Common Sleep Disorders That Can Plague Anyone

Sleep disorders are everywhere today, no matter who you are, you probably have or are suffering from one. Sometimes, you can be suffering from a sleep disorder and not even know that you have one. Anything that disrupts the sleep patterns in your life is a sleep disorder. If they are not treated, they can actually cause other problems and disorders that can interfere with your psychological and emotional wellbeing. So, what are some of the most common sleep disorders that people suffer from and what do you need to look for? Here is a small list to help you recognize a sleep disorder in yourself or loved one: Insomnia – This disorder is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and affects millions of people world wide. This is by far the most common sleep problem. Narcolepsy – The disorder of falling asleep at any time or place without knowing or wanting to. Night terrors – The disorder where the person wakes up abruptly and is completely terrified of something in his or her dreams. This disorder goes hand in hand with sleepwalking. Bruxism – The disorder of involuntarily grinding ones teeth during sleep. Jet lag – The temporary disorder where one has trouble sleeping and getting back into a pattern after traveling quickly across time zones. Restless legs syndrome – This disorder makes the sleeper move his or her legs involuntarily during sleeping. The sleeper usually has a strong urge to constantly move his or her legs during the night without wanting to. Rapid eye movement behavior disorder – While this is not quite a common sleep disorder, the occurrences of it are rising. This disorder causes the sleeper to act out violently or dramatically their dreams while they are sleeping. Sleep apnea – This disorder is caused by an obstruction of the sleeper's airway during sleep, causing them to stop breathing for a few seconds. Sleepwalking – This disorder causes the sleeper to do activities that they normally do while awake, such as walking, dressing, and eating, without knowing that they are doing the action. There are literally thousands of sleep disorders that people all over the world suffer from They range from extremely mild to violent, if not controlled. If you are experiencing any type of sleep disorder, you should consult your doctor immediately to begin a treatment to help you sleep better at night. Most treatments begin with an over the counter remedy and can move up to prescriptions and testing to make sure that there is no underlying problem in the sleeper's brain. There is no need to worry about a sleep disorder, as most are easily treated and usually go away on their own. If left untreated, these can begin to cause problems with motor functions, concentration, and other areas of your life during the day. You can find out more about all the different sleeping disorders that plague people all over the world by searching through medical web sites on the Internet or by talking with your doctor. Both may be able to offer some great home remedies or over the counter help to get you sleep soundly once more.

About the Author: Jerry Cahill is an author/researcher who is dedicated to helping people find the resources, books, news and information on health. Learn more at his Insomnia Sleep Disorder Website. Posted: 30-11-2006 Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep? 7 Keys To A Blissful Night's Sleep

Anyone who has experienced lack of sleep will sympathise with parents whose babies will not sleep at night. My first child did not sleep through the night until she was a year old. By then I was frazzled and my nerves were torn to shreds. Before my second child was born I made plans and decided on a nighttime routine. By the time he was nine months he was regularly sleeping through the night. What had I done differently the second time? I decided that I would not let him drift off to sleep on my breast or on my knee. I taught him how to settle himself to sleep instead of rocking him to sleep like I rocked my daughter. If you want to avoid the torture of sleep deprivation here are a seven simple keys to help you get a good nights sleep. Key 1- Look for the first signs of tiredness. Watch your baby and notice his actions when he is getting tired, does he rub his eves or head, suck his fist or fingers or wriggle in a particular way. When babies are overtired they become fretful and find it more difficult to drift off to sleep. Key 2 - Make sure your baby is neither too hot nor cold. Key 3 - Observe your baby’s preferences Does your baby sleep more easily when he is swaddled in a cotton sheet? Does your baby prefer silence or music such as a lullaby, classical or womb music? Does your baby prefer complete darkness or a night-light? Parents often think a babies are afraid of the dark but remember they spend the first months of their lives in a warm, dark womb. Does your baby find a mobile disturbing or does she find it soothing? Does you baby like to be rocked gently, patted or stroked? Held in an upright position or horizontally? Key 4 - Put your baby in her pram or cot before he falls asleep If possible put your baby down to sleep when she is drowsy so she can become accustomed to falling asleep on her own. Babies who learn to do this at an early age are more likely to re-settle themselves when they awake during the night. Also babies generally like to wake up where they fell asleep so it is much easier to teach your baby how to settle himself in a cot or pram. Key 5 - Don’t over stimulate your baby during night feeds If your baby wakes for a feed during the night don’t over stimulate her by chatting or playing with her. Babies can’t distinguish between night or day so if you play with your baby she will continue to wake up for a play even when she has out grown her night feeds. Key 6 - Develop a bed time routine Once you have observed your babies sleep patterns you can develop a simple bedtime routine. Routines help babies and children feel secure, however routines are only effective if they are followed consistently. A bedtime routine can be as simple as this: Feed Quiet play – don’t over stimulate your baby Cuddle and story 7.30 baby in bed. Key 7- Feed your baby if he needs it Anyone can train a baby to sleep through the night by ignoring his or her cries for milk and affection. However, most young babies of 0-6 months (and older if they are below the average weight of a 6 month old baby) need feeding and attention through the night. Babies can’t control their sleeping patterns nor can they distinguish between night and day. If you feed a hungry baby during the night then tuck him back into his cot he is more likely to feel loved and secure. The secret to getting a good night’s lies is helping your child to develop a sleep routine. You can do this by observing your babies sleep patterns, feeding him if he’s hungry, putting him down to sleep when he is drowsy and creating a consistent bedtime routine. Copyright 2006 Living Your Best Life

About the Author: Henrietta Joyce teaches effective parenting at the University of Masters, facilitates teleclasses and parenting workshops. She also offers one-to-one and group coaching. For more transformational parenting techniques and to claim some valuable downloads, you can subscribe to her popular newsletter at http://www.effectiveparenting.co.uk This article was posted on October 06, 2006 Article Source: articlecity

Sleep Apnea And Snoring

Of all the snoring related physical ailments, arguably the most severe and ironically least understood is a condition called Sleep Apnea. These two words should be emblazoned in the minds of every snorer, and anyone who lives with or cares about the safety and well being of a snorer. The word apnea in the term sleep apnea derives from the Greek term for absence of breathing. That, in a nutshell, gives a sense of how dangerous sleep apnea can be; it literally refers to a condition where breathing stops during sleep. There are two types of sleep apnea: 1) Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) - This most common form of apnea occurs when throat muscles relax. 2) Central Sleep Apnea - This form of apnea occurs when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Sleep apnea and snoring are directly linked because during snoring the airway of the trachea is constantly subjected to repetitive collapse and obstruction; in fact, it is that collapse and obstruction that leads to the vibration that, ultimately, manifests itself as audible snoring. Obstructive Sleep Apnea thus occurs when, due to that continuous collapse of the airway, breathing actually stops. Although Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs two to three times as often in older male adults, it can affect young or old, male or female. Even children can have sleep apnea, a problem more common than once thought. Certain factors can put you more at risk of getting sleep apnea: Obesity & excess weight (leading to an enlarged neck and excess soft tissue in the trachea) Enlarged adenoids and/or tonsils (airway can become blocked when tonsils or adenoids are too large) Sex and age (older men are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than women are) Drinking alcohol (sedates the throat muscles and causes them to collapse) Cigarette smoking (which inflames the upper airway) While death is obviously possible due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (and subsequent lack of breathing), there are many very serious effects that, while not fatal, are most certainly severe. Even when it is not fatal, Sleep apnea deprives the body of essential oxygen; and hence, overall blood oxygen levels are reduced and concurrently, carbon dioxide levels rise. This can lead to toxic buildup that can cause heart disease, stroke, and brain damage.

About the Author: Dale Smith is founder of http://www.stop-snoring-101.com and author of the online guide "Stop Snoring Remedies & Snoring Treatments" Visit his site for free information on how to stop snoring without surgery, using safe and proven stop snoring remedies, aids, & treatments. Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Are You A Victim Of Sleep Panic Attacks?

In our stressful lives, it should not be surprising that a good portion of us is sleeping less soundly than previous generations. Most of the time a lack of deep sleep is related to how we function during the daytime. For the majority of humanity the whole sleep and awake cycle is voluntary that is mostly defined by the clock and hence is of no major concern, which is simply how some people are. However, there are those in whom the balance is indeed a very delicate one. When this balance is upset there is a sudden onset of inability to sleep that, in the initial stages, manifest as a lack of restfulness after waking up. This problem can reach chronic proportions quickly. Most people who seek medical attention for this problem will complain of any of the following three symptoms. Insomnia, daytime drowsiness, and irregular sleep behavior. Insomnia is more common than the other two symptoms and it is estimated that more than 25% of people are affected with different stages of insomnia. According to studies, women, elderly people, and shift workers are the ones who report more cases of insomnia than other segments of the population. Certain mental disorders like depression also cause insomnia. Sleep panic attacks are quite common among people who do not get regular sleep.

More than half of the people diagnosed with panic disorder suffer from nocturnal or sleep panic attacks. Although only 10% of all panic attacks happen at night they are still an issue of concern. Sleep panic attacks are bad because the patients begin to fear the nighttime and especially going off to sleep. They fear that during the sleep panic attack they will be comatose and hence unable to do anything if they suffer something violent. The cardiac arrest like symptoms most prevalent during sleep panic attacks make these people afraid that they might die if they have an attack while they are asleep.

Sleep panic attacks are not caused by dreams. This is known because medical studies have shown that sleep panic attacks happen during the early stages of sleep and not the REM phase when dreams usually occur. There are other disorders that are far severe than insomnia and they will often resemble sleep panic attacks in their symptoms because the victim will often wake up with palpitations, fear, shortness of breath, sweating, and so on. This type of sleep disorder occurs during the deep sleep.

Sleep apnea also causes the patients to wake up suddenly and though this sort of thing is not associated with any anxiety there is evidence indirectly linking it with sleep panic attacks since sleep apnea affects heart rate and blood pressure.

The precise reason for sleep panic attacks is not yet known. It is suspected that possible causes might include a build up of carbon dioxide in the body, a condition that is known as "false suffocation alarm" that causes the body to respond by strenuous breathing and rapid heart rate.

Sleep panic attacks are influenced by the events of daytime, alcohol, drugs, depression, and stress.

About the Author: Yap Kee Chong Eddie Yap writes on various tips and techniques to stop panic attacks. If you like to claim an exclusive FREE report on how to eliminate your panic attacks in 2 simple ways and discover a secret natural cure for your panic attacks symptoms, drop by now at http://panicattack.onfasttrack.com/panicattack.html?EzineArticle= Article Submitted On: December 03, 2006 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Can Dream Interpretation Be a Valid Method For Self-growth?

Can dream interpretation be a valid method for self-growth? My answer is Yes. But to answer to the question of how can it be so...well... to be frank, I have no straight answers. All I can say is that the guiding hand of the intelligence of soul/higher self/Source works in mysterious ways. An understanding of our dreams is the most direct way of tapping into this cosmic intelligence. This is one of the easier method when compared to other means such as clairvoyance training and other psychic developments. The reason for this ease is because most of us dream! Interestingly, dream interpretation can also be applied in other areas too. It can be and has been used successfully to interpret the symbols of our clairvoyant vision while in meditation. Understanding the symbology can assist one in bridging a transition onto higher and more abstract means of knowing. There are certain skills that I feel is important for successful dream interpretation. One of which is a developed intuition. Unfortunately, this faculty is something that no dream interpretation software or tool can have. It is something that only we ourselves can nurture. Intuition is what binds and creates recognisable connections to the seemingly unrelated dream visions and symbols.This in turn structures the connections into a cohesive and meaningful message. Intuition is not mental reasoning. It is simply that inner knowing of feeling/sensing that is beyond logic and reasoning. Intuition is in fact a real cognitive process. Unfortunately our modern civilisation is heavily 'mental-rationalisation driven' and therefore is not in the capacity to validate a higher order process such as intuition. In another word, we have been placing too much emphasis on logic, proving and reasoning. Intuition, sometimes it doesn't tell you the outcomes of events. In my cases, it is simply an inner knowing that explains and provides answers. If the thoughts are those of how superior one really is and is smacked with elitism and pride, then one better take a closer assessment, before getting too carried away. These thoughts might not be intuitions. If they imply things like "You will be rich and famous if you do this' or 'she must be wrong as I am smarter', do double check. That thought may be coming from the part of the ego/personality associated with body-mind survival. Thank you for reading.

About the Author: Shen Gerald The author is the creator of a dream interpretation software. To download the free version, click here. Article Source: http://www.articles411.com