Archive for October, 2007

People suffer from sleep problems frequently, especially in people who have experienced traumatic events, natural disasters or violence.

People exposed to physical or psychological traumatic events develop a condition known as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Sleep is one of the many problems of PTSD. Sleep problems, such as frequent waking, difficulty in falling asleep, distressing dreams and nightmares are common in people with PTSD.

Severe trauma physically and psychologically can cause changes in basic biological functioning of a person. As a result of trauma, the person may look out for protection from danger. Therefore, it will become difficult to have a restful sleep when you feel the need to be always alert.

Sleep problems associated with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):

Difficulty falling asleep:

As a result of trauma, biological changes occur, making it difficult for you to fall asleep. Watchfulness or hyper-arousal will be always present making it hard to sleep. You will always be awake to protect yourself from danger.

Some medical conditions associated with post traumatic stress disorder can make it difficult for you to sleep. The conditions can be pelvic problems, chronic pain, stomach and digestive problems. Using drugs and alcohol are also associated with difficulty in sleeping.

Sleepwalking sometimes has been associated with violent behaviors against other people around them.

The violent behavior takes place only after the sleepwalking episode has been triggered and is underway.

Ninety percent of the people with sleep walking had some sort of violence in their sleep. Men are more susceptible than women.

Sleep walking occurs when you get up from bed and walk around even though you are still asleep.

It also involves many complex actions. It is common in children and affects both girls and boys.

Sometimes, sleepwalking begins in the old age. Men are more likely to display aggressive behavior than women when they sleep walk.

During the sleep walking event, the person moves around the environment and encounters someone else-most likely a family member. The person may come in contact with the sleep walker and violent behavior may result.

Kicking and hitting with arms and hands is the common type of violent behavior occurring on nightly basis. In some cases, violence can be more serious. Some sleep walkers place their hands around the neck of other person.

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a condition associated with children.

Children facing with this problem are hyperactive or impulsive.

If children with bedwetting show tantrums, learning disability and socialization problems, you should suspect that as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The incidence of bedwetting is higher in children who are diagnosed with ADHD.

For children and their parents, bedwetting can be traumatic condition and interfere with the ability of children to make friends.

The occurrence of bedwetting in children with ADHD is two to three times higher than children without ADHD. A child with ADHD is less able to wake up when the urinary bladder is full and it can lead to primary bedwetting.

In children who suffer from bedwetting, the incidence decreased dramatically by the time they are six to seven years old, but they still suffer from hyperactivity, impulsivity and problems with organization skills even they reach adulthood.

Children who suffer from ADHD and bedwetting have more difficulty in adjusting and coping with both problems than children who suffer from bedwetting.

Symptoms mostly appear in situations like school, social situations, and home, but to varying degrees. In some children, the problem occurs at only one place.

Headache is commonly seen in patients suffering with snoring.

Snoring patients often wake up with headache, which generally disappears as the day progresses. The condition is often seen in obese people.

Tensions associated with social aspects, arguments with bed partner, and lack of sleep can cause severe headache.

Tension headaches are described as constant pressure in the frontal and temporal areas.

Important factor of the headache is constant contraction and over contraction of the scalp muscles.

Tension headaches are also associated with depression and anxiety, which are associated with snoring. Headache sufferers take pain killers to ease their head pain. These pain relievers increase the possibility of a person’s snoring.

Snoring can also wake up the person multiple times during night and cause poor nighttime sleep. This lack of sleep can cause headache. People who have difficulty sleeping hold carbon dioxide at night and this can be the trigger that cause headache.

Vascular headaches are caused by retaining carbon dioxide. Nocturnal and early morning headaches are caused among these people where ventilation is poor during sleep and stagnation reduces clearance of secretions.

People with sleep apnea are likely to have blood vessel injury that may cause high blood pressure in daytime and can lead to heart disease.

The endothelial function is compared in healthy obese people who have sleep apnea with people who do not have sleep apnea.

Endothelium is a thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and regulate blood pressure by dilating vessels.

High blood pressure can damage the endothelium and it can lead to elevation of blood pressure damaging the vessels further.

Sleep apnea is an individual factor to damage the endothelium. Sleep apnea directly affects blood pressure by the following factors:

• Blood pressure fluctuates suddenly and widely in response to episodes of sleep apnea and hypopnea.
• These fluctuations possibly are due to a sudden surge in the sympathetic nervous system, which controls responses of involuntary muscles in blood vessels and heart and play a role in sleep apnea.
• These fluctuations can lead to blood vessel constriction and overtime can lead to high blood pressure and heart damage.

Insomnia can develop anxiety disorder and depression.

According to the studies, chronic insomnia is a condition that makes the trouble falling asleep or staying asleep most of the nights per month.

People who are suffering with chronic insomnia had anxiety disorders according to the survey.

Disturbance in your body’s circadian rhythm can lead to insomnia. The symptoms of insomnia include fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, not feeling refreshed after sleep and inability to sleep.

Insomnia increases your anxiety, as you are awake and try to fall asleep at night. If your anxiety increases, your brain becomes more active, making it difficult for you to sleep.

Conditions that can lead to insomnia:

• Certain medications such as bronchodilators, beta blockers, and decongestants can disrupt sleep.
• Consuming alcohol, caffeine, and cola drinks can cause insomnia.
• Heartburn, heart disease, arthritis, and chronic pain syndrome can interrupt your sleep.
• Underlying disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and Parkinson’s disease can cause insomnia.
• Your bedding can sometimes disrupt your sleep.

Sleep related breathing disorder is a major problem affecting children and adults.

Pauses during sleep can cause sleep related breathing disorder, which include sleep apnea [Sleep apnea information], snoring, central hypoventilation, and periodic breathing.

The usual cause for the obstruction of breathing is large tonsils and adenoids. Removal of these tissues is essential if the patient is having sleep related breathing disorders. Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are the two surgeries that remove the tissues of tonsils and adenoids.

These surgeries help to treat sleep apnea in children and adults, snoring and other breathing disorders. The surgeries take about sixty minutes and are performed under general anesthesia.

Children with sleep related breathing disorders:

If the child is diagnosed with sleep related breathing disorders, his/her tonsils and adenoids should be removed with surgery to sleep better. If the disorders are not treated in children, it can lead to hyperactive behavior, learning problems, bed wetting, headaches and daytime sleepiness.

The surgeon removes the tonsils in the child through open mouth without cutting the child’s skin. With series of incisions, tonsils can be removed and then blood vessels are cauterized. If the child has bleeding, he will be taken immediately to the operating room.

Many people who are suffering with obstructive sleep apnea are turning towards complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) for treatment. Before using these CAM therapies, it is best to take the advice from the doctor, but CAM therapies are now replacing traditional treatments.

There are many alternative therapies to treat sleep apnea. Acupuncture, nutrition therapy, and homeopathy are likely to have a positive effect.

Acupuncture and sleep apnea:

Identifying the acupuncture body points and inserting needles is the way of treating sleep apnea. Acupressure is a technique to apply mild pressure to the acupuncture body points. It can be done by pinching the point lightly between thumb and finger. The body points should be related to sleep issues to induce sleep and treat sleep apnea.