Sleep is an often overlooked essential for optimal health and well-being. Yet millions of people do not get enough sleep and manysuffer from lack of sleep. The results of recent surveys reveal that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of those with these problems go undiagnosed and untreated.In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each week.What Are The Signs of Excessive Sleepiness? Irritability and moodiness are some of the first signs a person experiences from lack of sleep. If a sleep-deprived person doesn’t sleep after the initial signs, the person may then start to experience apathy, slowed speech and flattened emotional responses, impaired memory and an inability to be creative or multitask.
Amount of Sleep Needed Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an averageof eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they’ve slept ten hours. Contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn’t decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced.
What Causes Sleep Problems? Psychologists and other scientistswho study the causes of sleep disorders have found that such problems can directly or indirectlybe tied to abnormalities in various systems, such as:Physiological systems
*.Brain and nervous system
*.Cardiovascular system
*.Metabolic functions
*.Immune systemFurthermore, unhealthy conditions, disorders and diseases can also cause sleep problems.
These can include:
*Pathological sleepiness, insomnia and accidents
*Hypertension and elevated cardiovascular risks (MI, stroke)
*Emotional disorders (depression,bipolar disorder)*.Obesity; metabolic syndrome and diabetes
*Alcohol and drug abuse Groups that are at particular risk for sleep deprivation include night shift workers, physicians (averagesleep = 6.5 hours a day; residents= 5 hours a day), truck drivers, parents and teenagers.
How Environment & Behavior Affect A Person’s SleepStress is the number one cause ofshort-term sleeping difficulties, according to sleep experts. Common triggers include school or job-related pressures, a family or marriage problem and a serious illness or death in the family. Usually the sleep problem disappears when the stressful situation passes. However, if short-term sleep problems such as insomnia aren’t managed properly from the beginning, they can persist long after the original stress has passed.
Drinking alcohol or beverages containing caffeine in the afternoon or evening, exercising close to bedtime, following an irregular morning and nighttime schedule, and working or doing other mentally intense activities right before or after getting into bed can disrupt sleep. Traveling also disrupts sleep, especially jet lag and traveling across several time zones. This can upset your biological or “circadian” rhythms.Environmental factors such as a room that’s too hot or cold, too noisy or too brightly lit can be a barrier to sound sleep. Interruptions from children or other family members can also disrupt sleep. Other influences to pay attention to are the comfort and size of your bed and the habits of your sleep partner. If youhave to lie beside someone who has different sleep preferences, snores, can’t fall or stay asleep, or has other sleep difficulties, it often becomes your problem too!Health Problems & Sleep Disorders A number of physical problems can interfere with your ability to fall or stay asleep. For example, arthritis and other conditions that cause pain, backache, or discomfort can make it difficult to sleep well. For women, pregnancyand hormonal shifts including those that cause premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause and its accompanying hot flashes can also intrude on sleep.Finally, certain medications such as decongestants, steroids and some medicines for high blood pressure, asthma, or depression can cause sleeping difficulties as a side effect.It is a good idea to talk to a physician or mental health provider about any sleeping problem that recurs or persists forlonger than a few weeks.
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