subject: Having Sleepless Nights May Be You Are Facing Sleeping Disorder [print this page] Sleeping disorder is considered as the most common type of medical disorder thatdisturbs the sleeping pattern of an individual. These include trouble in falling or staying asleep, or falling asleep at the wrong times, too much sleep or abnormal behavior during the sleep. It is estimated that there are about one hundred different sleeping and waking disorders. However, majority of sleeping disorders are treatable in order to ensure a better quality of sleep. Some of the sleep disorders may convert into sleep apnea that can ultimately result in heart disease or stroke.
Sleeping Statistics:
Statistics reveal that these disorders are more prevalent in men than women are. Nearly two million children are suffering from sleep disorders, over 18 million Americans suffer from Sleep Apnea, and out which ten million Americans remain undiagnosed. Sleep problems are adding an estimated $15.9 billion to national health care costs.An adult requires about 8.5 hours of sleep each night.
Causes:
The causes of this disorder can divided into internal, external and due to disturbances in the normal circadian pattern. The common cause may be due to certain medical conditions such as Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease or CPOD, peptic ulcer, back problems, fibrositis syndrome and neck problems. In addition, any impairment in the brain such as neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer disease is also one of the potential problems for this disorder.The modern life style factors is also contributing to this disorder in the form of nocturnal jobs, consumption of alcohol, Jet travel or jet lag from rapid travel across time zones are factors of sleepless nights. The other secondary factors for this disorder include improper ventilation, noise, humidity and uncomfortable bedding.
Treatment/Cure:
The treatment methods used for curing this disorder depends upon the type of this disorder. There are wide varietiesof these disorders and each of them needs specific treatment. In general, these are divided into two broad categories known as pharmacological treatments and non-pharmacological treatments.
Pharmacological treatment includes treatment through prescription or non-prescription drugs that may involve short versus long acting drug agents. Depending upon the nature of the disorder, the patient may be prescribed sedatives in case of insomnia or stimulants in case narcolepsy or sleep apnea. Over-the-counter or OTC drugs may also be recommended such as melatonin.Non-pharmacological treatment involves the use of surgery, behavioral therapy, use of medical equipment or other options.
