The health expert have been very interested in sleeping disorders since the connection between REM (Rapid Eye Movement) in sleep and dreaming was discovered by Kleitman & Aserinsky in 1952. In 1957, Dement and Kleitment also discovered sleeping cycles which consist of REM and Non REM sleep.
Every night a normal person would have 4 to 6 cycles of NREM and REM. Each cycle run for about 90 to 110 minutes. NREM is relatively passive while REM is considered active or dreaming period which can be seen by EEG wave activation and irregular breathing and heart beat. Around 80 percent will have a vivid memory of the dream when they wake up, while others know they dreamt but could not remember what it was.
There are many type of Sleeping Disorders that are plaguing the society these days. Below are some type of Sleeping Disorders and their symptoms.
Insomnia
This is one of the most common sleeping disorder. Insomnia is a disorders where the sufferers find it very difficult to start the sleeping process and if they do manage to get some sleep, its quality are so poor and do not offer sufficient refreshment as normal sleep would. Most of the time insomnia sufferers would not feel they had been sleeping at all.
Sleep related breathing disorder
This sleeping related breathing disorder is caused by problem in their respiratory tract. The most common type is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. A study conducted in Singapore showed that men are twice more likely to suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea than women.
In Obstructive Sleep Apnea, there is a partial or sometimes full blockage in the sufferers respiratory tract that only happen when they are sleeping. The blockage is cause by the relaxation of the respiratory tract muscles. Partial blockage will cause loud snores while full blockage will wake the sufferers instantly. Sufferers also finds their throat to be dry when they wake up the next day.
Narcolepsy can make you fall asleep at your own wedding
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is one of dyssomnia disorders which is the opposite of insomnia. People suffers with narcolepsy will feel sleepy or fatigue even at the most inappropriate place or time. They also get to the deep sleep really quickly compare to normal person. It only take a narcoleptic around 10 minutes to reach the REM. However, at night narcoleptic and insomniac will look very similar.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder is also part of dyssomnia whereby the sufferers has an irregular pattern of sleeping. This can be cause by a major changing in their sleeping pattern that disrupt their circadian rhythm. A circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle in biochemical, physiological, or behavioural processes exist in humans, animal and most plant. This rhythm also govern the sleeping time of each individual.
For sleeping time, circadian rhythm states that a person feel sleepy not because they are tired or needing to sleep but usually because of an adequate time has passed since the person woke up. This means that a person will go to sleep more or less at the same time every day. If this pattern is broken, for example, new routine that requires you to stay up late or new shift job, your circadian rhythm will be disrupted. This can only be fixed with behavioural therapy or drugs medication.
Parasomnia
Parasomnia is a disorders that involves involuntary movement or actions performed by parasomnia sufferers right when they are about to sleep or during their sleep. The extend of these involuntary movement or action can be as small as walking around or in some extreme cases harming the sufferers or people around them.
Sleep state misperception
Sleep state misperception occurs when the sufferers believe that they don’t get enough sleep while in actual fact they do. For example, a person might feel that they have been up all night but when they look at the clock it is only 11 pm.
Sufferers of Sleep state misperception are usually ok physically as they do get sufficient sleep but can sometimes suffers from depression because of the fear of the consequences of not having sufficient sleep as perceived by them.
Sleeping Disorders has a lot of side effects. People who constantly don’t get sufficient sleep are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 5 times more likely to take sedation drugs. These people are more prone to accident, and susceptible to anxiety attack, depression, hypertension, heart problem and even stroke.
Sleeping disorders also decrease the sufferers quality of life significantly. There are many thing people took for granted that cannot be enjoyed by people with sleeping disorders. Some of those activities are usually the one that requires concentration such as watching TV or a movie.
It is advised to see your doctor immediately if any of these disorders are happening to you.
