Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent and sometimes uncontrollable desire for sleep. This can result into sudden lapses into sleep at any time, any place. The result is that normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping become abnormal. For example, someone suffering from narcolepsy may end up sleeping several times during the day and then having trouble sleeping at night.
Are you lying awake at night, stressed out, mind racing in circles? For many American’s this is a nightly routine that prevents sleep and leads to habits that may help you fall asleep, but not sleep well. Either way, stress is a sleep killer.
A sleep diary is a record of your sleeping. It includes many aspects of your actual sleep experience as well as the factors that may influence sleep. Sleep diaries can be an extremely important exhibit for your doctor or a sleep specialist to aid in identify and diagnosing sleep conditions - they might be requested of you by your doctor or a sleep center in order to get more accurate data about your sleeping.
Do you feel crabby or short tempered around your family, children, and loved ones? Do you have trouble performing at school at work? Have you lost your drive to spend time with friends? Have you been struggling with erectile dysfunction (for men) and/or reduced sex drive? Do small tasks feel like a big deal? If these sound familiar, you might be in the right place.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder and potentially serious medical condition. OSA causes you to stop breathing for 20+ seconds many times throughout the night, anywhere from 40 to hundreds of times per night. Each time you stop breathing you rouse yourself out of sleep to begin breathing again - this rousing prevents you from entering the deep, restorative stages of sleep. In the morning you will not remember rousing, though you will certainly feel the effects of not having any restful sleep!
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that leaves you sleep deprived and frustrated (or worse). Insomnia is a condition when you either can’t fall asleep, can’t stay asleep, or always wake up far earlier than you need. The result of insomnia is mild to severe sleep deprivation, which can have mild to catastrophic consequences.
Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.
If you want to lose weight, or at least make managing your weight easier, find a comfortable bed and get busy sleeping. You should be getting at least – that is, at the bare minimum – 7 hours of sleep per day – but 8 or 9 is significantly better. Getting a healthy night’s rest can make a tremendous different in all areas of trying to lose weight, including:
Sleep deprivation is the chronic condition of not receiving adequate sleep. Adequate sleep will differ from person to person, and change as we age. Most of us suffer from sleep deprivation because we either have trouble staying asleep, or getting to sleep. Does that sound familiar?
A sleep-related painful erection is exactly what it sounds like: a painful erection that appears during REM sleep (ouch!). Getting an erection during REM sleep is completely normal, and will be experienced by most men anywhere from three to five times per night. You probably hardly need to be told this, but these erections should not be painful. This is contrasted with SRPE, where the erections are painful enough to rouse you from sleep. Generally, these erections subside soon after waking.