How Sleep Disorders Change a Day and Night

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. It can have a devastating impact on one’s emotion, physical, occupation and social life. While it occasionally can be seen in the clinical setting as a primary diagnosis, it most often presents as a comorbidity to a medical or psychiatric issue;

Mr. M, a 54 year old man is taken to a sleep disorder facility for examination of daytime somnolence and insomnia. He has been battling with anxiety and depression, a disorder he is being treated with. He reports that he has been suffering from Insomnia for several years and only turned worse about 7 years ago. He is troubled with sleep initiation, which usually takes him over one hour to fall asleep. As soon as he is asleep, he wakes up several times, which makes him to struggle again to go back to sleep. He turns in bed without sleep until dawn when he gets up feeling fatigued and drained. The major diagnosis is DSM 5 insomnia disorder. Given the comorbid indications of obstructive sleep apnea and depression, it would perhaps be hard to assess whether Mr. M has DSM-IV primary insomnia since DSM 5 enables the clinician to generate an unpremeditated attribution between obstructive sleep disorder and insomnia.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep. Narcolepsy is not

As stated in a previous statistic, sleep disorders unfortunately target a wide variety of ages. Children are commonly affected by Sleep Apnea, teeth grinding, Night Terrors, Nightmares, sleep walking, Restless Leg Syndrome, bedwetting, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Adults tend to be affected by Insomnia, Hypersomnia, Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Sleep Paralysis, Hypopnea Syndrome, and Noctoria. Sleep disorders are very common and also very dangerous in some circumstances. Ill treating or ignoring sleep disorders can lead to lethargy, poor mood, lack of motivation, and may negatively impact

Narcolepsy is a permanent sleep disorder that gets worse with age. It is estimated that about 40,000 to 135,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy. (Narcolepsy, 2002). Most people who have narcolepsy are often times misdiagnosed because the symptoms, especially if noticed at the beginning stages, are very similar to other sleep disorders. Some of the symptoms that go along with narcolepsy are excessive sleepiness, especially during the daytime or when sleep is inappropriate, cataplexy which is when a person suddenly looses control of their muscles, sleep paralysis which is when the person is unable to move for a short period of time after they wake up from sleep, and hypnagogic hallucinations which is very

This relaxation goes even further when the soft palate muscles and uvula (fleshy tissue) sag over the airway as well, creating the "labored and noisy" (Sleep Apnea) so readily associated with the condition. It is important for the student to know that there are times when this blockage causes breathing to stop entirely. Interestingly, those who suffer with sleep apnea do not realize it, inasmuch as another person typically hears the startling noises and suggests that there is a problem. The sufferer may display frequent episodes of falling asleep on the job, giving work associates the clue, as well. "People with sleep apnea usually aren't even aware they have a problem and may not believe it when told" (Sleep Apnea). Inasmuch as sleep apnea is potentially life threatening, it is imperative that the sufferer seeks immediate diagnosis and treatment. Early recognition and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea is a critical step not only in getting a more restful night's sleep, but also in avoiding the potential complications of irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Sleep apnea is more prevalent in men and young African-Americans; however, it has been diagnosed during all life stages. It is important for the student to know that attaining proper diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea includes consultation with a primary care physician, pulmonologist, neurologist

Insomnia can be defined as a purpose or apparent complexity in falling and staying asleep. Dissimilarities in variables used for measurement sleep-onset time, time asleep, and time awake by some, sleepiness, irritability, or other impairment of daytime function by others, make difficult comparisons between studies. The insomnia treatments for which there is confirmation of efficacy include sleep restriction, in which the patient is instructed to remain in bed only as long as he is actually sleeping, stimulus control no activities in the bedroom except sleep and sex, and a variety of relaxation methods, particularly in the circumstance of multimodal sleep clinics (Rowe, 1995).

Insomnia is another sleep disorder that has an effect on the daily lives of others. There are four different types of insomnia that a person may have: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, and Sleep State Misperception. Sleep State Misperception occurs when a person gets a full night sleep, but they feel like they have not gotten any sleep at all. Insomnia can also be classified into three different categories: transient insomnia, short-term insomnia, and chronic insomnia. Transient insomnia occurs only a few nights, short-term insomnia occurs up to four weeks, and chronic insomnia happens most every night for a month or longer. It is common for most everyone to suffer from short-term insomnia at some point

this study, PhD Liora Kempler at the University of Sydney is  specialized in the sleep disorders and her colleague

Parasomnias are partial arousal states that disrupt sleep. Different phenomena that are closely related make up this spectrum of behavior, described as complex behaviors or physiological events that manifest when an individual becomes stuck in the transition period of the sleep cycle. Studies on partial arousal states have been more in depth within the last half century. In regards to sleep terror disorder, many effected individuals only require assurance of their safety and accurate facts of the nature of sleep terror episodes. Additional management may be a consideration if violent behavior becomes problematic or restricts daily functions. Research has indicated a number of features associated with sleep terror disorder but

Confusional arousals usually occur in the first half of the sleeping cycle (source 1). They are characterized by the sudden awakening during the night with feelings of disorientation and extreme confusion. Some, especially adults, may display violent or improper acts, while those that experience them the most, children, usually begin to cry (source 3). These arousals are also called sleep drunkenness because those that experience these symptoms don’t remember what they have done after waking up. The motor behavior is affected for those with this disorder; it is often regarded as normal, simple behavior. Sometimes, however, those experiencing the arousal disorder could become aggressive and sexually active without knowing it. This sexual behavior is often referred to as sexsomnia. This disorder is prevalent amongst children younger than the age of 13, and it begins to decrease as the age increases (source 2). Episodes could last up to 45 minutes (source 5), and attempts to wake up those that are experiencing an episode could actually increase the parasomnia effects (source 4); arousals could be influenced by the lack of sleep, medications that include tranquilizers and antidepressants, and infections of the body. Family history and genetic factors, in addition, could play a major part in causing the

Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. It occurs when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep even though you had the opportunity to get a full night of sleep. The causes, symptoms and severity of insomnia vary from person to person. Insomnia involves both a sleep disturbance and daytime symptoms. The effects of insomnia can impact nearly every aspect of your life. Studies show that

Sleep… How much is too little? How much is too much? Does it matter when one sleeps? Without the crucial state of rest for both the mind and the body, known as sleep, human beings would be unable to perform everyday skills essential to thriving, such eating, critical thinking, and performing tasks effectively. If one’s sleeping patterns are disturbed on a regular basis, then that person quite possibly might have a sleep disorder. The topic of sleep disorders is complex and extensive due to the fact that various types are diagnosed and recognized. Each type of sleep disorder can affect individuals in its own specific way. A few of the wide range of sleep disorders include: sleep apnea, night terrors, Restless Leg Syndrome, narcolepsy, excessive snoring, insomnia, and many more. Sleep disorders are quite intriguing simply because, no matter the type, two patients might display the same sleep disorder but exhibit differing symptoms. The two types of sleep disorders to be discussed in extent are obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy. When one experiences narcolepsy, involving the overwhelming urge to sleep during the day, and sleep apnea, involving the disturbance of one’s breathing patterns, that person can be effected both physically and emotionally.

This is defined as a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep (Nabili, 2015). The two major types of sleep apnea are central and obstructive as well as having a mixture of both. Central sleep apnea is caused by a failure of the brain to activate the muscles of breathing during sleep. It can be reduced through a process known as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. With CPAP, patients wear a mask over their nose and mouth while a blower forces air pressure to prevent upper airway tissues from collapsing during sleep. This treatment is good for obstructive sleep apnea as well which is caused by the collapse of the airway during sleep. The breathing device allows for the airway to be regulated avoiding a collapse during sleep. However, obstructive sleep apnea can be more serious and require surgical treatments including nasal surgery, palate surgery, and tongue reduction surgery. Typical health implications associated with these types of sleep apnea are high blood pressure, strokes, and heart disease; daytime sleepiness is also normal as well as difficulties in thinking or remembering (Nabili,

In the United States alone, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimate that forty million people suffer from a chronic long term sleep disorder, with another twenty million suffering from occasional sleep loss. Given those numbers it is no surprise that more research into how sleep disorders affect the human body and why they occur is being undertaken. Currently, there are more than one hundred known sleep disorders, narcolepsy being one. Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that occurs in roughly 1 in 20,000 people and exhibits has four major symptoms; excessive day time sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations.