 |
| Sleep Disorder |
Conditions as different as diabetes, heart disease, and extreme obesity, as well as other health problems have been linked to it. Yet, most victims are oblivious of this debt.
The culprit in this regards is Insomnia, or sleep debt, or sleep disorder. Call it whatever name you like, insomnia develops when a person does not get enough sleep that is needed for health and well being. This can be caused by stress, voluntary sleep deprivation resulting from a person's lifestyle, or by involuntary sleep deprivation because of illness. However what makes a person lose consciousness and fall asleep remains a mystery. Researchers, however, have established that sleep is a complex process regulated by the brain and that it obeys a 24-hour biological clock.
As we get older our sleeping habits change. A newborn sleeps for frequent short periods that total about 18 hours a day. According to sleep specialists, although some adults appear to need only three hours of sleep a day, others need up to ten hours. Recent research has prove that variations in our biological clock also explain why some teenagers struggle to get out of bed in the morning. The biological clock seems to shift forward during puberty, making young stars want to go to sleep later and wake up later. This sleep delay is common and tends to disappear in the mid-to-late teens.
Our biological clock is regulated to chemical substances, many of which have already been identified. One of them is melatonin, a hormone thought to trigger sleepiness. Melatonin is produce in the brain, and some scientists believed that it is responsible for the slow down of body's metabolism that occur prior to falling asleep. As melatonin is released, body temperature and blood flow to the brain are reduced, and our muscles gradually lose their tone and become flaccid. What happened next as the person descends into the mysterious world of sleep?
Stages of Sleep.
Stages of Sleep
After two hours of sleep, our eyes begin to quiver quickly back and forth. The observation of this phenomenon led scientists to divide sleep into two basic phases viz-a-viz REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM, which is sub divided into four stages of progressively deeper sleep. During a healthy night's sleep, REM sleep occurs several times, alternating with non-REM sleep.
Most dreaming occurs during REM sleep. The body also experience maximum muscle relaxation, which allow the sleeper to wake up feeling physically refreshed. Additionally, some researchers believe that newly acquired information is consolidated as part of our long term memory during this sleep stage.
During deep sleep (non-REM sleep stage 3 and 4) our blood pressure and heart rate reach lower ranges, providing rest for the circulatory system and helping to ward off cardiovascular disease. In addition, the production of growth hormone peaks during non-REM sleep, with some teenagers producing as much as 50 times more growth hormone at night than during the day.
Sleep also seems to affect our appetite. Scientists have discovered that sleep is really is "chief nourisher in life's feast" as said by Shakespeare. "Our brain interprets a lack of sleep as a lack of food". While we sleep, our organism secretes leptin, the hormone that normally lets our body know that we have eaten enough. When we stay awake longer than we should, our body produces less leptin, and we feel a craving for more carbohydrates. So sleep deprivation can lead to increased carbohydrate consumption, which in turn can lead to obesity.
Sleep Debt; Harmful to Health.
Harmful indeed
(1) Sleep deprivation decrease performance and alertness, reducing your night time sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of a daytime alertness by as much as 32%.
(1) Sleep deprivation decrease performance and alertness, reducing your night time sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of a daytime alertness by as much as 32%.
(2) Memory and cognitive impairment; Decrease alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability, for instance your ability to think and process information.
(3) Stress relationship; Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause a significant problems for the relationship, ranging from separate bedrooms to conflicts and moodiness.
(4) Poor quality of life; You might not be able to participate in some activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play or watching a favorite TV shows etc.
(5) Occupational Injury; Excessive sleepiness also contributes extremely to a higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
(6) Automobile Injury; Traffic safety regulation may not be adhered to with much sleepiness, as drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities every year.
In the long term, insomnia is associated with numerous serious medical illnesses including, high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failures, stroke, obesity, depression, mental impairments, growth retardation especially in children, injuries from accident, poor quality of life and short life span.
Causes of Insomnia.
 |
| Do Not Smoke. |
Medication: According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) the following medication are known to cause insomnia in some patients.
* Corticosteroids (used for the treatment of allergic reaction)
* Statins (medication used for treating high cholesterol level.)
* Alpha blocker (used for the treatment of hypertension)
* Beta blocker (used for the treatment of hypertension and irregular heart beats.)
* SSRI Anti depressants (used for treating depression.)
* ACE Inhibitors (used for the treatment of hypertension and other heart condition.)
*ARBs (Angiostension ll- receptor blocker) (used when the patient can not tolerate ACE inhibitors or has type 2 diabetes or kidney disease from diabetes.)
* Cholinesterase inhibitors (used for the treatment of memory loss and other symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer's disease.)
* 2nd Generation (non-sedeting) H1 agonists (used for treating Allergic reaction.)
* Glucosamine/Chondrotin (dietary supplement used for relieving the symptom of joint pain and to reduce inflammation.)
Other Causes Are:
* Disruption in circadian rhythm, jet lag, job shift changes, high altitudes, noisiness, hotness or coldness.
* Psychological Issues; People with mood disorder such as Bipolar disorder or depression as well as anxiety disorder or psychotic disorders are more likely to have insomnia.
* Hormones; Estrogen hormone shift during menstruation.
* Other factors includes, sleeping next to a snoring partner, parasites, genetic condition etc.
* Media Technology in the Bedroom; such as, TVs, computers, video games, DVD player and mobile phones.
Who Gets Insomnia.
The Elderly
Some people are more likely to suffer from insomnia than others sometimes due to their occupational attachment and or other factors which includes the following,
* Travelers
* Shift workers with frequent changes in shift duties.
* The elderly
* Drugs users
* Adolescent or young adult students
* Pregnant women
* Menopausal women
* Those suffering from mental health disorder.
Symptoms of Insomnia.
Under Tension
* Difficulty falling asleep at night.
* Awakening during the night
* Awakening earlier than desired.
* Still feeling tired after a night sleep.
* Daytime fatigue or sleepiness.
* Irritability, depression or anxiety.
* Poor concentration or focus.
* Being uncoordinated, an increase in errors or accident.
* Tension headache.
* Difficulty socializing.
* Gastrointestinal symptoms.
* Worrying about sleeping.
Treatment.
1. Improving Sleep Hygiene; Don't over or under sleep, exercise daily, don't force sleep, try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, avoid caffeine at night, do not smoke, don't go to bed hungry, make sure that the environment is comfortable.
2. Using Relaxation Techniques; Such as meditation and muscle relaxation.
3. Cognitive Therapy; One on one counseling or group therapy.
4. Stimulus Control Therapy; Only go to bed when sleepy, refrain from TV, reading, eating or worrying in bed,set an alarm for the same time every morning.
5. Sleep Restriction; Decrease the time spent in bed and partially deprived your body of sleep so you are more tired the next night.
No comments:
Post a Comment