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What Are the Most Common Sleep Disorders?Essay Preview: What Are the Most Common Sleep Disorders?Report this essayWhat are the Most Common Sleep Disorders?Sleep is one of our most basic needs as humans and yet almost all of us will experience some kind of sleep disorder during our lifetime. Sleep deficiency can lead to a number of serious medical conditions and even reduce your life span. Sure everyone has a bad nights sleep, but a consistent pattern of poor sleep may indicate an underlying sleep disorder that requires attention. Here are the signs and symptoms of the most common sleep disorders.
InsomniaIs insomnia the real reason youre not sleeping? While insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep it doesnt always work alone. Insomnia is both a disorder and a common symptom of many other sleep disorders like sleep apnea or snoring. Sometimes a person with insomnia is experiencing insomnia as a secondary issue and should address the primary cause of their inability to sleep. A person with insomnia can have trouble sleeping anywhere from a few days to several months. Its the reason for this inability to sleep thats the real cause for concern. No matter how long, youre not sleeping, and this can lead to functional destruction, a compromised health and could require treatment.
Sleep ApneaSleep apnea involves the failure to breathe normally while sleeping. It can be caused by insufficient respiratory effort, called central sleep apnea or by a physical blockage, called obstructive sleep apnea. According to the National Institute of Health, a person with sleep apnea can have abnormal pauses in breath that last for as little as a second to several minutes. These pauses can occur five to 30 times per hour! Thats a lot of work on a persons body thats trying to rest!
Symptoms of sleep apnea include:Loud, chronic snoringFrequent pauses in breathing during sleepGasping, snorting, or choking during sleepFeeling unrefreshed after waking and sleepy during the day, no matter how much time you spent in bedWaking up with shortness of breath, chest pains, headaches, nasal congestion, or a dry throat.Ironically, most people who suffer sleep apnea arent even aware of it their body is so tired from its breathing efforts that often times its a persons bed partner who voices the issue. Snoring is actually a common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea and can be an sign of a larger problem when paired with tiredness and the feeling, upon waking, as though you havent slept. Diagnosis is generally made after a sleep study is completed.
Treatments for sleep apnea range from lifestyle changes to surgery, depending on the severity and cause of the apnea. Most people, however, are treated with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine which forces the airway open during sleep using a constant flow of air.
NarcolepsyThis neurological disorder is generally connected with people who randomly fall asleep in the midst of doing something. While this can occur, the primary symptom of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness. Those who suffer from the condition can have the overwhelming urge to fall asleep at inappropriate times and with little warning as a result of this excessive sleepiness. Narcoleptics can also have episodes of cataplexy, a sudden attack of muscle weakness ranging from slurred speech to complete collapse.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, Narcolepsy results when the brain is unable to regulate sleep-wake cycles. For most people, the process of falling asleep involves a progression through several specific stages beginning with non-REM sleep that gradually deepens until we enter REM sleep and are able to dream. Narcoleptics skip most of the stages and jump directly in and out of REM sleep, resulting in significantly less deep, restorative sleep. Other symptoms including hypnologic hallucinations and sleep paralysis occur during the transition from sleeping to waking and are thought to be caused by this rapid descent into and back out of a REM state.
Narcolepsy can often be successfully treated through medication and behavioral therapy.Restless legs syndrome (RLS)Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder that causes an almost appealing urge to move your legs (or arms). The urge to move occurs when youre resting or lying down and is usually due to uncomfortable, tingly, aching, or creeping sensations.
Common signs and symptoms of restless legs syndrome include:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by a strong urge to move them.The leg sensations are triggered by rest and get worse at night.The uncomfortable sensations temporarily get better when you move, stretch, or massage your legs.Repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.Circadian rhythm sleep disordersWe all have an internal biological clock that regulates our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, also known as our circadian rhythms. Light is the primary cue that influences circadian rhythms. When the sun comes up in the morning, the brain tells the body that its time to wake up. At night, when there is less light, your brain triggers the release of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy.
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My daily routine is just like for most people around me! Every time you fall asleep, your mind changes and your body changes until something changes. Your body’s circadian rhythm is very similar to your body’s natural sleep habits. There are some common symptoms including:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by a strong urge to move them.The leg sensations are triggered by rest and get worse at night.The uncomfortable sensations temporarily get better when you move, stretch, or massage your legs.Repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.Circadian rhythm sleep disordersThe most common signs:Feel your legs become irregular, then your body is full of restless leg syndrome (RLS). This is when you feel restless legs, which causes you to squirm, tense, or run out of muscles, teeth, or hands. The restless legs, which are like walking waves, make your body ache and sometimes take your heart out. Your heart can also begin to beat in rapid bursts. Your body is a nervous system, so it is difficult to control what happens to your body. It can interfere with natural sleep cycles and might cause you to have unusual waking up cycles. When you’re sleep deprived, these symptoms of RLS develop. The most common signs include:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by an intense urge to move them.The leg sensations are triggered by rest and get worse at night.The uncomfortable sensations temporarily get better when you move, stretch, or massage your legs.Repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.Circadian rhythm sleep disordersThis most common signs and symptoms are:Feel your legs become irregular, then your body is full of restless leg syndrome (RLS). This is when you feel restless legs, which causes you to squirm, tense, or run out of muscles, teeth, or hands. The restless legs, which are like walking waves, make your body ache and sometimes take your heart out. Your heart can also begin to beat in rapid bursts. Your body is a nervous system, so it is difficult to control what happens to your body. It can interfere with natural sleep cycles and might cause you to have unusual waking up cycles. When you’re sleep deprived, these signs develop:
Very frequent or regular awakenings are sometimes the cause. Sometimes people experience some of these symptoms:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by a sharp push to move them or something else.The leg sensations cause your body to rapidly become tired.Your body needs sleep, it doesn’t need to be sleepy.
When sleepiness is present, your legs become tired much faster that normal. Once you fall asleep, your body starts to stop getting tired and your body can run more normal activities.
[p.image-2]
My daily routine is just like for most people around me! Every time you fall asleep, your mind changes and your body changes until something changes. Your body’s circadian rhythm is very similar to your body’s natural sleep habits. There are some common symptoms including:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by a strong urge to move them.The leg sensations are triggered by rest and get worse at night.The uncomfortable sensations temporarily get better when you move, stretch, or massage your legs.Repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.Circadian rhythm sleep disordersThe most common signs:Feel your legs become irregular, then your body is full of restless leg syndrome (RLS). This is when you feel restless legs, which causes you to squirm, tense, or run out of muscles, teeth, or hands. The restless legs, which are like walking waves, make your body ache and sometimes take your heart out. Your heart can also begin to beat in rapid bursts. Your body is a nervous system, so it is difficult to control what happens to your body. It can interfere with natural sleep cycles and might cause you to have unusual waking up cycles. When you’re sleep deprived, these symptoms of RLS develop. The most common signs include:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by an intense urge to move them.The leg sensations are triggered by rest and get worse at night.The uncomfortable sensations temporarily get better when you move, stretch, or massage your legs.Repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.Circadian rhythm sleep disordersThis most common signs and symptoms are:Feel your legs become irregular, then your body is full of restless leg syndrome (RLS). This is when you feel restless legs, which causes you to squirm, tense, or run out of muscles, teeth, or hands. The restless legs, which are like walking waves, make your body ache and sometimes take your heart out. Your heart can also begin to beat in rapid bursts. Your body is a nervous system, so it is difficult to control what happens to your body. It can interfere with natural sleep cycles and might cause you to have unusual waking up cycles. When you’re sleep deprived, these signs develop:
Very frequent or regular awakenings are sometimes the cause. Sometimes people experience some of these symptoms:Uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs, accompanied by a sharp push to move them or something else.The leg sensations cause your body to rapidly become tired.Your body needs sleep, it doesn’t need to be sleepy.
When sleepiness is present, your legs become tired much faster that normal. Once you fall asleep, your body starts to stop getting tired and your body can run more normal activities.
