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Sleeping Disorders In College Students

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College students face many difficulties and stressors in college, both academically and non-academically. Some of these challenges include, but are not limited to: financial, health and personal issues. The workload that students can receive from classes as well as the college environment may result in issues that are more health related, such as stress disorders, depression, and anxiety. These in turn may lead to other issues such as sleeping problems or sleeping disorders. Students may develop bad habits that can play a factor as well. Sleeping disorders not only affect a student’s ability to work and to interact in the college setting, but can also affect a student’s mental health.
A sleeping disorder is a medical disorder of a person’s …show more content…

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness” (“What Is”). Students who have narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the daytime. Narcolepsy generally begins between the ages of 15 to 25. “Symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, hallucinations and sleep paralysis” (“What Is”). Excessive daytime sleepiness in general interferes with normal activities on a daily basis. Those who experience EDS report mental cloudiness, a lack of energy, and issues with concentrating and memory lapses among other things. Cataplexy consists of a sudden loss of muscle tone that leads to feelings of weakness and a loss of voluntary muscle control. The symptoms of cataplexy depend on the muscles involved, and are often triggered by intense emotions. One symptom, sleep paralysis, involves the temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up. These episodes are generally brief, lasting a few seconds to several minutes. Another symptom is hallucinations which may be experienced by those who have narcolepsy tend to be vivid and frightening. The content of the hallucinations are primarily visual, but other senses can be involved. The hallucinations are identified in two ways, based on when they occur. They are called hypnagogic hallucinations when …show more content…

There are many positives or benefits of going to college. While some sleeping disorders may not be avoidable for college students, having good sleeping habits or good health habits can decrease the risk of a college student getting one. While sleeping disorders and sleeping issues may not seem to be common in college students, it is actually both more common and a larger issue than what most people think it is. One of the benefits for college students who live on campus or off campus is that it can give students experience on how to take care of themselves since this may be the first time for an extended period amount of time that they are away from family. They also are able to meet people who are interested in the same kind of things that they are or people who are going into the same fields as they are. They can develop contacts that they may use when looking for a job after graduating college. Managing sleep patterns can lead to an improved college experience for the college

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