Sleeping Disorders
…a
little background
The field of sleeping disorders is a large one and one which tends to cover many, seemingly
unrelated conditions. Apnea, Narcolepsy, Restless leg syndrome, Hypersomnia: we’ve all heard
the names but do we really understand the condition?
When we talk about sleeping disorders we’re commonly speaking about those who either sleepwalk or can’t sleep
(often referred to as “Insomnia”) and it’s these conditions which are becoming more of
a prominent issue in today’s society.
According to “Wikipedia” there are a total of 14 different sleeping disorders ranging from simple eye twitching
to the more complex restless leg syndrome. Some of these disorders are
treatable and some preventable when monitored by a Doctor or specialized health professional.
We must recognize from the outset, however, that sleeping disorders can be extremely dangerous when they go
undiagnosed. Many who are suffering from these disorders are facing many life threatening problems because, as we
know, having a sleeping disorder can easily disrupt your normal, everyday, life.
The major problem is that many are not aware of it being a problem until they see it affecting their job and
everyday life. Sufferers may also develop clinical depression as a result, because they begin to feel like failures
as they are not able to accomplish as much as they normally would after a full night of sleep.
Being diagnosed with a sleep disorder that is not treated can often result in a slow descent into depression.
Not only the physical but the mental side of life begins to suffer. Thus the problem is compounded. More time is
spent worrying about the condition than getting the correct amount of sleep!
The average person sleeps anywhere between six and eight hours, but the most anyone sleeps is ten hours. It has
been recorded that those who sleep more than the regular number of hours tend to throw their body off, due to the
fact that our natural sleep rhythm matches the day and night changes. Get the required amount of rest and your
immune system doesn’t stress out and this doesn’t trigger more complex medical and health issues.
Those who have been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder of some kind can be treated medicinally and monitored
under a doctors supervision. It is possible to treat these problems with medicine and therapy and to retrain your
body to sleep on a reasonably normal scale. In other words: Sleep help is available, start by talking with your
Doctor!
Some individuals may need a sleeping test called a “Polysomnogram” which is used to determine and diagnose the
sleep problem so that specialists and doctors can plan treatments specifically for that individual. This is the
world of specialists and individually built plans. A one pill fixes all approach doesn’t work well in
these circumstances!
Generally the treatment is either a variety of prescribed sleeping aids, a mixture of behavioral or
psychotherapeutic treatments or physical aids such as a nose breathing machine. (...also known as a CPAP machine).
Sometimes, in severe cases, brain activity measurements are taken but most often, overnight sleep tests are
performed, sometimes in a sleep clinic and sometimes with a monitor at home.
This testing is especially significant for those who drive heavy machinery (or drive anything!) or are in a work
situation where machinery plays a major role. You must know and understand the limitations of your disorder
It does seem that these sleep disorders are becoming more of a problem with younger people especially
teenagers because we find that modern day lifestyles are leaning more and more
towards longer days, night life and increased caffeine consumption. Smoking, drinking alcohol, unhealthy foods and
lack of exercise are combining to combat the maintaining of physical health and when you combine this with putting
more into your day, shortening your sleeping time, then you have a recipe for a sleep disorder.
Just take a look at the climbing sales of high caffeine drinks and you have to think: "Problem
Here"!
The more you know about the sleeping process and the more you understand your own sleeping activity, the more
likely you are to control the conditions that could trigger a sleeping disorder and all of us would prefer to live
a full life without having to face any sleeping disorders at all.
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