Good sleep hygiene is essential to getting a good night’s sleep and when you make improvements to your sleep hygiene you can make an improvement to the quality and quantity of sleep that you get each night. A good night’s sleep is essential to good health. Sleep hygiene is essential to keeping your mind and body rested and strong so that you can stay healthy.
There are many things that you can do to improve your sleep patterns and make a difference if you suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea. Providing a good sleeping environment will help with any sleep disorder. Here are some tips for providing good sleep hygiene.
Try not to go to bed unless you are sleepy. There are many ways of inducing sleepiness including reading a book, listening to soft, easy listening music, or doing relaxation exercises. If you go to bed and are not asleep within 20 minutes, you should get out of bed and go to another room where you can find something to do that will make you sleepy and then make another attempt to go back to bed.
Read the rest of this post here (642 words, 1 image, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
- Image by b3ni via Flickr
Disruptive sleep-related disorders are called parasomnias. They are undesirable physical or veral behaviors or experiences that people have that are associated with sleep or the sleep-awake transition phase.
There are two phases of parasomnias. The primary and the secondary phases are the two different categories of parasomnias. Primary parasomnias are those that are disorders of sleep states and are classified according to the stage of sleep in which they originate. Secondary parasomnias are disorder of other systems that happen during sleep such as the person having seizures, respiratory difficulty, arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) or gastroesophageal reflux.
There are different parasomnias but the most common of the disorders are nightmare disorder, sleep terror disorder, sleepwalking, REM sleep behavior disorder, restless legs syndrome (RLS), and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).
Nightmare disorder may also be referred to as dream anxiety attack. Children often suffer from nightmare disorder. These nightmares occur during the REM sleep stage and are associated with an increase in heart rate or tachycardia and an increase in the rate at which the person is breathing. The individual may sweat profusely and may or may not remember the night terror when he/she awakes.
Read the rest of this post here (538 words, 2 images, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
Many people who have a rare sleep disorder aren’t even aware of their condition. After all, the activity involved with the sleep disorder whether it is wandering around, eating, acting out aggressively often occur while the person is asleep, so unless they piece the clues together they may not even realize that they have a rare sleep disorder.
Of course, people who have disorders that keep them from falling asleep, or which wake them up incessantly throughout the night, are fully aware that they have a sleeping problem and often consult a doctor or instead turn to medications in an attempt to get a full night’s sleep. What happens when you don’t even know that you have a sleep disorder?
The problem with some rare sleep disorders is that they allow you to act out while sleeping. You might make a meal and eat it without even waking up during the entire episode. You might make strange noises in your sleep, or you might act aggressively against inanimate objects or against the people around you. In very rare and extreme cases, some people have wandered around in a dissociative state that allowed them to take on an entirely new identity for a period of time. In other words, rare sleep disorders can be serious. They are about much more than simply getting a rotten night’s sleep.
Read the rest of this post here (572 words, 2 images, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
- Image by Brymo via Flickr
The individual with restless leg syndrome is plagued by uncomfortable sensations in the limbs and sometimes the trunk of the body. These symptoms worsen during the evening or at night while the person is trying to sleep. This individual often suffers from insomnia because of the condition and often times are unable to function at work or school because of lack of sleep.
There may be other conditions that are associated with the occurrence of restless leg syndrome (RLS) such as pregnancy, diabetes, and obesity, being a smoker, having an iron deficiency or anemia. Those with nerve disease, polyneuropathy, or suffer from metal toxicity and other toxins or have kidney failure may also suffer from RLS symptoms.
Sometimes other conditions mimic RLS such muscle diseases, joint problems, nerve issues and circulation problems.
Everyone who has RLS will have a treatment plan that is tailored for their age, and the severity of their symptoms so their plan will be different from someone else’s who has RLS. Any associated condition will have to be treated too to make a difference in the symptoms. Lifestyle improvements and relaxation exercises are sometimes all that is needed in order to see a marked improvement in symptoms. Sometimes just quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol as well as learning how to relax when symptoms are noticed is all that it takes to get some much needed relief.
Read the rest of this post here (574 words, 2 images, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
A confusional arousal is an instance when a person awakens in a confused or “foggy” state. The person may act in a strange way and may even show signs of aggression to the people nearby, and the person will not remember his or her actions after the instance of confusional arousal passes. Although waking up in a relatively confused state is not necessarily rare, confusional arousal sleep disorders which result in aggressive behavior and that occur in adults are considered rare. This sleep disorder is somewhat common among children and even into the teenage years, but when it affects a person who is well into the adult years it becomes a rare disorder.
Confusional arousals can be harmless episodes that involve the person stumbling around without much regard for the environment, and perhaps even slurring words or ignoring other people. In essence, the person appears to everyone else to not really “be present” even though the person is physically there. This is different from sleepwalking and talking while sleeping because the person is not necessarily asleep. On the other hand, a person within a confusional arousal episode may not be fully awake either.
Read the rest of this post here (569 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
Congenital Central Alveolar Hypoventilation Syndrome is a sleep disorder that affects newborns and young babies. This is a rare disorder that involves a baby taking erratic breaths during sleep, or not breathing at all for sporadic periods while sleeping. Obviously this can be a very dangerous sleep disorder and it needs to be treated by a qualified doctor, preferably a doctor that is familiar with infant lung function as well as pediatric sleep disorders.
A baby diagnosed with Congenital Central Alveolar Hypoventilation Syndrome will probably need to be fitted with a breathing machine. The machine will need to be used by the baby while sleeping just to make sure the baby keeps breathing an acceptable pattern of breaths during periods of sleep. Without this machine, a baby with this sleep disorder might stop breathing altogether, leading to fatal consequences.
This rare sleep disorder is different from sleep apnea, and does not pertain to adults. Babies who have Congenital Central Alveolar Hypoventilation may have difficulties with breathing while awake during periods of illness, but this is still considered a sleep disorder because the predominant problem arises during periods of sleep.
Read the rest of this post here (566 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
Many people who have sleep disorders don’t even realize that they have them, and most people with rare sleep disorders have such interesting and bizarre symptoms that they convince themselves these things aren’t actually happening and they are instead simply a product of imaginative dreams. Just because a sleep disorder is rare, however, it does not mean that they don’t occur. In fact, some rare sleep disorders have such specific attributes that once you seek out medical help and list your symptoms it will be immediately obvious what the problem is.
The first step to figuring out if you have a rare sleep disorder is trying to find out if you have any sleep disorder at all. Do you wake up frequently throughout the night, or have trouble falling asleep at all? Do you wake up too early, or toss and turn so much that you can’t seem to get comfortable at night? You may not even be personally aware of your sleeping problems, but if family members reveal to you that you have bizarre habits during sleeping hours then this is a pretty reliable indication that you have a sleep disorder.
Read the rest of this post here (582 words, estimated 2:20 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
Sleep disorder are more than just annoying. You need sleep in order to function sufficiently throughout the day. Without a good night’s sleep you may not be able to perform whatever duties you are responsible for because your cognitive ability will be adversely affected. You may also be physically impaired, and lack of sleep is a surefire way to lower your body’s ability to ward off illness. In other words, having a sleep disorder can be nerve-racking and harmful to your health, not to mention incredibly frustrating.
When you have a sleep disorder that is classified as rare, however, everything can get even more problematic. Some doctors and sleep experts may have a difficult time diagnosing and treating your disorder because the true cause may be unknown to them. After all, sleep experts and doctors are somewhat used to dealing with sleep problems like traditional insomnia or sleep apnea on a relatively routine basis, but when someone arrives in their office with a complaint that is rare such as violent behavior while sleeping or recurring dramatic explosions in their heads when trying to fall asleep doctors may wind up scratching their heads because they aren’t entirely sure what to make of the situation. They have to figure out if the symptoms are indicative of a fairly common sleep disorder, or if instead the patient is indeed suffering from a rare sleep disorder.
Read the rest of this post here (565 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder where there is a 10 second or longer interval in between each breath. In order to be considered apneic there must also be a neurological arousal, which is a change in EEG frequency of more than 3 seconds, and/or the blood oxygen must be desaturated by 3-4% or more. A signifigant case of sleep apnea has 5 or more of these apneic episodes each hour. These facts are discovered by using a sleep test called a polysomnogram.
There are 3 different types of sleep apnea:
Central sleep apnea – This happens when the respiratory system does not put out adequate effort. A chemical imbalance in the brain makes the respiratory controls operate ineffectively. A delayed reaction to the levels of Co2 in the blood actually causes the sleeper to stop breathing and then start breathing again after a pause. If you were observing this event you would notice that there is no struggle or strange chest movements. These events even happen during wakefulness. Since the brain cells need oxygen to survive extreme cases can lead to brain damage or even death.
Read the rest of this post here (509 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
There is a lot of information out there about sleep disorders. Here is a summary of some of the important information about sleep disorders.
There are two different types of sleep apnea obstructive sleep apnea, which is a condition in which the throat muscles relax during sleep and affect the way you get air in causing a blockage. Nasal polyps, a deviated septum, or an upper airway abnormality may cause the blockage. Central sleep apnea is a condition in which the brain does not properly control the muscles that are involved in the breathing process.
A sleep disorder is diagnosed by symptom with or without a doctor’s help. A medical doctor who will use the family history, medical history, a physical exam, your symptoms, and tests to determine if you have a sleep disorder and what it is can also diagnose it.
Some symptoms that might indicate that you have a sleep disorder are excessive daytime sleepiness, cluster headaches, and pain in the jaw area or ear from tooth grinding and leg or arm movement during sleep.
Read the rest of this post here (518 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Filed under: Insomnia, Sleep Disorders by Dee
No Comments »
