Sleep Disorders

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Sleep Apnea The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath."

Three types of apnea: •Obstructive: most common. •Central•Mixed

People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.

Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Risk factors:•Male•Overweight•Over the age of forty

Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.

InsomniaAn estimated 30%-50% of the general population are affected by insomnia, and 10% have chronic insomnia.

Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease. By definition, insomnia is "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both" and it may be due to inadequate quality or quantity of sleep.

Insomnia is generally classified based on the duration of the problem. Not everyone agrees on one definition, but generally symptoms lasting :

•less than one week are classified as transient insomnia•between one to three weeks are classified as short-term insomnia•longer than three weeks are classified as chronic insomnia.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) In order for you to be officially diagnosed with RLS, you must meet the criteria described in the four bullets below:

•A strong urge to move your legs which you may not be able to resist. The need to move is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Some words used to describe these sensations include: creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, or gnawing.

•RLS symptoms start or become worse when resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be.

•RLS symptoms get better when you move your legs. The relief can be complete or only partial but generally starts very soon after starting an activity. Relief persists as long as the motor activity continues.

•RLS symptoms are worse in the evening especially when you are lying down. Activities that bother you at night do not bother you during the day.

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Narcolepsy A chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer.

Three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy:1.Cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; 2.Vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; 3.Brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep. The cause of narcolepsy remains unknown. It is likely that narcolepsy involves multiple factors interacting to cause neurological dysfunction and sleep disturbances.

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Patients with rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD) act out dramatic and/or violent dreams during rapid eye movement (REM) stage sleep. Another feature of RBD is shouting and grunting. RBD is a type of parasomnia, which is a condition that occurs during sleep and creates a disruptive event.

It is similar to other sleep disorders that involve motor activity, such as sleepwalking and periodic limb movement disorder.

Unlike these conditions, RBD movements occur during REM sleep, which is usually characterized by a state of atonia, or sleep paralysis. Diagnosis and treatment involves polysomnography, drug therapy, and the exclusion of potentially serious neurological disorders.

REM Disorder

SIDS The sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history.

To reduce you child’s chances:•Place infants to sleep on their backs•Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress•Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room until the infant is at least 6 months of age•Do not over-clothe the infant while she sleeps