Sleep Disorders

Today’s stressful life has deprived the human of the most needed eight hours sleep.  Getting a good night’s sleep for an uninterrupted eight hours makes one feel refreshed and alert during the day.  Not many are fortunate enough to get this, because of their busy work schedule, their lifestyle or poor bedtime habits. Lack of this sleep leads to what is known as sleep disorders.  A survey conducted has shown that people who do not get enough sleep are twice as likely to die of heart disease.

Common types of sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, RLS and narcolepsy.  Insomnia is a significant lack of high-quality sleep.  This may be caused due to the change in time zones or sleep schedules or also caused by stress.  One finds it difficult to sleep though being tired and needs the sleeping pills or alcohols to fall asleep. Sleep apnea on the other can be very serious and sometimes life-threatening.  In this case, the breathing stops and sometimes gets shallow while one is asleep.  A person suffering from this disorder wakes up in the night and one can hear them gasping, gagging or chocking or gasping for air.  Restless Legs Syndrome is a disorder where there is an involuntary urge to move the legs.  But this feeling is not confined to only during sleep time, and can occur anytime when one is feeling relaxed or lying down.  Narcolepsy is a disorder where the person has difficulty staying awake.  They can still feel sleepy even after getting enough sleep during the nights.  This involves the nervous system, and the treatment requires a combination of medication, behavioral treatments and counseling.

Proper medical attention, change in the lifestyle and significant change in the sleeping pattern benefit a person in a big way.  One can better their sleeping pattern by keeping a regular tab on their sleeping and waking up time and in turn regularizing it, to get a much needed 8 hour sleep, thereby keeping the disorders at bay.