Sleeping Disorder - Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a type of Sleeping Disorder. Actually it is used to represent group of people that are affected by excess sleepiness. A person suffering form it may also have problem of day dreaming. This problem is refreshed by few short naps, i.e. after 2 – 3 hours of nap a person feel sleepy again. A person suffering from it may feel asleep suddenly. This attack of sleeping suddenly can come anytime; it can be while walking, eating or even driving which can be too dangerous.

There are basically 2 kind of Narcolepsy:-

  • Narcolepsy without cataplexy
  • Narcolepsy with cataplexy

A person with cataplexy feels sudden weakening of muscles of arm, face or legs. This generally happens when the person experiences strong emotions like during laughter. People who are suffering from narcolepsy can experience following problems:-

  • Sleep paralysis in which a person is not able to move for few minutes or seconds when waking up or falling asleep.
  • Hypnagogic hallucinations in which a person start seeing things that aren’t there
  • Disturbed night sleep in which a person woke up frequently and even have trouble falling to sleep again.
  • Memory problem in which a person might even have problem in remembering things that other people tells that person as the person might not even be fully awake.

Almost 0.05% people are suffering from narcolepsy. This is not a genetic problem but still chances are higher to get this problem if your elders are suffering from it. Again, it is rare to have two people from same family to be suffering from this disease.

A person can know whether that person is suffering from this disease by looking at the following factors:-

  • Your resistance to sleep during the day becomes worthless.
  • Tendency to sleep again even after having a full night sleep.
  • Tendency of feeling sleepy after the person had long nap.Narcolepsy

If all the above is true then that person might be suffering from Narcolepsy. The worst part of this problem is that it can even last for life time if not properly treated. A person usually gets affected with this problem at the age group of 12 – 20. A person has to have the treatment. The person should also note that there can be other problem that are causing the above symptoms like another sleep disorder, medication use, substance abuse, a medical condition or even a mental health disorder.

If a person is suffering from Narcolepsy then that person must for and see a doctor, sleep specialist as other doctor might not be able to find the correct cause of the problem. The most important, it is not a common problem so only specialist gets to see such cases and will be able to give proper treatment. Doctor might need to know your full medical background before prescribing the right treatment for this problem. It is mostly treated by taking medicines that keeps you awake during day so that you can sleep well at night, but this can vary.


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0 Comments : 12.5.07

Sleeping Disorder - Jetlag

Every human body has a biological internal body clock that helps humans maintain a sense for the time zone that person is living in. Time zone is different for different places which changes with longitude and latitude of particular place. So, when a person is traveling by plane or jet to different locations the internal body clock takes time come in synchronization with the time zone of that particular place as the rhythm of the internal body clock is set according to particular time zone and its synchronization gets disturbed. Humans develop particular habits according to place they are living in i.e. the time of eating or sleeping these can change drastically according to different time zones.

Another major cause, that a major cause of trouble is for the people who have long or irregular working shift hours which causes potential loss for adapting to different changes in terms of day and night around them, on an average 65% of People who have long working hours have complained for similar symptoms as in jetlag.

A particular person can immediately find that whether the person is suffering from jet lag or not:-

  • Irritability
  • If a person doesn’t feel like eating
  • Stomach upset Feels
  • Feels unnecessarily tired
  • Feeling somewhat depressed
  • Grogginess
  • Like dehydrating a lot(or dehydration)
  • Uneven sleep patterns

As jetlag is a temporary phenomenon which may vary from person to person across different ages and across different sex. According to a study, it has been found out that younger people have more chances or they are more susceptible to jet lag and so are females .Females have more chances of developing jetlag then their counterpart i.e. males.

For example people travelling from London to Tokyo or vice versa have more chances of developing jetlag as people would have to cut across continent and through different time zones which would have more chances of developing jetlag. As more the distance a person travels and more the time zones are covered more are the chances of developing jetlag. As soon as more than 6 time zones are skipped the length and effects of jetlag start increasing adversely.

Though jetlag can considerably reduce by

  1. Taking shower in between flights
  2. Exercising before flight
  3. Melatonin
  4. Drinking lots of fluids

Taking shower in between flights

During long flights it is always a better idea to have a shower to freshen up and relax muscles. It helps to recover from jetlag much quickly.

Exercising before flight

A person should try to get as much exercise as much possible so that blood flow remains good.

MelatoninJetlag

This is one controversial method to counter jet lag which has always been a topic of debate as if done with even slightest of mistake it could lead to even further worsening of jetlag. It involves manipulating hormones in human body.

Drinking lots of fluids

Drinking lots of fluids is always a good Idea before a flight as it would help fight dehydration, it is important to remember only non-alcoholic drinks should be preferred even more so, drinking plain water should be preferred.

Note

Sleeping pills should not be taken to get rid of jet lag as it would only worsen its effects causing blood clots.


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0 Comments : 12.3.07

Sleeping Disorder - Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder that causes the person’s body to stop breathing during the sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when tissue at the back of throat collapses and even blocks the airway. This prevents the air from getting into the lungs. This is a common sleep disorder.

It happens due to the fact that the muscles present inside the throat relaxes as you sleep. Gravity causes tongue to fall backward and then block the airway. This Blockage of airway can happen several hundred times per night or a few times a night.

OSA can occur both in women and men of any age group, but is common in middle-aged, obese men.

There is a relationship between OSA and weight. Your neck can get thicker as your body gains weight. This can certainly increases the volume of fat present in back of throat resulting in narrowing of the airway. As the fat increase the chances of throat getting blocked increases.

People with Obstructive sleep apnea are often obese with neck size more than 17”. Many people with Obstructive sleep apnea are found to have a high blood pressure. Children having large tonsils can have OSA.

Symptoms of Obstructive sleep apnea are:-

  1. Experience of any of the below problems?
    • Unintentionally falling asleep specially during the day
    • Fatigue
    • Un refreshing sleep
    • General daytime sleepiness
    • Insomnia
  2. Waking from asleep with choking sound or with gasping for breath?
  3. You stop breathing or snoring loudly while you sleep?

If you have reported such symptoms then you may be suffering from OSA. There can be other cases also possible like many people snore loudly but only 50% of then suffer from OSA. Snoring comes when the air is partially blocked. Some people think that they don’t snore but the right person to answer that is their bed partner. In this problem a person may feel sleepy during day time. They may feel tired even after taking a nap. The person may find him/her self awake suddenly form the sleep.

If a person is suffering from OSA then that person must visit specialist as this is a serious problem involving blockage of the air respiratory system of the person. A person can also go for overnight sleep study, also called as polysomnogram as this can help in evaluate the problem.

There is possibility that the person may be suffering from other problems such as:Obstructive Sleeping Apnea

  • Another sleep disorder
  • Mental health disorder
  • Medication use
  • A medical condition
  • Substance abuse

Following things can help in the treatment process, which are:-

  1. Continuous positive airway pressure treatment is most often used for the treatment of OSA. It works by wearing a mask and throwing air back into the throat making airway open and thus the person can breathe easily while asleep
  2. One can also go for weight loss exercises.
  3. Under severe cases one can also go for surgery.

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0 Comments : 12.1.07

Sleeping Disorders in Youth

There are a number of sleeping problems amongst teenagers consist of drugs, stress, bad sleeping environment or physical discomforts. PLMD or Periodic Limb Movement Disorder is faced when the arm and leg movement disrupts sleep, making the teenager tired and bad tempered due to deficiency of sleep. In this disorder, the adolescent is not aware that he is moving his legs or arms when sleeping. To have a sound sleep during night one should work a lot during day.

In order to rally round this sleeping disorder the victim has to move the legs and arms pretty vigorously. With the right medication and aid from medical professionals, sleeping problems amongst teenagers can be cured. Why is it that we suffer from deprivation of sleep? Whatever the cause may be, if we do not get enough of sleep we build a “sleep debt” that causes a few of the symptoms given below. People suffering from deprivation of sleep get more flu and colds than people who are not suffering from depression. This can turn into a nasty cycle, as whilst stress can cause actually deprivation of sleep, it is the result of it as well. An answer to such problems might just be better or more sleep. The brain is unable to function properly on account of sleep deficiency.

A research has established that from puberty age, the requirement of sleep enhances till adulthood. The brain is unable to function properly on account of sleep deficiency. A research has established that from puberty age, the requirement of sleep enhances till adulthood. People suffering from deprivation of sleep get more flu and colds than people who are not suffering from depression. Deficiency of sleep might make you ill. There are a small number of things in life that is as pleasing as a good sleep. As a result, it is essential to get a good night’s sleep that you ought to have. If you cannot get a deserving good night’s sleep on a regular basis, then you probably suffer from a chronic sleeping disorder and you need to treat it on time.Youth

If you are suffering from a sleep disorder and you find that it is problematic to get a good sleep at night that you deserve, then you aren’t alone. A report reveals that around forty million people have a medical condition of chronic long-term sleeping disorder every year. Sleep related disorders are usually classified into 3 categories – deficiency of sleep (for example, insomnia), troubled sleep (for example, blocked air passage of throat or sleep apnea) and too much of sleep (for example, narcolepsy, the state of falling asleep unwillingly and spontaneously).

If you cannot get a deserving good night’s sleep on a regular basis, then you probably suffer from a chronic sleeping disorder. Some sleeping disorders are persistent, brought about by psychiatric conditions or deep medical. Common reasons of sleeping disorders are changes in lifestyle, stress related to work, and counter top drugs that upset sleeping patterns.


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0 Comments : 11.29.07

Types of Sleeping Disorder

Being able to sleep as you spouse or partner is snoring away? It can be frustrating for some people Almost everyone at some point in his or her life would have gone through this experience wondering why it was happening.

The reason may be different from person to person except no total of sheep counting will assist in this situation and lay you to sleep! The cause of your sleepless night probably some type of sleeping disorder.

More than 50% of adults above the age of Sixty Five suffer from several type of sleeping disorder? Study has still not establish the reason for this incidence although they state that it might be linked to the normal process of getting old or even the medication that elder people generally take.

Some of the ordinary cause of sleeping disorder can be connected directly to way of life. If you are taking or using some kinds of drugs, consume too a large amount of alcohol, chain smoking, this all things can lead you to short of sleep in nights.

People who travel regularly across diverse time zone also experience a incident called jet insulate Others who have pains and aches particularly concentrated in the neckline and back region also discover it complicated to sleep.

However all are general disorder and can be restricted by making change in way of life. The most important sleeping disorder that people undergo from is Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome or ASPS and Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome or DSPSSleeping Type

ASPS or Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome is a quite common disorder amongst the older man and women where they lie broad wide awake in night but feel really exhausted and drowsy throughout the early evening hour. Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome orDSPS is the opposed of Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome orASPS and is a unceasing disorder where the peson who undergo from this the whole timing of sleeping is changed. person sleep in the day and wake up in nights

Ever wake up in nights with a burning feeling in your gut? if you are suffering from this, you have something call GERD. After that there are other like Hypersomnia, Night Terror, Personamia and PLMD. All of this disorder is characterize by specific symptom and arise due to various factor, which could be hereditary emotional. or even psychological


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0 Comments : 11.26.07

Types of Sleeping Disorders

Sleep related disorders are usually classified into 3 categories as mentioned. People suffering from sleep disorders are in general given medicines or recommended to undergo psychotherapeutic or behavioral treatments to cure the condition. While medicines (for instance sleeping pills) provide immediate and easy relief, they do not give you a good night’s sleep that you deserve and do not eliminate the main cause of sleep deficit.

There is a range of unusual conditions that can bring about the start of adult enuresis, however the most general causes are either physical distress or a sleeping disorder for instance sleep apnea. People experiencing adult enuresis might attempt to cover up the symptoms; for instance, they would no longer want to sleep on the same bed with another adult. Adult enuresis related to sleeping disorder is more difficult to treat, and in a number of cases it might also be incurable. People experiencing adult enuresis might attempt to cover up the symptoms; for instance, they would no longer want to sleep on the same bed with another adult. Adult enuresis that is related to sleeping disorder might be connected with other symptoms for instance sleepwalking, sweats and night terrors.

Sleeping disorder at times known as somnipathy is a disorder that interrupts an individual’s regular sleep pattern. Rare or occasional disruptions in sleep cannot be termed as sleeping disorder. Some sleeping disorders create difficulties with emotional and mental functioning whilst others make themselves noticeable in physical ways. Parasomnia consists of sleeping disorders for instance disorder of REM sleep behavior, sleepwalking. Instances of dysomnia consist of narcolepsy, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, recurrent hypersomnia, hypersomnia, disorder of sporadic limb movement, healthy hypersomnia, posttraumatic hypersomnia, sleeping disorders related to biorhythm, and deferred sleep phase disorder. A few common sleeping disorders consist of deferred sleep phase syndrome, bruxism, insomnia, hypopnea syndrome, narcolepsy, jet lag, parasomnias, night terror, periodic limb movement disorder or PLMD and rapid eye movement disorder.

Other kinds of sleeping disorders consist of disorder related to shift work, restless leg syndrome or RLS, sleep paralysis, sleep apnea, snoring and sleepwalking. Sleep experts categorize sleeping disorders into 3 types. Sleeping disorders related to medical orSleeping Disorders Types psychiatric problems can cause disruption of normal sleeping patterns. Examples consist of psychoses for instance schizophrenia), anxiety, mood disorder, alcoholism, depression, sleeping sickness, and panic. Please keep in mind that snoring isn’t considered to be disorder just by itself even though it can be a warning sign a health problem and can bring about more grave problems for instance sleep apnea.

Dysomnia consists of a vast range of sleeping disorders, which are related to either hypersomnolence or insomnia. Instances of dysomnia consist of narcolepsy, insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, recurrent hypersomnia, hypersomnia, disorder of sporadic limb movement, healthy hypersomnia, posttraumatic hypersomnia, sleeping disorders related to biorhythm, and deferred sleep phase disorder. A hormone known as melatonin is distinctly connected with regulation of sleep cycle, and the body produces this hormone when levels of light are low, and switches off during high light levels. It has partial usefulness in case of insomnia.


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0 Comments : 11.24.07

Sleeping Disorder - Inadequate Sleep Hygiene

Today if you ask 100 people about sleep disorder 70 will say they are suffering from this. It is largely reported these days. Many people are affected with this world wide and so are their daily life gets affected. It can be to any age group starting from small children to adults. It has got serious ill effect. You will not feel active, it is possible that you might get lost while studying, you will not able to concentrate. You will feel sleepy at mid of the day. There are many causes of Sleep Disorder. I will be explaining you about Inadequate Sleep Hygiene.

In this a person might keep of thinking something else and not think of what that person is suppose to think i.e. not alert. This can happen due to two types of practices which are:-

  • That keeps you awake
  • That brings disorder to the sleep schedule

Common factors that keep a person awake at night is alcohol; it makes a person sleepy but then also keep a person awake at night. Drinking caffeine present content like colas, coffee also makes a person alert and thus affects that person’s sleep. Other factors that can do the same are worry about something, excitement, lot of physical exercise and even mental stress. It can even happen if a person is spending lot of time in the bed but not sleeping. Napping too much can be adverse to. Such bad habits make a person’s body confused and thus affect total sleep time.

This can lead to drastic consequences like having sudden mood changes, depression, lack of attention, poor concentration, feeling sleepiness at daytime, caffeine and/or alcohol dependence etc. A person may think that that person’s sleep problem gets solved automatically or comes the same way but actually it is due to the change of that person’s sleeping habit. It is typically found in young children but can occur to person of any age group.

In order of know whether a person has Inadequate Sleep problem that person need to see whether that person is suffering by insomnia by observing following symptoms:-

  • Having trouble falling sleep, waking too early, staying asleep pr even feeling refresh after sleeping?
  • For child, resisting going to asleep or waking up early at nights?
  • Above problem occur even if a person has got enough sleep and time to sleep?

If any of the above symptoms is present then a person might be having insomnia. Then observe following symptoms:-Sleep Hygiene

  • Having such problems for at least a month?
  • Having 1 of the habit mentioned below:-
    1. Bad sleeping schedule.
    2. Taking products containing caffeine or alcohol near bedtime.
    3. Doing activity that excites your mind
    4. Not having comfortable sleeping environment.

If you also have above mentioned habits then you are suffering from Inadequate Sleep problem. Try to correct your bad habits. If still having this problem then in such case you need to talk to a sleep specialist.


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0 Comments : 11.22.07

Sleeping Disorder – Important Considerations

We all know the significance of good sleep and we can not underestimate them. During our sleep our body maintains and repairs our cells. To avoid the affects of depression and stress cell growth takes place. During our sleep some kind of chemicals are released from our immune system for fighting infections.

Sufficient night sleeps are mandatory for a healthy life. Now here a question arises – are we taking sufficient sleep every night, or having ‘sleeping disorder’? A sleeping disorder can affect us by harming our physical and mental abilities and cause stress and depression.

If we consider few things and seek advice from doctor or physician we can avoid sleeping disorder. It will help us to maintain our healthy life and have good sleep every night.

It is important to know the cause of sleeping disorder which is due to sleep cycle interruption. These causes are our physical condition, biological condition, mental or psychological, or any medicinal side effect. Some chemicals can also interrupt our sleep cycle such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and some herbal supplements. It should be noticed that even herbal supplements are good for our body but, if consumed in excess, can effect our sleeping cycle.

The next important thing is to know the symptoms of sleeping disorder. One of its recurrent symptom is difficulty in falling sleep which can cause trouble to wake up early in the morning. Another common symptom and cause of sleeping disorder is physic conditions such high blood pressure and overweight. So it is advisable to take enough sleep normally from seven to eight hours per day for living a healthy life.Sleeping Disorder Considerations

After understanding the cause and symptoms of sleeping disorder, the next obvious step is to find out the available treatments. You will be please to know that many solutions are there for the treatment of sleeping disorder. For treating sleeping disorder the is complex solution such as medicine or technology or simple solutions such as maintaining our life style. Snoring is also one of the symptoms of sleeping disorder which can be treated through surgery.

Also there is a natural way to avoid sleeping disorder by managing out sleeping environment such as using of sleep mask to eradicate disturbing light, using comfort pillow, some exercises, meditation, avoiding smoking, alcohol etc. It is important to know that positive attitude is a prerequisite to make the treatment successful.


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0 Comments : 11.20.07

Sleeping Disorder - Insomnia

Insomnia is a type of Sleeping Disorder. If a person is asked that is that person has bad sleep then probability of that person saying yes is 0.7. People’s daily schedule is getting affected due to improper sleep. This can happen in any age group be it child or adult. It has some very serious ill effects. You will not feel active, you might lose concentration while studying, you will not able to [pay attention to the things happening around you. You will feel sleepy at mid of the day. There are many causes of Sleep Disorder. I will be explaining you about Insomnia.

There are basically 4 kind of insomnia:-

  • Difficulty in falling sleep
  • Difficulty in staying sleep
  • Waking up early
  • Poor quality of sleep

A person suffering from Insomnia may have following symptoms:-

  • Feeling tired and even grumpy during the day.
  • For child, resisting going to asleep or waking up early at nights?
  • Having trouble in concentration at the work.
  • Falling asleep during day.

Even if people don’t have insomnia then also that person can feel grumpy and tired. If a person didn’t got enough sleep as that person had to wake up late night and is asleep during day then it does not mean that the person is suffering from insomnia. For some people who are actually suffering from insomnia, it goes away in few days after they get their habits and schedule right. If a person is suffering from insomnia due to depression or stress then it is of higher level and may last for several weeks and don’t goes away on its own.

For a common sleep disorder almost 30% of the adults have symptoms as of insomnia and only up to 10% of adults are likely to have chronic insomnia. It is common in elderly people and even in women.

In order to make sure that you have insomnia observing the following symptoms:-

  • Having trouble falling sleep, waking too early, staying asleep pr even feeling refresh after sleeping?
  • For child, resisting going to asleep or waking up early at nights?
  • Above problem occur even if a person has got enough sleep and time to sleep?
  • Having one of the problems written below:-
    1. Lack of motivation
    2. Poor performance at the work place
    3. Daytime sleepiness
    4. Tension, stomach or headaches
    5. Low energy
    6. Attention, concentration or even memory loss problems
    7. Mood changes
    8. Making errors at work or other placesInsomnia
    9. Worry or frustration about sleep

Still there can be other conditions like medical condition, medication use, mental health disorder etc.

In order to get rid of the problem, first try to follow best sleep hygiene. Details of sleep hygiene can be obtained from any doctor or even the internet. If still having trouble then, go to a sleep specialist. One can even go for meditation classes as it helps in releasing all the stress from the mind and bring peace to it. This is very helpful and has lot of positive effects.


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0 Comments : 11.18.07

Sleep Apnea Snoring – A Common Sleeping Disorder

Snoring is the odd and funny sound which you make while sleeping. Initially it seems to be a matter of laugh by your family and friends, but sooner you realize that it’s not a laughing matter. Even you become anxious and oversensitive due to lack of sleep from quiet a few nights. Then after you find it as a genuine problem, however others may seem only to make fun of it.

When you are not able to get a good sleep in the night, your snoring may become a sleeping disorder which is commonly known as ‘Sleep Apnea Snoring’. You will recognize that possibly you might be suffering from Sleep Apnea Snoring when sometimes you find your breath obstructing and choking while your sleep, that time yours snoring turn to be very loud. Such incidents of obstructed sleeping may vary from 30 to 300 breaths per night, and may remains for more than 10 seconds per breath. Due to these, our blood gets lesser amount of oxygen than require which affects the function of heart.

One of the side effect of sleep apnea snoring is that the person affected from this is not able to get a full rest out of his sleep and remains sleepy for the whole day. When he remains under such condition for several nights, he becomes frustrated and moody, looses his concentration from the work at hand and also feels headaches through out the day. The nastiest effects of Sleep Apnea Snoring, particularly when it remains untreated are – irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, hypertension, and even heart failure.

Sleep Apnea Snoring is usually observed in males, people who are more than 40 years of age, overweight people involving children. The possibility of having sleep apnea snoring increases if the person is having glut of tissues in the throat area; tonsils; or larger size of neck than normal.

If you find any such symptoms then it is advisable to consult with your doctor. In order to diagnose for sleep apnea snoring one test is conducted which is known as polysomnogram. This test diagnose sleep apnea snoring by recording heart rate, air flow, activity of muscle, blood oxygen level, brain’s electrical activity etc. during your sleep.

If the condition of sleep apnea snoring is mild than you yourself can cure it by a regular exercise program along with healthy food diet.

One more effective way of preventing sleep apnea snoring is constant pressure of air through your upper airway which avoids obstruction of breath through airways tissues. But in such cases when the cause of upper airway obstruction is the enlargement of tonsils or deformation of nasal system and alike, then the only solution left for the treatment of sleep apnea snoring is surgery.


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0 Comments : 11.16.07

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