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Do
I have a sleep disorder?
Many people experience instances when they
can not sleep but if your sleep is disrupted on a regular basis or
you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness then you should
consider testing. If a sleep disorder is diagnosed you can rid
yourself of years of emotional stress or unnecessary suffering by
getting tested and receiving treatment. Read through the
following questions if your answers are yes to some of these
questions you may have a sleep disorder.
-
Are
you forced to sleep in another room or on the couch because you
act out your dreams?
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Do
you get crawling or other sensations in your legs?
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Are
you too tired to participate in social events?
-
Do
you have trouble sleeping?
-
Do
you have difficulty staying awake?
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Do
you have morning headaches?
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Is
you lack of energy causing you to be depressed?
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Do
your family members, your spouse or significant other complain
about your loud snoring?
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Do
you fall asleep at work or school?
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Are
you having a hard time concentrating?
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Do
your fellow workers, supervisors or teachers label you as
unmotivated and disinterested?
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Have
you fallen asleep or dozed while driving?
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Consider
asking your doctor for a referral to a sleep disorders center,
or call us and we can be of assistance in providing your testing
and treatment.
A
little about sleep
Nearly every illness, disease or injury
can cause sleep problems. From asthma to arthritis to
toothaches, ulcers, pulled muscles and physiological
disturbances can interrupt sleep. Even psychological problems
such as stress, anxiety or depression can cause a loss of
sleep. Environmental factors can also interfere with
sleep. Frequent travel, smoking, excessive drinking and noise
will disturb a person's sleep patterns.
When
we are deprived of the deeper stages of sleep, we can become
irritable, hostile, anxious or depressed. We are able to
evaluate all of these conditions at Charleston Area Medical Center's
Sleep Center.
Sleep
stages
Sleep
is defined in stages. Generally people go to sleep through a
state of relaxed wakefulness (Stage 1) and then enter Stage 2.
There is a gradual descent into the deeper stages of sleep, Stages 3
and 4. After about 90 minutes of sleep a person completes the
cycle and then enters the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of
sleep. After the REM period, a normal sleep pattern will
return the person to Stage 2 and the cycle repeats itself.
After
the second REM period, until final awakening most of our sleeping
hours alternate between Stage 2 and REM sleep. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Stages 3 and 4 become increasingly shorter
in the final hours of sleep while REM periods tend to get longer.
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Sleep
disorders
Sleep
apnea
People suffering from sleep apnea may actually stop breathing 10
or more seconds, hundreds of times during sleep. Symptoms
include loud snoring, rapid weight gain, morning headaches,
excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty being awakened, heavy
sweating and impotence.
Narcolepsy
Symptoms of this disorder include short,
almost irresistible daytime sleep attacks for 10 to 15 minute
periods. Attacks can last for three or more hours if the
patient is laying comfortably when they occur. Other symptoms
include chronic drowsiness, sudden and brief loss of muscle tone
during emotional activities (cataplexy), frightening paralysis upon
wakening, and vivid dreams while still fully conscious (hypagogic
hallucinations).
Nocturnal
periodic leg movements
This condition can cause numerous
awakenings during sleep because of frequent leg movements. These
awakenings result in complaints of insomnia and or daytime
drowsiness.
Restless
leg syndrome
People suffering from this condition
remain awake at night due to a crawling sensation in the legs.
Chronic
insomnia
Chronic insomnia is the inability of an
individual to complete the sleep cycles, to fall asleep or to remain
asleep. This may be related to other sleep disorders already
described. It may also be the result of physical or
psychological problems.
Hypersomnia
The reverse of insomnia, this excessive
daytime sleepiness occurs even if a person gets a full night's
sleep. This disorder resembles narcolepsy and has a similar
treatment.
Night
terrors
Night Terrors cause a sleeping person to
suddenly sit up and with open eyes and a look of terror, scream,
moan, or talk in frightening phrases. The bouts can last 15 to
30 minutes, after which the person will return to normal
sleep. In the morning, the individual will not remember
anything. Night terrors are categorized separately from
nightmares because each occurs in a different stage of sleep.
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Recommended
links
CAMC
Health Information Center
National
Sleep Foundation
American
Sleep Apnea Association
Narcolepsy
Network
Restless
Leg Syndrome Foundation
American
Academy of Sleep Medicine
Association
of Polysomnographic Technologists
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