subject: Sleep Disorders More Prevalent Than Ever Before [print this page] It used to be that having trouble sleeping was a rare thing. Sure there were the occasional worries that may keep an individual up through the night and a few insomniacs always existed. Nowadays however, a growing number of people are having difficulty not just falling asleep but staying asleep and they are heading to sleep clinics to get diagnosis and treatment for this troubling problem. It may perhaps seem like a small nuisance but night after night of no sleep isn't only frustrating and mind blowing but is also harmful to your health.
By definition a sleep disorder means any difficulties that relate to sleeping, including difficulty drifting off to sleep, trouble staying asleep, excessive sleep, and falling asleep at abnormal times. In all any abnormal behaviors as they relate to sleep and sleep patterns constitute a sleep problem. There are actually only four major categories of sleep disorders but problems with sleep number over 100 various sorts in all and new ones are actually discovered pretty regularly and are added to the list.
Some of the factors that may cause a person to experience a sleep disorder can be a physical illness, depression, anxiety, medications, heavy smoking, use of alcohol or caffeine, and sleep apnea. Other people can incur sleep disorders due to more serious issues such as mental illness, or something as simple as being on an unstructured sleep schedule. And as of late it's not only adults who are suffering from sleep disorders but children and teens are seeing these problems in astounding numbers as well.
Most individuals who have difficulty sleeping contact their doctor who may perhaps either prescribe something for that person or depending on the nature of the sleep disorder, may refer the person to a sleep clinic for a polysomnography or sleep study. In this type of setting a doctor will monitor the patient and their brain waves and their body's response to sleep and will use this information to try and conclude at what point sleep is being disrupted.
There are an assortment of different treatments that are available and they can range from a change in habits to a range of different medications and in some cases even hypnotherapy. Of course, the treatments work sporadically and thus it is best to find ways to prevent individuals from having sleep disorder problems in the first place. For many this can be accomplished by establishing regular sleep habits, sleeping in a quiet setting, regular exercise, and staying generally fit and healthy.
