Sleeping Disorder?

How much sleep do you get each night? If you are sleep for less than 7 hours a night, you may be suffering from a lack of sleep. Many people can function on less than 7 hours of sleep, but they are not at their best. Over many weeks or years, this lack of sleep interacts with the body and can worsen health conditions. About 95% of the population needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night. Sure, there are a lucky few who physically need less -- but that is a rare situation. If you are not feeling energetic during the day, add hours to your sleep and see if it makes a difference.

How much sleep we need depends on what is happening in our bodies. The rapid growth of infancy and adolescence and the demands on the body during pregnancy mean more sleep. Contrary to the common sleep myth, older adults need just as much sleep as younger ones. Here is a list of sleep needs by group:

Infants: 16 hours a day
Young Children: 10-14 hours a day
Teenagers: 9 hours a day
Pregnant women: several extra hours a day in the first trimester
Adults: 7 to 9 hours a day
Older Adults: 7 to 9 hours a day
Finding Your 'Sleep Need'

A person should be alert and awake throughout the day. Some signs that you are not getting enough quality sleep include:
- Feeling tired during the day
- Falling asleep within 5 minutes of lying down
- Experiencing “microsleeps” or brief “nodding off” episodes
- Sleep Quality and Sleep Quantity

If you find that you are not getting enough sleep, there are two things to look at: the amount of time you spend sleeping and the quality of your sleep. Sleep Time: If you spend less than 7 hours in bed (asleep) each night, you will most likely have a sleep deficit.

You could also be spending enough time in bed, but have trouble falling asleep quickly. Learning good sleep habits can help you fall asleep faster and get more sleep in the same amount of time. Sleep Quality: If your sleep is interrupted, if you wake up several times a night or if you toss and turn, your sleep quality may be poor. You need two kinds of sleep each night – deep sleep (sleep stage 3 and 4), which makes you feel refreshed, and REM sleep, which we don’t fully understand, but we know you need it. Developing better sleep habits can help with sleep quality.

Sleep Disorders and Problems
There are also many types of sleep disorders that can impact your sleep. The two most common sleep disorders are insomnia and sleep apnea. Less common sleep disorders include narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome (RLS). These disorders can be caused by health conditions, medications, anxiety and other factors. Narcolepsy is a rare disease that affects between 25 and 50 people per 100,000 people. RLS is more common. However, several clinical conditions are associated with RLS, such as iron deficiency, chronic kidney diseases, pregnancy, polyneuropathy, type 2 diabetes mellitus and multiple sclerosis. Many sleep disorders can be treated through a combination of changing your sleep habits and medications. Sleep apnea generally requires treatment with positive airway pressure. Many people over 65 have trouble sleeping because of health conditions.


Understanding Sleep
Sleep is a major part of our lives. However, researchers and doctors understand little about sleep and what it does for us. What we do know is that sleep has many health benefits and getting a good night’s sleep is the key to feeling energized every day. Understanding sleep can help you improve your health and may even extend your life.


Sleep Habits
Sleep habits are the key to getting a good night’s sleep. We can either train ourselves to fall asleep quickly every night, or we can train ourselves to lie awake in bed through bad habits. Exercise, caffeine, stress and other factors can influence the quantity and quality of our sleep. Changing your sleep habits can lead to greatly improve sleep quality and quantity.


Sleep Disorders and Sleep Problems
If changing your sleep habits doesn’t help, you may have a sleep disorder.
The most common sleep disorders include:
- Insomnia
- Sleep apnea
- Restless Legs Syndrome
- Narcolepsy


The following situations can interfere with your daily Zzzzs as well:
- Jet lag
- Working the night shift
- Nighttime driving
- Snoring


leep Diagnosis and Treatment
You may have a sleep disorder if it takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep each night, you are tired during the day and you do not feel rested. If you think you might have a sleep problem, try these three steps:
Improve Your Sleep Habits: Make big changes in your sleep habits for 2 to 3 weeks to see if you can figure out what is causing you to sleep poorly.

Keep a Sleep Diary: Track your sleep and other behaviors for several days to make connections between your daily activities and your sleep quality.

Find a Sleep Center and Doctor: If your sleep doesn’t improve, take your sleep diary to a sleep center or sleep doctor near you for more testing.
Sleep Needs

Each individual’s sleep need varies. For the majority of adults, the daily sleep need is between 7 and 9 hours. Some people need even more than 9 hours and others need less than 7, but this is rare. If you are awake and alert during the day and feel satisfied with your sleep, then you are getting enough sleep.


Sleep and Aging
There is a myth that people need less sleep as they age. This is simply not true: Older adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. However, good sleep is harder to get as we age because of health conditions, medications and other reasons. Protecting your sleep as you age will give you more energy and better health.
Sleep Myths

Other sleep myths include misunderstandings about the benefit of sleeping in to “catch up” on sleep, sleep in children, the benefits of napping and more. Clearing up these sleep myths will help you to make better decisions about your daily sleep habits.


Sleep Benefits
While we know that sleep makes us feel refreshed, there are many health and other benefits to a good night’s sleep. These include improving heart health, improving your memory and maybe even preventing cancer. Other benefits include improving your skin and helping you concentrate.


Napping
Napping can be a great way to increase your sleep and improve your energy. Napping has been shown to increase productivity and even protect against heart disease. Napping strategies will help you take effective, short naps and then go back to your day recharged.


Sleep Biology
Sleep is a complicated process consisting of five stages. These stages include falling asleep (stage 1), brain slow-down (stage 2), deep sleep (stages 3 and 4) and rapid eye movement (REM). In each stage, the brain and body act differently. During the night, we cycle through all these stages approximately every 100 minutes.
Circadian Rhythms

Throughout the day the body makes changes in various hormone levels. Some of these changes, known as circadian rhythms, control our wake/sleep cycle. By getting enough exposure to bright light and following other behavioral suggestions, we can work with our circadian rhythms help ourselves fall asleep fast every night.
Dreaming and Sleep

Of course, dreaming is one of the strangest and least understood parts of sleep. Dreams seem to be important in creating memories out of the day’s events and solidifying learning. Dreams can be extremely vivid, interesting and potentially meaningful to the dreamer.



Master Napping
Napping, if done effectively, can revitalize you day in a way that no cup of coffee ever can. If done incorrectly, napping can ruin your night sleep and leave you feeling groggy and more tired. Here are a sample of some napping tips:
- nap for 20 minutes
- use an eye pillow
- don't nap within 3 hours of bedtime
- try to nap in the same place each time


Impaired Sleep Quality And Allergic Rhinitis Linked
Patients with allergic rhinitis, such as that caused by hay fever and other allergies, have more difficulty sleeping and more sleep disorders than those without allergies, according to a report in the September 18 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a theme issue on sleep.


The Health Effects of Marijuana
Although legalization activists and many marijuana users believe smoking pot has no negative effects, scientific research indicates that marijuana use can cause many health problems. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. When smoked, it begins to effect users almost immediately.


Childhood Obesity and Sleep Apnea
Childhood obesity is on the rise, and along with the obesity comes other problems --- heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Another problem, long thought to be a disorder of older, overweight males, is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause both physical and mental problems