Facts Everyone Should Know About Sleep and Sleep Disorders

Author: Eashani Rodrigo

According to American National Sleep Foundation, excessive daytime sleepiness is increasingly becoming a nationwide social health issue in America. Their survey highlights that an alarming one-third of American adults have scored risky levels of sleepiness known to be disastrous, and six percent has scored severe levels of sleepiness. This situation can result in sleep-related accidents, serious physical and mental health problems, high medical costs and decreased productivity in work and day-to-day tasks. Therefore, it is well important and beneficial to be aware of sleep disorders and good sleeping habits for a healthy and happy life which will be discussed in this article.

After reading through this topic, I came across very important facts that everyone should know about sleep and sleep disorders. I believe these facts would be valuable to make awareness about sleep disorders to help you to seek medical help or to practice good sleep habits for a healthy lifestyle.

Did you know that as humans we sleep roughly about a one third of our lives; and according to Dr. William C. Dement, an unhealthy sleep can severely impact the other two thirds of our lives as well. Not having a good sleep leads to sleep deprivation which can make you feel fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and dizziness. Sleep deprivation can be caused from sleep disorders or chronic sleep loss which can put you in a risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, obesity, diabetes and other physical serious illnesses, as well as it can negatively impact on brain and cognition function (www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com). Therefore taking a good night sleep is essentially important for children as well adults for their good health and mental functioning.

From the sleep disorders, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Restless Legs Syndrome are at the top of the list that cause sleep deprivation.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can be identified as condition that affect one’s ability to breathe while sleeping; often results abrupt awakening which starts with loud snores interrupted by a sudden silence that signals inability to breath. The surprising fact is, the sleeper does not remember the awakenings but instead he would feel persistent tiredness, exhaustion, apathy and fatigue those results in excessive daytime sleepiness. Unfortunately OSA is becoming commonly discovered in recent days due to America’s obesity problem. The researchers have found that the fat tissues around the neck of overweight people can cause OSA. Therefore making healthy food choices, exercising and proper sleep schedule is important to reduce these conditions.

• Insomnia is another common sleep disorder, which refers to the inability to get the amount of sleep as an individual should get in order to wake up feeling rested.  If you are having difficulty to sleep, it is well important to determine the underlying disease or condition causing it.  Some causes for insomnia can be pain, digestive problems, sleep disorders, anxiety or depression, or some medications (eg. birth controls, antidepressants, heart disease). Many researches have found that people with insomnia have poorer overall health, high work absenteeism and higher risk for depression.

• Some common sleep disorders such as Restless Legs syndrome (RLS) and Sleep Apnea can also lead to insomnia. Restless legs syndrome is a condition that the sleeper gets the overwhelming urge to move the legs often associated with uncomfortable feeling in the legs when they are at rest. 

• Same as adults, even infants could suffer from various sleep disorders. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is an unexpected or sudden death of an infant under one year of age. The causes could be infant sleeping in the prone position (stomach sleeping), use of unsafe beds for infants, overheating due to blankets or room temperature, mother smoking during pregnancy or exposure to secondhand smoke. Therefore it is a responsibility of the parents to be well aware of these facts and to take the right care of your infant to be safe from SIDS.

Practicing healthy sleeping habits helps to be safe from sleeping disorders and to get rid of sleeping deprivation. The researchers suggests that maintaining a regular bed time and awake time schedule helps to regulate our brains sleep-wake cycles. Therefore, it is important to practice a regular and consistent bedtime. Naps, even though a good way to help you on sleep deprivation, if it is taken late in the day can interrupt with the ability to sleep

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Furthermore, it is advised not to exercise within three hours to the bedtime because the increased heart rate can keep you awake for long hours. Also, it is important to take necessary steps to stay in sleep without being interrupted throughout the night, which involves avoidance of food, liquids, alcohol, caffeine or smoking close to bedtime.

Practicing good sleeping habits along with a healthy lifestyle with healthy food and regular exercises, help to save you from sleep disorders and sleep deprivation, this in return helps to maintain a good physical health and mental health for you and your whole family.