Online Medical Clinic

Sleeping Disorders - Symptoms, Causes, Effects

July 21, 2007 on 7:12 am | In Diseases and Conditions |

Sleep is an integral part of human existence, and we spend around one third of our total lives doing it. Sleep is a complex neurological state. Sleep disorder (somnipathy) is a disorder in the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders can interfere with mental and emotional function. Many adolescents actually have a common sleep disorder called a delayed sleep phase syndrome. Sleep is not just a matter of simply switching off the brain - it is a complex process involving several stages of deep and light sleep that occur over a full sleep cycle of around eight hours for most adults. One-third of all adult Americans–about 50 million people–complain about their sleep. Some sleep too little, some fitfully, and some too much. Although one-third of our lives is spent asleep, most of us don’t know much about sleep, not even our own. Sleep Apnoea (SA) is a disorder of breathing during sleep. Typically it is accompanied by loud snoring. People with sleep apnoea do not get enough oxygen during sleep.

Sleeping problems may be a result of different, sometimes serious, medical conditions. Sleep apnoea can cause morning headaches, high blood pressure, depression, difficulty concentrating, reduced libido and rapid weight gain. Narcolepsy has a prevalence rate of five per 100,000 population. It is a condition in which REM sleep cannot be inhibited during waking periods. As a result, involuntary periods of sleep lasting about 15 minutes occur throughout the day. People with narcolepsy can fall asleep at anytime be it while at work, talking, or driving a car. These ’sleep attacks’ can last from 30 seconds to more than 30 minutes. Chronic insomnia is associated with an increased risk of depression and accompanying danger of suicide, anxiety, excess disability, reduced quality of life, and increased use of health care resources. Physical causes include arthritis, kidney disease, heart failure, asthma, and restless legs syndrome. Behavioural factors include the misuse of caffeine, alcohol, or other substances.

Insomnia in its chronic form, affects approximately nine percent of the population. It manifests as a difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep. Sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, and sleep deprivation are very common in today’s busy world. Unfortunately, many people have a hard time trying to adjust to the rapid pace of today’s life and its challenges. They are more likely to suffer psychological or emotional problems eventually leading to sleeping difficulties. Other early effects of this acute syndrome include excessive diaphoresis, tachycardia, hypertension, tremors, restlessness, irritability, a headache, nausea, flushing, and nightmares. Anxiety can cause chronic insomnia as well as symptoms of tension, such as fatigue and restlessness; signs of autonomic hyperactivity, such as diaphoresis, dyspepsia, and high resting pulse and respiratory rates. Depression commonly causes chronic insomnia with difficulty falling asleep, waking and being unable to fall back to sleep, or waking early in the morning.