Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders: A sleep disorder refers to any sleep pattern which disrupts the normal NREM-REM sleep cycle, including the onset of sleep. What is a sleep disorder? What types of sleep disorders are there?

The sleep disorders we need to have an understanding of are: Insomnia Hypersomnia Sleep Apnea

What is insomnia? Insomnia: continually getting insufficient or poor quality sleep. What are the types of insomnia? - difficulty falling asleep: sleep onset insomnia - difficulty staying asleep: sleep maintenance insomnia - awakening prematurely from sleep: also, sleep maintenance insomnia

What are the symptoms of insomnia? - inability to fall asleep within 30 minutes - awakening for longer than 30 minutes during the night - a consistently reduced amount of total sleep - complaint of poor sleep - feeling tired during the day If one of the types of insomnia (patterns of disruptive sleep) occurs in conjunction with one of the symptoms at least 50% of the time, insomnia is diagnosed. An insomniac exhibits a greater level of arousal e.g. body movement, breathing rate, body temperature, than a normal sleeper. When is a person diagnosed with insomnia?

What are the causes of insomnia? Insomnia can be caused by psychological or physiological problems. Psychological problems which result in stress or fear such as relationship problems, death or serious illness of a friend or relative, important events, change in lifestyle etc. may lead to insomnia. Once these are solved, the insomnia usually goes away. But, worry about not sleeping, or fears about what might happen during sleep, may cause ongoing insomnia.. Physiological causes of insomnia include medical problems, severe and persistent pain, and excessive use of alcohol or other drugs which disrupt the sleep cycle. Changes to sleep schedules such as changes to shift work can also result in insomnia.

Overcoming insomnia Does counting sheep…

…or other things, work?

Treating insomnia Medication, sleeping pills, may help in the short term but they can interfere with the sleep cycle and decrease the amount of REM sleep. Also, could become addicted. Natural alternatives are much better - learning relaxation or stress management strategies, developing regular sleep routines, exercise, a good diet, using the bed for sleeping.

What is hypersomnia? - Excessive daytime sleepiness coupled with sleep of excessive duration.

What are the symptoms of hypersomnia? - consistently needing more than 10 hours sleep - difficulty awakening, confusion upon waking - excessive drowsiness during the day What are the causes of hypersomnia? - Causes include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, depression, drug abuse. How can hypersomnia be treated? - as for insomnia, and where applicable, treatment for sleep apnea, medication for narcolepsy

What is sleep apnea? - a temporary cessation of breathing during sleep - breathing stops for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes with the sleep apnea often ending with a loud snore, the body jerking or arm flinging, and sometimes with the sleeper waking until breathing becomes normal

What are the causes of sleep apnea? - failure of the ‘breathing centres’ of the brain to maintain normal breathing - narrowing of the airway

What is the treatment for sleep apnea? - surgery to clear obstructions in the airway - nasal masks and pump to maintain regular breathing while asleep - tranquillisers to relax throat muscles Because people with sleep apnea often have their sleep constantly interrupted throughout the night, they may also suffer from hypersomnia.

Narcolepsy – what is it? - A sleep disorder where people experience sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks during the day where a person may go from being awake straight into REM sleep. Another disorder – not needed for the exam. - This can occur without any warning and may be accompanied by cataplexy, a total loss of muscle tone (causing collapse).

What are the causes of narcolepsy? - narcolepsy is a rare disorder occurring in less than 1% of people - actual cause is unknown, may be a biochemical imbalance - possibly a genetic predisposition What is the best treatment for narcolepsy? - no cure - stimulants help prevent daytime sleepiness - drugs to prevent the onset of REM sleep - leading a lifestyle which allows for a regular sleep-wake cycle including daytime naps