Sleep Disorders Essay

Get rid of anything in your bedroom that might distract you from sleep, such as noises, bright lights, an uncomfortable bed, or warm temperatures. You sleep better if the temperature in the room is kept on the cool side. A TV, mobile phone, or computer in the bedroom can be a distraction and deprive you of needed sleep. Having a comfortable mattress and pillow can help promote a good night’s sleep. Individuals who have insomnia often watch the clock. Turn the clock’s face out of view so you don’t worry about the time while trying to fall asleep. You should only use your bedroom for sleep rather than working, eating or watching TV. This will

Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder where a person has experiences of not breathing during sleep. Over 20 million Americans, mostly overweight men, suffer from sleep apnea. Despite these numbers, sleep apnea is often not treated directly because its symptoms are thought to be those of depression, stress, or just loud snoring. There may be a genetic component to this disorder as it often occurs within families.People with sleep apnea stop breathing for at least 10 seconds at a time; these short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night.

Sleep is a beautiful thing, but people do not get enough of it. It is a time for the body to rejuvenate and process the events of the day. Sleeping is something that we seek out. Getting the recommended amount of sleep allows our body to function properly the next day. Without it, there could be detrimental consequences. The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that without sleep, neurons could be “polluted with byproducts”. In severe cases, people who get very little sleep often experience mood swings, hallucinations and cells do not continue to reproduce.

          The dictionary defines sleep as “The natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored” (Webster’s 638) If one is waking up on an average of 300 times per night, the chances of complete body restoration are minimal. The Greek word apnea literally means “without breath”. An estimated 30 million Americans stop breathing during their sleep sometimes 30-40 times per hour and often for a minute, or longer each time. Of these, about 20 million are in the early stages, and about 10 million have progressed to a level of severity that requires treatment. According to the National

What is Sleep Apnea? Sleep apnea is sleep related breathing disorder. It disrupts a person's normal breathing pattern while sleeping. This serious disorder decreases the levels of oxygen in the blood during long periods of sleep when the breathing repeatedly stops and starts while asleep. This chronic condition happens when the muscles at the back the throat relaxes and narrows the airway causing breathing pauses or shallow breaths, a common condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This occurrence significantly affects the quality of sleep that explains the feeling of tiredness and sleepiness during the day.

Obstructive sleep apnea remains the most common and occurs when the throat muscles relax when a person sleeps. These muscles support the structures of the mouth, such as the tonsils and soft palate. When they relax, the airway closes down, temporarily halting the passing of air. When the brain realizes this is occurring, it wakes the person up to allow the airway to reopen. Most individuals don't fully wake up when this happen, and the person may actually snort when the airway reopens. This can occur hundreds of times throughout the night.

The intention of this paper is to describe the epidemiology and risk factors of the most common respiratory sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and to examine the link between OSA and the array of negative health issues, concentrating on the cardiovascular evidence.

Everyone needs sleep and it will make a day go smoothly or completely ruin someone’s rest of the day. Every human, animal, and most insects require a sufficient amount of sleep to function normally thought-out their day and night. On average humans need about seven to ten hours of sleep, as a normal requirement for the brain to recover conventionally. However, 40-50 percent of Americans do not get enough sleep every night (Information on Insomnia, n.d.). Lack of time or stressful living schedule may hinder there sleeping time. Others may have a disorder that causes them to have horrible sleep experiences and not being able to sleep.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused by a blockage of the airways during sleep. It causes interruptions of the breath during sleep and can actually wake you up! This causes poor quality of sleep and stress on the entire body.

Sleep apnea is categorize into two different groups; Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is caused by cessations in air flow without respiratory effort. The CSA cases are extremely rare and often are mixed with Obstructive sleep apnea [1]. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the occasional interruption of breathing during sleep as a result of periodic airway blockage. It is more common in middle-aged adults and preschool children [2]. Obstructive sleep apnea is considered a serious medical condition and millions suffer from OSA worldwide. Complications may include: hypertension, heart failure, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, and stroke [3].

"Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that affects people while they sleep. The most common symptom is loud, heavy snoring, which is often treated as a joke." But sleep apnea is no joking matter, as the risks involved are potentially fatal (Pascualy 1). The following case study is provided by Johnson:

Sleep apnea is common in most people. It may briefly stop your breathing since there is blockage in the upper airways. This may cause pauses in breathing throughout the night and interrupt your sleep, leaving you waking up each hour. Often times people with these issues do not remember waking up each hour and feel exhausted during the day.(Smith) The most common sleeping disorder is Insomnia. Insomnia is a condition where you are unable to wake up feeling rested and refreshed. Often times Insomnia is a symptom of another problem such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Insomnia can also be caused by your medications or lack of exercise. This disorder can be cured with some lifestyle changes that you make on your own.(Smith) A few symptoms you may encounter if you have a sleep disorder may be feeling tired while driving, trouble controlling your emotions, or slow reactions.(Smith)

In the textbook, “Psychology in Modules”, sleep is defined as “our periodic natural loss of consciousness” (pg.100) (Myers & Dewall, 2015). I am a person that loves to sleep a lot and consider it as a hobby of mine as it is useful in stressful times to restore and gain energy back after a long day depending on the type of situation that occurred. Based upon the sleeping disorders discussed such as insomnia, narcolepsy, etc.…, I never undergone any of them but the common one that I have seen that most people tend to get is sleep apnea. I would wonder how it occurs to others as in my family, both of my parents snore in the middle of their sleep but my siblings and I don’t. There would be times where they would choke in their own saliva and wake up having trouble

The first and most researched sleep disorder is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea does not affect children as often as it effects adults, but it is still a rising concern. Sleep apnea occurs in about 2 per cent of children, mainly between the ages of one through eight. But it can also show up in older children and even infants. (Klein). Research says that young blacks are more at risk than young whites. (Fritz p 83). Children with sleep apnea briefly stop breathing many times during the night due to an obstruction in the respiratory tract. Most of the time it is related to enlarged tonsils and adenoids or to obesity. As the child will gasp for there breath during sleep, they awaken for a few moments to regain there normal breathing and then they immediately return back to sleep. Because the child will be awoken by this many times during the night, this cause sleep deprivation. (Common Sleep Problems AA). The physical symptoms of sleep apnea are excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, restless sleep, heavy and irregular breathing, excessive perspiring during the night, bad dreams, sleeping with there mouth open, sleeps in strange positions, morning headaches, learning problems, excessive irritability, depression, changes in personality, difficulty

Sleeping is extremely important for all mammals, but humans especially. Without sleep we are unable to function properly and at our fullest abilities. When we sleep we grow, and it is an opportunity for us to dream which has many benefits. Sleep is also a way for us to relieve ourselves of stress.