Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent and sometimes uncontrollable desire for sleep – aka sleep attacks. While the cliché of someone with narcolepsy suddenly falling asleep mid-sentence is not common, it is true that these sleep attacks can be intense and often require people with narcolepsy to make lifestyle adjustment to work around them.
It’s no secret that we are living under unique circumstances in Alaska: lots of light over the past few months, and lots of darkness to look forward to for the next six months. Though it might seem counter intuitive, winter in Alaska actually makes sleep more difficult for many people, especially as you move further north.
Much of the year in Alaska, we live in either the extreme darkness or extreme lightness. These extreme lighting conditions affect our lives in many different ways:
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.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent and sometimes uncontrollable desire for sleep, among other things. Narcolepsy is incredibly disruptive for maintaining a normal sleep schedule and overall daily function.
There are two kinds of sleep, and the question you need to ask yourself is: which kind are you getting? One kind of sleep involves closing your eyes at night, maybe rolling around at night, waking up in the morning, and feeling like you could have slept another 3 hours. Another kind of sleep involves falling asleep, sleeping deeply, and waking up feeling mostly or completely refreshed. Which one sounds familiar to you?
A sleep diary is a record of your sleeping, including all of the aspects of your sleep. This includes data about your sleep, patterns of sleep, and sleep habits in order to identify potential problems that should require a sleep study. Sleep diaries are generally kept over a period of at least two weeks, but the longer the better.
A sleep diary is a record of your sleeping, including all of the aspects of your sleep. This includes data about your sleep, patterns of sleep, and sleep habits in order to identify potential problems that should incur a sleep study. Sleep diaries are generally kept over a period of at least two weeks, but the longer the better.
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!
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.