Sleep Disorders

Sound sleep is one of the many ways of living a healthy lifestyle. However, concerns like difficulty in falling asleep, disturbed sleep patterns, irregular sleep cycles have become common nowadays. Such issues if experienced repeatedly can result in Sleep Disorders.

What is our normal sleep requirement?

Sleep has a vital restorative function. It is while we sleep that our body repairs and rebuilds itself and recovers from the daily wear and tear. While there is no fixed sleep requirement it does vary according to age and the activity levels of the individuals.  A baby will sleep around 14-17 hours a day; a school aged child usually requires about 9-11 hours of sleep; an adolescent may require about 8-10 hours; an adult will require 7-9 hours while an older adult above 65 years will make do with 6-8 hours. However there are many individuals who manage with only with a few hours of sleep, as less as 4-5 hours without it having any negative consequences. But these are exceptions.

What are Sleep Disorders?

We spend one-third of our lives in sleep. Normally we do not think too much about because it is part of our daily lives. However, many people find it difficult to sleep, or have insufficient sleep and suffer from a Sleep disorder condition called Insomnia. This condition generally lasts for a short duration and occurs when we are disturbed, worried or excited about something. When the worry or excitement dies down, we are able to sleep normally again. Some people can have a problem of excessive sleep which is called Hypersomnia. Yet others can have disturbance of their sleep-wake cycle with erratic sleep schedules. Insomnia is the commonest type of sleep disorder.

The good news is that not sleeping enough,once in a while only, makes you feel tired the next day, but it will not have an effect on your health. However, if you spend several nights without good sleep you can:

• Start feeling tired for long periods of time
• Start sleeping during the day
• Find it hard to concentrate
• May feel confused and  wrong decisions
• Feel depressed
• Worry that you are not getting enough sleep

Not getting enough sleep can be dangerous, especially if you have to drive or deal with heavy equipment in the day. Many road and industrial accidents happen because of falling asleep while driving or handling machinery at work. Insufficient sleep can raise your risk for high blood pressure or stroke, diabetes, depression, as well as cause weight gain due to disturbed hormonal and metabolic cycles.

Insomnia or not getting enough sleep

It is possible that you do not get enough sleep and that even if you do, you feel very tired and restless. There are several reasons why people suffer from Insomnia including:

• You don’t feel comfortable in your bed or your room
• Your sleep routine is inconsistent and erratic
• You are not tired enough or have not exercised enough
• You are eating too late at night
• You go hungry to bed and wake in the middle of the night to eat
• Cigarettes and alcohol as well as caffeinated drinks make it hard for you to sleep
• You are ill or experience pain
• You have emotional hang-ups
• You have problems at work
• You are  tense or worried about something when you go to bed
• You keep going over and over again about a problem you are facing
• You have been feeling depressed
• You suffer from heart disease
• You have breathing problems; snoring
• You suffer from a neurological disease
• Your thyroid is overactive
• You have genital or urinary problems
• Certain medications prevent you from sleeping
• You take slimming pills

What are the other kinds of Sleep disorders?

There are other Sleep disorders apart from Insomnia and these include:

Not sleeping at the right time

If you work late at night, in shift jobs, or if you are pregnant, then you may find that your sleep timings have changed.

Over-sleeping or Hypersomnia

You may be suffering from a sleep disorder that makes you sleepy during the day. Usually, this happens when you are not able to sleep at night.

Narcolepsy

This problem is not very common and most doctors do not detect it. The symptoms of this sleep disorder are:

• • Feeling sleepy during the day, with attacks of sleepiness that cannot be controlled
  • Loss of control over your muscles when angry, excited or happy
  • Sleep paralysis,  where you cannot move or speak when you fall asleep or when waking up
  • Doing things as if on ‘auto-pilot’; don’t remember what you have done.

This is a serious medical condition that requires proper assessment and treatment from a Sleep specialist.

Sleep apnea

• • This condition makes you snore and you even stop breathing for short periods of time
  • It makes you fall asleep for short periods, wake up and then fall asleep again leading to sleep disruptions through the night
  • You feel tired and unrested the next day and may wake up  with a headache

People suffer from sleep apnea because they:

• Are aged
• Are overweight
• Smoke cigarettes
• Drink too much alcohol

The sleep apnea can be greatly reduced by quitting smoking; giving up alcohol and also by losing weight.Changing your sleeping position will also help. If the condition becomes severe then you will need to wear a CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure mask after proper consultations with your doctor.

Sleep Walking

Sleep walking is more common in children. When a person walks in his or her sleep, it seems that they have woken up from deep sleep. These people get up in their sleep and do things such as climbing and descending stairs in their sleep. Walking in your sleep can be dangerous as well as embarrassing and often occurs after an attack of night terror.

It is best handled by gently guiding the sleep walker back to bed without waking him or her up. It is also very important to take some safeguards by ensuring that all doors and windows are secured properly and lock away harmful and sharp objects like knives.

Night terrors

This Sleep disorder can occur even if it does not make a person walk in their sleep. It will wake the person up suddenly from deep sleep very scared and it appears that the person is semi-awake. Soon, however, as the condition improves and the person will go back to sleep again.  All one has to do is sit with person till they fall asleep again. The person usually has no recollection of anything the next morning unlike a person having nightmares or bad dreams.

Nightmares

It is quite common to have nightmares, which usually occur late at night, after experiencing very clearnegative memories. This Sleep disorder is characterized by repeated occurrence of frightening dreams that makes a person fully awake from sleep. The dreams and repeated sleep disruptions causes extreme distress to the person. It is more common in young children. It normally occurs after experiencing a life-threatening event like a loss of a loved one,surviving a serious accident or a  severe abuse.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep Behavior Disorder

This is another kind of Sleep disorder, which makes a person,makes many movements like running, thrashing limbs, singing or talking while sleeping. It seems like the person is responding to something that he or she is dreaming about. It is common for people suffering from this Sleep disorder to punch and kick as well as shout and even jump out of their beds. The problem occurs because the muscles are tense instead of being relaxed during sleep. This sleep disorder can take place on its own or it may mean that the person is suffering from a neurological ailment, which needs to be checked by a doctor. Medication may be prescribed after proper investigations.

How to deal with Insomnia?

Learning and practicing certain breathing or relaxation exercises, may relieve you of your sleep problem. Here are some other tips you may like to try. You will have to see which of these suits you best.

• Go to bed only when you are sleepy. Don’t lie in bed to think, use your laptops to work or watch videos.
• Keep regular sleeping hours. Stop afternoon naps. Also, follow a routine each night just leading up to bedtime.
• Do not drink alcohol, coffee, tea, or cold drinks, a few hours before sleeping. Alcohol, in particular, suppresses the deepest sleep. Instead, try warm milk.
• Make sure your bed is comfortable and your room is just as you like it for sleeping.
• Stop trying hard to fall asleep. People sleep better when they are told to try and stay relaxed and awake instead.
• Stop worrying about what will happen if you don’t get sleep. Your body will take as much as it needs. People can do with much less sleep than they think.
• Exercise during the day.
• Engage in quiet activities before sleeping.
• Try to put away disturbing thoughts from your mind
• Visualize some relaxing, pleasant images in your mind in bed when you are ready to sleep
• Put on soft instrumental music before sleeping.
• Have someone massage your neck and shoulders.
• Wake up an hour earlier than your usual wake up time – this may make you feel sleepier next evening.

There are also certain practices that you should avoid if you are finding it hard to sleep normally including:

• Do not fight sleep and force yourself to be awake
• Do not drink caffeinated or aerated drinks late in the evening or night
• Do not eat food or drink alcohol in the late hours of the night
• Stop trying hard to fall asleep. People sleep better when they are told to try and stay awake instead.
• Stop worrying about what will happen if you don’t get sleep. Your body will take as much as it needs.
• Do not sleep during the daytime if you are struggling with your sleep at night.

If none of these methods work for you or if you feel that your sleep problem…

• Is accompanied by changes in your behavior
• Is accompanied by feelings of anxiety or depression
• Has gone on for too long
• Is severe

…Then, consult a psychiatrist or psychologist.

The psychiatrist or psychologist may use special relaxation techniques, or teach you bodily control through biofeedback. Machine assisted electrosleep earlier in the evening helps a person sleep better. The psychiatrist or psychologist may try to uncover the basic reason for sleep disturbance. If it is related to a neurological condition he may refer you to a neurologist. Medications for sleep may be used temporarily to correct the sleep cycle. They are normally prescribed for a short period of about 2 weeks or so. Other medications would be required if sleep disturbance is a part of a bigger psychiatric problem as is usually the case.

Some words of caution

Never take any sleep medication on your own. The body can become used to these medicines very rapidly, and stronger doses are needed each time for a relaxing effect. Both sleeping pills and alcohol suppress the deepest stage of sleep. Even when prescribed by a physician, check about discontinuation after some time. Let the psychiatrist decide under which conditions use of sedatives for sleep is appropriate and for how long can they be taken without possibility of addiction to them.