subject: The Trouble With Sleeplessness [print this page] Having Trouble Sleeping? Sometimes warm milk or counting sheep is not the answer. Insomnia can be very disruptive to your life, and a visit to a Sleep Disorders Center can help you identify and deal with issues that are causing your insomnia. Often sleeplessness is the underlying trigger for a host of other serious health issues. In children chronic sleep deprivation can lead to behavior that results in an ADD diagnosis, and in adults it can be the cause for serious health issues from High Blood Pressure to Type 2 Diabetes.
On the other hand many people suffer from hypersomnia or sleeping too much. Living life sleep deprived or always sleepy is like looking at a beautiful garden through a grimy window, you miss out on enjoying its wonderful colors and details. An estimated 40 Million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders and frequently these problems go undiagnosed. If you find yourself lethargic, tired and sleepy during the day, or have a disturbed sleep-wake cycle its probably time to visit a sleep disorders center.
Experts in sleep disorders medicine, and other disciplines that affect normal sleep are accessible at a sleep disorders center. They run a set of tests like polysomography(sleep studies), to record body functions including brain (EEG), eye movements (EOG), muscle activity or skeletal muscle activation (EMG) and heart rhythm (ECG) during sleep, to determine if there is a sleep problem and if so how to treat it.
Some of the most common sleep disorders that are treated at Sleep Disorders centers are sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, nocturnal behavioral problems and insomnia. Treatments can range from behavioral and psychotherapeutic treatments, rehabilitation and management, to just simple medication. Each patient has a special set of issues and usually a combination of therapy is needed to adequately treat the problem, depending on a thorough study or each individual medical and psychiatric history.
It is a sad truth that many people suffer a wide variety of serious illness, and struggle through each day when a good look at their sleep patterns may help them identify and treat an underlying sleep disorder. This is especially true for many children who are diagnosed and treated for serious behavioral issues. It is probably a good idea to discuss a visit to a sleep disorders center with your doctor and decide if a good nights sleep is all you really need.
