Sleep Disorders

All About Sleep

Sleep makes you strong, makes you feel good. It is an important element of human flourishing and well-being, both subjectively and objectively. Sleep is necessary for a healthy and balanced life. We need to sleep long enough (quantity) and well enough (quality) to function well during waking hours. Nearly all physiological and behavioral functions in humans occur on a rhythmic basis, which in turn leads to dramatic diurnal rhythms in human performance capabilities. Sleepdex is dedicated to raising awareness of sleep issues and encouraging people to take sleep seriously.

Most adults need around eight hours of sleep to function well. Although many people claim they require less, doctors who study sleep find only 10% require significantly more or less sleep. Recent findings indicate that the chronic lack of sleep and untreated sleep disorders may be factors in the development of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes.

"Sleep rock thy brain" – Shakespeare, Hamlet

Sleep is an active behavior. You body and your brain are active when you sleep. Biochemical and neurobiological functions take place all night long. Contrary to popular belief, the brain does not "shut down" during sleep.

Why do we sleep? Why did Mother Nature make us need to sleep every night? There is no scientific consensus on the evolutionary reasons for sleep. The reasons for sleep – we still don’t know. But you can’t resist it for long. Sleep deficit can be cured only by getting some sleep.

While some animals have special adaptations for sleep (e.g. whales evoleved to sleep while swimming) no vertebrae forgoes sleep. The evolutionay reasons for sleep are a mystery.

Only in the past few decades have scientists begin to unravel the mysteries of sleep. During the 1950s investigators first documented rapid eye movement (REM) and started to describe the brain states that make up the stages of sleep.

Diagnostic tools, from X rays and electroencephalograms (EEGs) to CAT scans and MRI imaging, revolutionized procedures, diagnoses, and treatments of sleep disorders in the latter half of the 20th century. Advances are occurring at an unprecedented rate in the 21st century and scientists are learning more about sleep all the time.

Scientists still have an inadequate understanding of the physiology of sleep and the pathology of sleep disorders. Further, although neurodegenerative diseases are associated with abnormal slep, nobody knows if there is a cause-and-effect in place, and if so, which way it runs.

Sleep for Health

According to National Institutes of Health, "sleep and sleep-related problems play a role in a large number of human disorders and affect almost every field of medicine....At least 40 million Americans each year suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders each year, and an additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping problems." Factors considered in assessing sleep include sleep disturbance, sleep adequacy, somnolence, quantity of sleep, snoring, and awakening short of breath or with a headache.

About one-third of Americans have symptoms of insomnia but less than 10% of those cases are identified by their doctors. Sleep deficit has become one for the most pervasive health problems facing the United States. Insomnia, both primary and secondary, can result in case accidents and industrial mishaps. It reduces motor, mental, and cognitive functions affecting performance at home, work, and school.

Other common sleep disorders include apnea, chronic snoring, Hypnos, god of sleep narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome.

Even if you don't have a true sleep disorder, you can improve your sleep habits and enjoy the benefits of better sleep. Our list of sleep tips can start you on your way to better nights.

Treatment options for common sleep disorders include behavioral and psychological interventions and prescription medications. Therapies include:

Cognitive therapy – seeks to alter the dysfunction of the sleep cycle and also recognize maladaptive processes that may be getting the way of sleep.
Relaxation therapy – teaching an individual how to relax muscles and mind. May include breathing exercises, meditation and so forth.
Sleep hygiene education – designed to teach individuals about effects of alchola, tobacco, diet, exercise and how it can effect the sleep cycle.
Sleep restriction – helps get rid of unwanted sleep time and can see the amount of actual sleep an individual is getting.
Stimulus control therapy – designed to help an individual relearn bedtime and environmental stimuli to aid in their falling asleep