Sleep disorders (scientific name – somnipathy) is a medical disorder that interferes with an individual’s sleep patterns. As we all know sleep is essential and lack of sleep can cause problems with an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional functions. The amount of sleep an individual requires usually depends on age. For example, infants need up to 16 hours of sleep a day; teenagers about need about 9 hours of sleep a day; and the average adult needs between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a day. Many adults do not get the amount of sleep they require and the cause may be from a sleep disorder.
Occasionally, we all suffer from a sleepless night. But persistent lack of sleep can cause problems. An individual suffering from a persistent lack of sleep needs to seek medical assistance because persistent lack of sleep can cause physical side effects such as: depression; blurred vision; weight loss or gain; heart disease; hypertension; diabetes; irritability; and memory loss just to name a few.
Some of the most common are sleep disorders are: insomnia, narcolepsy; sleep deprivation; snoring; and sleep apnea.
As mentioned above, everyone suffers from insomnia occasionally, but some individuals really suffer from insomnia and have chronic difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Often there is an underlying problem that is the source of insomnia such as a side effect of medicine, stress, environmental issue, or another health problem. Finding and correcting the underlying problem is the solution for ending insomnia.
Narcolepsy is a neurologic problem where an individual’s body cannot properly regulate sleep cycles. Individual’s suffering from narcolepsy fall asleep at uncontrollable times throughout the day. Narcolepsy can be treated with drugs and behavioral therapies.
Sleep deprivation is not really a disorder. Basically it is an individual not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is broken down into four categories: lifestyle, health issues, side effects of medication, and clinical disorders. Lack of sleep can cause an individual to be anxious, unable to handle stress, irritable, and have impaired concentration and/or memory. Medical tests are conducted to pinpoint to cause of sleep depravation and once the cause if found – the proper treatment is applied.
Snoring is a sleep disorder that affects people at any age or sex. However, it seems to occur more frequently in men and individuals that are overweight. Occasional snoring is not a problem; however, frequent snoring can interrupt an individual’s sleep pattern to the point they cannot get quality rest. Medical tests are conducted to pinpoint the cause of snoring (such as narrowed airways or enlarged tonsils) and once the cause if found – the proper treatment is applied.
Sleep apnea is a medical problem and there are various categories of sleep apnea. Medical tests are conducted to find the cause and severity of an individual’s sleep apnea. Treatment can vary once the cause has been determined.
Treatment
Sleep disorders are not to be taken lightly – they can be the symptom of an underlying problem and it is strongly suggested that individuals suffer from sleep disorders seek medical attention.
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