The Effects Of Sleep On Children And Adolescents

No one knows exactly what parasomnias are, and unfortunately, no one knows exactly what causes them, either. In one study I read, it was suggested that these occurrences are related to a delayed maturation of the central nervous system (Fleiss 30). This was the only reading that I saw this in. However, it has been discovered that parasomnias have a genetic link – they run in families. For example, if your child has night terrors, it is very likely that someone else in your family had either night terrors or some other form of parasomnia (confusional arousals, sleepwalking or sleep talking) (Mindell 263). Also, they appear to be developmental, with children seeming to experience them at certain ages. There are other possible contributing factors as well, which I will list here:

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

Adolescents today face a widespread chronic health problem: sleep deprivation. Research shows that getting enough sleep is a biological necessity. Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Teens are among those least likely to get enough sleep; while they need on average 9 1/4 hours of sleep per night for optimal performance and health and brain development, teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night, and most report feeling tired during the day (Nationwide Childrens, 2003). The root of the problem is early school start times.

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

Also known as night terrors, these episodes are often paired with other prarsomnias, such as sleepwalking. A Parasomnia is an undesired occurrence during sleep, such as sleep talking, sleep walking, and night terrors. During these sleep terror episodes, an individual might kick and thrash around while still unconscious, stare wide eyed, scream or shout, and so on. Night terrors are said to be able to occur for a period of up to 30 minutes, once about that much time has passed, the person will once again lye down and go to sleep. Once the next day comes around the corner, usually the child or adult will not have any recollection of the event, but they at times remember small fragments of the

Did you ever awaken and find yourself unable to move? Perhaps you sensed a presence in your room or a pressure on your chest. This is sleep paralysis. It is a common disorder that affects millions of people. Most believe it occurs as we are on the edge of REM sleep. The disorder has been connected with such hallucinogenic events such as alien abduction or an evil presence. Sleep paralysis is an inability to move or speak, occasionally accompanied by hallucinations, for up to several minutes upon awakening or just before falling asleep.

Annotated Bibliography Popova, Maria. " Sleep and the Teenage Brain.” Brain Pickings. 2015. Jan. 2016.

Sleep paralysis episodes typically occur during transitions from wakefulness to sleep (the hypnagogic state) or from sleep to wakefulness (the hypnopomipc state) (Cheyne, 2002). Abnormalities in this transition may allow sleep and waking processes to overlap. (Cheyne, Newby-Clark & Rueffer, 1999). Sleep paralysis experiences are not always nightmarish and do not always elicit fear (Sherwood, 2002). Most episodes, however, incorporate imagery or sensations, which cause fear. Images of threatening human or human like figures such as ghosts and demons are particularly common (Powell & Nielsen, 1998). People experiencing sleep paralysis report a subjective feeling of

Imagine waking up only to find that you are unable to move anything but your eyes, you sense something lurking in the darkness and open your mouth to scream. You try moving around to escape whatever it is hiding in the dark but you can’t. You can’t move at all. And then you wake up only to find it was all a dream. This bizarre phenomenon is known as sleep paralysis. It is unknown how much of the population it affects as there have been many differences in survey methods but it is estimated to be anywhere between 5 and 60 percent.

There are four levels of parasomnias. These levels include: Arousal Disorders, Sleep Wake Transition, REM Associated Parasomnias, and Miscellaneous Parasomnias. Each level has certain types of parasomnias categorized under it. Arousal Disorders involve sleepwalking, confusional arousals, and sleep terrors. Sleep Wake Transition Disorders involve rhythmic movement disorder, sleep starts, sleep talking, and nocturnal leg cramps. REM Associated Parasomnias involve nightmares, sleep paralysis, sleep-related sinus arrest, and REM behavior disorder. Miscellaneous Parasomnias involve bruxism, sleep enuresis, and Nocturnal Paroxysmal Dystonia. Parasomnias are actually classified into two groups as well. These groups are the primary parasomnias and

35). He also goes on to say, "[parasomnias] are by definition occult, because they appear when most people are unable to witness them" (p. 35). Other parasomnias that are better known than NSRED include sleepwalking and sleep terrors. Parasomnias such as these are extremely common in children ages 4 to 12. In fact, they are so common that they are considered normal behavior (Brown, 2002). Parasomnias, NSRED included, can cause self-injuries and lack of self-control while in a subconscious state (Idikowski, 2001).

Parasomnia is unwanted physical movement or action during sleep. Types of parasomnias: a) NREM-related parasomnias (sleep-walking, sleep terrors and sleep-related eating-disorders) b) REM-related parasomnias (nightmare disorders) c) other parasomnias ( exploding head syndrome, sleep-related hallucinations) d) Isolated symptoms and normal variants (sleep talking)

Parasomnia refers to a wide variety of disruptive, sleep-related events or, "disorders of arousal." These behaviors and experiences occur usually while sleeping, and most are often infrequent and mild. They may however happen often enough to become so bothersome that medical attention should be sought out. "Parasomnias are disorders characterized by abnormal behavior or physiological events occurring in association with sleep stages, or sleep-wake transitions."(DSM pg. 435)

Night terrors, nightmares, and sleepwalking are all cases that fall into sleep disorders called parasomnias. Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that can occur during arousal from either rapid eye movement or even non-rapid eye movement. Children from the age’s four to twelve of ages experience night terrors.