Sleep Disorders
February 7, 2009
Every one of us has at one point or another experienced the lack of sleep. Usually high stress levels are responsible for this and when the stress is relieved, usually we are off to a nice, deep sleep. However, not everyone has this luxury. Many people suffering from sleep disorders usually spend their nights waiting for the morning.
Read on to find out more about sleep disorders.
Sleep bruxism
People with this disorder grind their teeth along with clenching their jaw when asleep. This may be a cause of discomfort for others. However, if alone, usually patients find out about it when things like worn teeth, jaw pain, chronic facial pain, severe headaches and other such things start.
Usually stress is a cause, suppressed anger and hyperactive personalities are also to blame. Smoking, alcohol consumption and caffeine are potent risk factors. Although it cannot be cured, usually symptoms subside by themselves. Usually stress management and relaxation approaches can help.
Shift-work sleep disorder
Although fictional sounding, this is a real disorder. These people experience headaches, difficulty concentrating, lack of energy, insomnia and they are also prone to work-related injuries.
Working in shifts can disturb the body’s natural circadian rhythm and put your system into confusion. Shift workers can overcome this by making sleep a priority. Usually preparing properly for sleep can help. Wearing dark glasses on the way home, avoiding any stimulants including sunlight, creating a sleeping environment and such things seem to help.
Sleep apnea
The patient stops breathing for short periods during sleep. The breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and it can occur 30 or more times in an hour. The patients usually do not get deep sleep because of the shallow breathing and hence, are left feeling fatigued.
People with sleep apnea cannot keep their throat muscles rigid during sleep, which is needed to keep the airways open, resulting in disturbed breathing. Usually it needs to be treated continuously to keep away the symptoms.
Rapid eye movement behavior disorder
Here the person usually loses control of his muscles during the Rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, the stage where dreams are had. As a result, the patient acts out violent portions of the dream and may kick, thrash even shout or grunt. It can cause self as well as injury to the sleeping partner.
The cause is not very clear; however, treatments can help to control the disorder. However, complete recovery is not possible.
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