REM sleep behavior disorders are a series of activities that one does in their sleep at a time when they would normally be temporarily paralyzed. One of the sleep stages that we enter every night is called REM, or rapid eye movement. It is the stage in which dreaming occurs. During this time, we are normally very still, with only our eyes moving about. However, during REM sleep behavior disorders, we may be acting out our dreams. Continue reading to find out more about this disorder.
As you get older, the likelihood that you will develop or report sleep troubles will increase along with your age. This is because as you age, your sleep patterns will change, requiring you to acquire sleep differently than you did when you were 20 years old. Generally speaking, as you get older your sleep pattern changes in the following ways:
Some sleep disorders are actually fairly common. They all have one thing in common: they disrupt healthy sleep.
Sleep disorders are fairly common, some more than other. The thing they all have in common, however, is their ability to disrupt sleep. Chronic sleep disruptions can make you feel less like yourself. Sometimes, theys can even make you feel and behave like a completely different person.
If you are reading this, you might be wondering if you have a sleep disorder or problem. Here are causes and symptoms of the most common sleep disorders.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and symptoms of sleep deprivation tend to overlap. An interesting question to consider is can sleep problems result in ADHD? If the answer is yes, there may be treatments available for some people with ADHD that are non-pharmacological.
Right now, there is no answer to this question. It is something that researchers, such as professor Sandra Kooij (Associate Professor of Psychiatry at VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, and founder and chair of the European Network Adult ADHD), are only just beginning to tackle.
Consider for a moment though, some of the most common symptoms of sleep deprivation [Brandon Peters, MD] that are also symptomatic of ADHD [WebMD]:
If you or your child struggle with ADHD you might also check in and see how your sleep is too.
A shift worker is anyone whose work schedule does not follow the typical 9-5 business day. The most typical example of this are businesses that operate 24 hours per day. This is increasingly common as modern demands and competition push businesses production and customer service. Millions of Americans are working non-traditional hours (about one-fifth of the US population [1]) – are you?
The most common risk of shift work are persistent sleep problems, generally resulting in either excessive sleepiness and/or nighttime sleep interruptions [2]. Only 63% of shift workers report that their work schedule allows them to get enough sleep (compared to 89% for non-shift workers) [3]. If you are a shift worker, are you getting enough sleep?
Most people don’t get enough sleep. We are a society that burns the candle at both ends, a nation where people stay up all night to study, work, or have fun. However, going without adequate sleep carries with it both short- and long-term consequences.
Do you wake up earlier than you’d like or have trouble falling asleep at night and staying asleep? Are you excessively tired throughout the day and/or having difficulty concentrating at work or school? Do you rely heavily on caffeine to keep you awake? Does the sleep you do get feel restorative, or does it feel inadequate? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, there is a chance that you suffer from a sleep disorder.
It’s not surprising that the week of Thanksgiving was chosen as GERD awareness week, especially with our tendency to indulge in a little too much of everything! GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a common disease that affects millions of Americans.
It may help to know that you're not alone in your quest for better sleep. Research studies demonstrate that approximately 25% of people suffer from some form of sleep disorder. Yet, sleep deprivation can impose detrimental effects on individuals and the people around them.