will also improve.

Doctors will only prescribe sleep medication for insomnia as a last resort after other methods such as lifestyle alterations and behavioral techniques have been undertaken.

Instances under which sleeping pills can be considered

The National Sleep Foundation has set down guidelines as to when medicating a person for sleep relief becomes essential. Firstly, the cause of the sleeplessness has to be clearly identified.

Sleeping pills might need to be taken if difficulties with sleep patterns are affecting an individual’s ability to accomplish many routine daily tasks then sleeping pills. It may be time for sleeping pills if behavioral techniques have been refused by the insomniac or have not helped.

Sleeping pills can be used as a remedy if a person is suffering from a form of insomnia-related distress. Many doctors start their patients on a small dosage of sleeping meds at the start of behavioral therapy as they favor using the two in conjunction with each other.

There are six common causes of disruptive sleep in children and these include

• Sleep deprivation
• Resistance to sleep/settling problems
• Parasomnias
• Night walking
• Sleep-onset associations
• Separation issues

Sleep Deprivation

Any sleep disorder can lead to sleep deprivation. This sleep deprivation can affect a physical and mental health of the children and also has an effect on his/her performance in school and in other social activities.

Sleep deprivation among children is becoming more and more commonplace in our society, to its detriment as it has many debilitating effects on an otherwise healthy child’s life.

Resistance to Sleep/settling Problems

Sometimes children have a resistance to what is known as sleep/settling. Basically this means a child who for one reason or another doesn’t want to sleep and shows this by throwing a tantrum complete with screaming and feet stamping, or constantly thinks of excuses for why he or she is not ready for bed just yet. This can also be seen by kids who simply say to their mothers, I’m not going to bed because I don’t want to.

Parasomnias

Parasomnias are one of the main reasons of disruptive sleep in children. Parasomnias are sleep-related problems that interrupt proper sleep patterns and include

Sleep paralysis is a condition during sleep in which the affected individual feels incapable of movement.

It is a serious sleep disorder.

Sleep paralysis sufferer will generally experience the feeling that they are unable to execute voluntary physical movement at the onset of sleep, which is sometimes referred as hypnogogic, or just upon waking, which is sometimes referred as hypnopompic period.

Sleep paralysis sufferers complain that they are unable to move their legs, arms, and trunk upon waking or at falling asleep.

In many cases, strong dream-related mentation, and sometimes even hallucinations accompany sleep paralysis. Some people report the feeling of something or someone applying pressure on their chest. [Hypnagogic Hallucinations]

A short-termed episode of muscle paralysis is cause of sleep paralysis. Fortunately, this sleep disorder does not appear to cause harm to an individual’s health.

However, sleep paralysis sufferers often report feeling frightened at not being able to move, and experience considerable stress at not knowing when the effects of a sleep paralysis episode will subside, or when a new episode will occur.

Hypersomnia means excessive sleepiness or being overly sleepy.

People with hypersomnia usually experience excessive sleep during the day.

This symptom is called excessive daytime sleepiness or EDS.

Causes of Hypersomnia

Inadequate nighttime sleep is the main cause of hypersomnia. For every 24 hours, our body requires a certain amount of sleep. For most people, that means about 8 hours of sleep. Your body tries to catch up on the sleep during the day when that sleep is not obtained at night.

The bigger question becomes, why is your body not getting enough sleep at night? Are you sleep-deprived because you are going to bed too late and getting up too early? Are you sleepy during the day because of problems with insomnia at night?

Sleep Disturbing Factors

• Sleep may be disturbed by particular sleep disorders such as sleep-disordered breathing, periodic limb movements in sleep, or narcolepsy.
• Certain medications also have the side effect of causing day time sleepiness or hypersomnia.
• Withdrawal from other medications such as caffeine also can cause sleepiness.
• Medical illness or psychiatric illness can also cause daytime sleepiness.

Hypersomnia can cause difficulties with memory and concentration, thus affecting overall performance. This can become particularly dangerous when poor performance resulting from sleepiness results in accidents.

Sleep deprivation is the lack of inadequate sleep. Sleep deprivation is a common condition that afflicts 47 million American adults.

An individual can be deprived of sleep by their body and mind, insomnia, or actively deprived by another person.

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

The common causes of sleep deprivation include:

• Not allowing sufficient time for sleep
• Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and myoclonus,
• Repeated awakenings from noise
• Excessive worry or depression
• Medical conditions that cause pain, breathing problems, and mental illnesses such as depression
• Working in night shits and travel across time zones

The symptoms of sleep deprivation can interfere with memory, energy levels, mental abilities, and emotional mood.

A study conducted by the University of Chicago Medical Center in 1999 shows that the situation drastically affects the body’s ability to metabolize glucose, leading to symptoms that mimic early-stage diabetes.

Sometimes, sleep deprivation is used as a torture device but studies show that it has been an efficient treatment for depression and other mental illnesses.

Night sweats is medically called as hyperhidrosis.

It can disrupt your sleep and leave you feeling all washed up literally.

Night sweats sufferers may awaken in the middle in the night feeling either too cold or too hot, their palms clammy, and their bed sheets moist with sweat.

Night sweats are certainly a nuisance and it can also lead to insomnia-inducing stress. How do you know if you suffer from night sweats? Most likely, your wet bedding and extreme body temperature will be enough to diagnose night sweats. Visit your doctor if you are still in doubt.

Causes of Night Sweats - Menopause

Night sweats are not inherently harmful. Generally, they are a symptom of another condition. Causes of night sweats are many. Perhaps, menopause is the most common cause of night sweats in women. [Sleep and Menopause]

Most menopausal women will experience some form of night sweats. Because of hormonal changes, men too can suffer from night sweats. Andropause, which is sometimes referred to as ‘male menopause,’ can also be a cause of night sweats in men.

Illnesses

Night sweats also commonly stem from any illness that can produce fevers and chills. Night sweats can also be caused due to immune-suppressing diseases such as HIV, AIDS, Hodgkin’s disease, and tuberculosis.

Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder because of airflow obstruction and cessation of respiration.

It is a common and potentially fatal disorder, with adverse effects on multiple organ systems in the body, particularly the heart.

These adverse effects can cause mild to severe organ dysfunction.

Consequences of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The medical complications of untreated OSA occur because of the direct effects of the periodic blockages in the upper airway.

These direct effects include low blood oxygen levels, the production of large changes in the pressure inside the chest cavity, and arousals from sleep that occur almost every time the airway narrows.

The problems or medical complications associated with untreated sleep apnea are as follows:

• Systemic hypertension: high blood pressure, which causes an increased risk of heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, and poor circulation.
• Left-sided heart failure: inability of the heart to pump the blood adequately, causing shortness of breath, fatigue, and poor ability to exercise.
• Pulmonary hypertension: elevated blood pressure in the lungs associated with shortness of breath, chest pain, and increased mortality.
• Arrhythmias: irregularity of the heart rate.

Almost every is familiar with snoring.

If you doesn’t have the habit of snoring, then might have shared a room or bed with someone who posses the habit of snoring.

Even though snoring is often the butt of many jokes and used for comedic effect on TV and in movies, snoring can in fact be a serious medical condition.

Snoring can take a toll on the quality of you and your sleeping partner’s sleep, as well as your overall health.

Many people view snoring as a harmless nuisance, but in reality, it can indicate underlying health problems.

Snoring is not only a medical concern but also take quite a social toll. A snorer may keep their sleep partner awake, and cause their quality of sleep to decline. The snorer’s sleep partner may also worry about their partner’s health, particularly if they also suffer from sleep apnea.

Both the snorer and their sleeping partner may experience sleep deprivation and insomnia that in turn leads to irritability, daytime fatigue, restlessness, and overall lack of energy and productivity.

In serious cases, a person’s snoring may even drive their sleeping partner out of the bedroom, and into the respite of a quieter room.