Sleeping Disorders Essay -- essays research papers

Sleeping Disorders I am going to start by telling you what a sleeping disorder is. A sleeping disorder is a problem that affects something to do with sleep. Not all sleeping disorders have symptoms that are obvious to a person or their family and friends, here are some common sleep disorders. - Insomnia - Sleep Apnea - Narcolepsy - Restless Leg Syndrome - Parasomnia - Bruxism - Jet Lag - Shiftwork I will be discussing the sleeping disorders listed above and what symptoms they can cause. Insomnia is a chronic sleeping disorder in which it is very difficult to start and continue sleeping. One of the other symptoms of insomnia that is most recognized is waking up repeatedly in the middle of the night. Lack of sleep leads to two other things, daytime fatigue and restlessness. These are bad on the job and at school while doing tests or other important work. The amount of sleep that each person needs to feel alert during the day varies. If you have a night of sleep which is much less than the amount of sleep you need, then you will more than likely feel quite sleepy the next day. Thirty-three percent of adults in America have a case of insomnia at least once in their life. Most cases only last one or two nights, but insomnia can continue for weeks or possibly even months. There have only been three standard types of insomnia that have been identified by doctors. They are as follows: - Transient insomnia is considered a few sleepless nights that is usually brought on by stress, excitement, or environmental changes. A person could have trouble sleeping the evening before a big meeting or shortly after a breakup or a fight with his girlfriend. - Short-term insomnia is usually two or three weeks of poor sleep caused by continual stress at work or at home, as well as medical and psychiatric illnesses. Eliminating the source of the stress usually takes care of the irregular sleep patterns - Chronic insomnia is considered poor sleep that lasts two weeks or longer. It can possibly be related to medical, behavioral, or psychiatric problems. Usually poor sleep leads to decreased feelings of well-being. Chronic insomnia can usually recur. If difficulty sleeping was the only problem with i... ...h other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and sleep terrors. Sleep Eating The causes of sleep-related eating are many. Most of them arise from a background of more conventional sleepwalking. In some cases, the sleep-related eating was brought on by medications prescribed for depression or insomnia. It may be a display of other sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or periodic limb movements. The "sleep-related eating disorder" has only recently been described. Common concerns about this disorder are excessive weight gain, choking while eating, potential injury from starting fires while cooking or cutting oneself while preparing food, and sleep disruption. Approximately two- thirds of those afflicted with this disorder are women and the symptoms typically begin in the late 20s. The overwhelming majority do not suffer from a waking eating disorder. Sleeping disorders can be very weird, I did not know that until I wrote this paper. I was not aware that people could eat in their sleep, I thought that only happened in TV I have learned a great deal from this paper and I hope you did also.