SLEEP DISORDERS Insomnia involves recurring problems in falling, staying asleep, or waking up too early → young insomniacs often experience the first problem, while middle-age and elderly people the next two; all are susceptible to sleep deprivation dangers

SLEEP DISORDERS → roughly one-third of adults experience insomnia, most commonly with the age-advanced and women

SLEEP DISORDERS → stress, anxiety, physical ailments etc. can lead to insomnia, but according to the hyperarousal model, those who have a higher level of physiological arousal – elevated heart rate, metabolism, body temperature – are most at risk

SLEEP DISORDERS Treatment of insomnia often involves sedatives which, though they can be effective, involve various potential drawbacks → sluggish side-effects carry over to the next day, used in combination with alcohol/opiates, overdose may occur, tolerance builds up so higher dosage is needed

SLEEP DISORDERS → basic guidelines for sleeping well: 1) don’t ‘work’ at or worry about it, 2) exercise, 3) avoid caffeine later in the day and food near bedtime, 4) do something relaxing before bedtime, 5) sleep on a regular schedule

SLEEP DISORDERS Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing involving reflexive gasping for air that repeatedly awakens and disrupts sleep

SLEEP DISORDERS → sleep apnea affects roughly 3-5% of people, and is common among the obese; lifestyle modifications and special masks worn during sleep can be effective

SLEEP DISORDERS Nightmares usually occur during REM sleep and are associated with stress/emotional problems, while night (sleep) terrors usually occur during NREM-3 and quickly come and go → sleep terrors involve intense panic and rapid heart and breathing rates; dreams are incoherent and rarely recalled

SLEEP DISORDERS Somnambulism (sleep-walking) is also a NREM-3 stage disorder occurring mostly in children who may be genetically predisposed to it (as are those who suffer from narcolepsy: brief, uncontrollable sleep attacks)

SLEEP DISORDERS REM sleep behavior disorder involves potentially violent acting out of dreams during REM periods → involves deterioration of the brainstem structure that usually immobilizes the REM sleeper