Causes of sleep deprivation can be divided into four broad areas: lifestyle, health complications, medication side effects and clinical disorders. Finding out the cause of your sleep disorder is important because it will determine the type of treatment you need. For example, while those with lifestyle habits that affect their sleep will simply need to alter their lifestyle, those on medication or people who suffer from clinical disorders may need to switch their medications.

Your Lifestyle

One of the main causes is the lifestyle you lead. This includes eating a poor diet and drinking alcohol regularly or excessively. Drinking too much caffeine leads to the inability to sleep well. Working late night shifts throws off the internal clock; the body has a more difficult time sleeping with light. Normal circadian patterns are altered when you can’t sleep during the night.

Those unsure of what is behind their sleep deprivation should keep a sleep journal. Record what you ate, what you did and what happened when you tried to go to sleep each day. Over a period of weeks or a month, patterns develop showing you what could be behind your sleep deprivation.

Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions lead to sleep deprivation. This can be a symptom of a much larger problem. These medical conditions can affect both your emotional state and physical state, causing deprivation indirectly.

Severe asthma can trigger attacks during the evening, keeping you from regular sleep. Other medical conditions can be physiological, such as depression. Doctors have also found post traumatic stress disorder is the cause of insomnia in affected people. Read The Full Story…

Several physical, medical, psychiatric or external factors cause trouble in sleep. Sleeping disorders are a common problem among people all over the world. There can be different types of sleeping disorders, symptoms causes may vary according to the types. Sleeping disorder typically occur due to stress, anxiety, grief, dependencies like alcoholism and various external environmental factors. A lot of people can experience sleeping disorders due to food sensitivity, which causes disruption while sleeping.

There are many sleep disorders types, which are generally classified into one of three categories:

- lack of sleep (e.g., insomnia),

- disturbed sleep (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea), and

- excessive sleep (e.g., narcolepsy).

Insomnia – a short term or chronic inability to get high quality sleep – is a common sleep problem and can be caused by a variety of things including stress, a change in time zones, an altered sleep schedule or poor bedtime habits. Whether your problem is an occasional sleepless night or a series of them, plenty of solutions exist to help you get better sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome . The most common kind of sleep apnea is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Sleep apnea means “cessation of breath.” It is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. In other words, the airway becomes obstructed at several possible sites. The upper airway can be obstructed by excess tissue in the airway, large tonsils, a large tongue and usually includes the airway muscles relaxing and collapsing when asleep. Another site of obstruction can be the nasal passages. Sometimes the structure of the jaw and airway can be a factor in sleep apnea. Read The Full Story…

Sleep paralysis consists of a period of inability to perform voluntary movements either at sleep onset (called hypnogogic or predormital form) or upon awakening (called hypnopompic or postdormtal form). Sleep paralysis is a common condition where people are paralyzed at the onset of sleep or upon waking; it may accompany vivid or terrifying hallucinations called hypnagogic hallucinations. Here are some steps to help you cope with sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis is a condition in which someone, most often lying in a supine (face up) position, about to drop off to sleep, or just upon awaking from sleep realizes that s/he is unable to move, or speak, or cry out. This may last a few seconds or several moments, occasionally longer. People frequently report feeling a ‘presence’ that is often described as malevolent, threatening, or evil. An intense sense of dread and terror is very common. The presence is likely to be vaguely felt or sensed just out of sight but thought to be watching or monitoring, often with intense interest, sometimes standing by, or sitting on the bed. On some occasions, the presence may attack, strangling and exerting crushing pressure on the chest.

Tips for Cope with Sleep Paralysis :

- Don’t stay up and move around until you are so tired you could fall asleep as soon as you sit down this can lead to sleep paralysis.

- Reduce stress.

- Eat healthy. Avoid going to bed hungry. Avoid caffeine 5 hours before sleep. Read The Full Story…

Did you know that 78 percent of women have insomnia and other sleep problems during pregnancy? There are numerous reasons you may have trouble drifting off to dreamland during pregnancy. Some of the more common troubles include frequent urination, an unquiet mind, stress, leg cramps or the incapacity to get into a comfortable position.

Here are 10 tips for reducing insomnia during pregnancy:

1. Go to bed drowsy. Sometimes the issue is that you are going to bed wound up and not able to sleep because you are not physically or mentally ready to sleep. By entering your bed, only when truly ready to sleep, you increase the likelihood of actually succeeding. To help with this avoid caffeine after early afternoon, don’t exercise vigorously past late afternoon, and don’t have heavy discussion before bed or in bed. Doing relaxation alone or with your partner can be helpful.
2. Skip the daytime naps. Oh, how tempting they can be. When my daughters are entertained, or my husband is home, I’m tempted to take some good pregnancy advice and sneak in a nap. Unfortunately, taking a nap means I have a more difficult time sleeping at night. While it might be hard to make it all day long without catching some zzz’s, naps might be contributing to your pregnancy insomnia. Try cutting them out, and see if you are able to sleep more soundly at night.
3. Try a glass of warm milk with some honey and a light, carbohydrate filled snack that will keep your tummy full so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night hungry. The milk will help you drift off to sleep.
4. Pillows. Use them where ever you need them: between your knees for aching hips, under your belly for support, behind your back, and under your head.
5. Warm water bath. A bath or shower can not only relax you and soothe soreness that accompanies pregnancy, but it can also help you prepare for sleep. This works before bedtime as well as in the middle of the night.
6. Change eating habits: Many cases of pregnancy insomnia are caused by improper eating habits. When food intake is causing heartburn or acid reflux, eating less at night can help a whole lot. Also, if you haven’t already, cut out caffeine and other similar products. These can add to pregnancy insomnia a whole lot and they are not good for the baby. Read The Full Story…
   

Manny people waste hours and hours in bed for no good reason. The purpose of this post is to help you, not only to fall asleep faster, but also to improve your sleep system – the idea is that you will ultimately waste less time in bed because you will require less sleep and fall asleep faster. If you don’t have enough sleep, it can lead to depression, high blood pressure and lower productivity at work.

Here are 10 bad sleep habits:

1. Limit time spent in bed. Regardless of how long you slept, don’t spend more than 8 hours in bed. Get out of that bed! Unless of course you and your better half have morning activities of some sort planned.

2. Having pets sleep in your bed: Animal hair can trigger off asthma and other allergy attacks, so it is advisable to keep your furry friends out of your bed. Even children’s stuffed toys can be carriers of dust mites. And that is something you need to watch out for.

3. Slow Bed Movements. Instead of tossing and turning in bed, move around slowly if you absolutely have to move around. Frustration feeds on fast movements. Gentle, slow movements will make you yawn and feel more tired.

4. Cleaning your bedroom: Many disinfectants have chemicals that can irritate your skin, nose, throat and lungs when you sleep. So avoid cleaning your room in the evening, but clean it & give it a make-over in the morning. Read The Full Story…

How long can humans stay awake?

J. Christian Gillin, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, conducts research on sleep, chronobiology and mood disorders. He supplies the following answer.

In 1964, as a 17-year-old high school student in San Diego, California, Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours (11 days) with the help of friends, TV reporters, and shooting hoops His stunt was part of a school science project on sleep patterns.

The effects of sleep deprivation on Randy Gardner included moodiness, problems with concentration and memory, paranoia and hallucinations. After four days, he had the delusion that he was a famous American football player winning the Rose Bowl. He also mistook a street sign for a person.

On the 11th day, he was asked to subtract seven repeatedly, starting from 100. He stopped when he got to 65… and said he had forgotten what he was doing. Read The Full Story…

Fibromyalgia syndrome causes symptoms of extreme pain in the muscles throughout the body. Fibromyalgia produces widespread pain, disturbed sleep, and exhaustion from head to toe. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons—the soft fibrous tissues of the body. Although the muscles hurt everywhere, they are not the only cause of the pain. Instead, the diffuse, body-wide symptoms are greatly magnified by malfunctions in the way the nervous system processes pain.

Sufferers with a fibromyalgia sleep disorder do not obtain enough deep sleep, and their body is not adequately refreshed. Sleep lab tests may not be necessary to determine if the sufferer has experienced disturbed SLEEP with FIBROMYALGIA. If the sufferer wakes up feeling as though they have just been run over by a mack truck - what physicians refer to as an unrefreshing sleep - it is reasonable for the physician to predict that the patient has an interrupted fibromyalgia sleep disorder.

Many FMS patients have been found to have other sleep disorders in addition to the alpha-delta EEG, such as sleep apnea, sleep myoclonus night-time jerking of the arms and legs), and restless legs syndrome. Also, a newly discovered sleep disorder, upper-airway resistance syndrome is also being evaluated for its association with disordered sleep in FMS. Disturbed sleep often aggravates the other prevalent FMS symptoms.

Treatments of fibromyalgia syndrome:

Medications

Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include:

- Analgesics. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may ease the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies. Tramadol (Ultram) is a prescription pain reliever that may be taken with or without acetaminophen. Your doctor may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) — in conjunction with other medications. NSAIDs haven’t proved to be as effective in managing the pain in fibromyalgia when taken by themselves.

- Antidepressants. Your doctor may prescribe amitriptyline to help promote sleep. Fluoxetine (Prozac) in combination with amitriptyline is effective in some people. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) may help ease the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. And milnacipran (Savella) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms.

- Anti-seizure drugs. Medications designed to treat epilepsy are often useful in reducing certain types of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is sometimes helpful in reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, while pregabalin (Lyrica) is the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia.

Therapy

- Physical therapy. Specific exercises can help restore muscle balance and may reduce pain. Stretching techniques and the application of hot or cold also may help.

- Counseling. Cognitive behavioral therapy seeks to strengthen your belief in your abilities and teaches you methods for dealing with stressful situations. Therapy is provided through individual counseling, classes, and with tapes, CDs or DVDs, and may help you manage your fibromyalgia.

It is often a sleep partner who alerts the sleepwalker to his or her behavior. Some sleepwalkers sense that they may be walking at night, but aren’t certain. In some cases, sleepwalkers claim that their suspicions were confirmed by the presence of mysterious bruises on their arms or legs that result from collision with furniture and walls.

Sleepwalking is characterized by complex behavior (walking) accomplished while asleep. Occasionally nonsensical talking may occur while sleepwalking. The person’s eyes are commonly open but have a characteristic glassy “look right through you” character. This activity most commonly occurs during middle childhood and young adolescence. Approximately 15% of children between 4-12 years of age will experience sleepwalking. Generally sleepwalking behaviors are resolved by late adolescence; however, approximately 10% of all sleepwalkers begin their behavior as teens. A genetic tendency has been noted.

Sleepwalking Causes

Genetic factors

Sleepwalking occurs more frequently in identical twins, and is 10 times more likely to occur if a first-degree relative has a history of sleepwalking.

Environmental factors

Sleep deprivation, chaotic sleep schedules, fever, stress, magnesium deficiency, and alcohol intoxication can trigger sleepwalking.

Drugs, for example, sedative/hypnotics (drugs that promote sleep), neuroleptics (drugs used to treat psychosis), minor tranquilizers (drugs that produce a calming effect), stimulants (drugs that increase activity), and antihistamines (drugs used to treat symptoms of allergy) can cause sleepwalking.

Physiologic factors

The length and depth of slow wave sleep, which is greater in young children, may be a factor in the increased frequency of sleepwalking in children.

Conditions, such as pregnancy and menstruation, are known to increase the frequency of sleepwalking.

Physiologic factors

The length and depth of slow wave sleep, which is greater in young children, may be a factor in the increased frequency of sleepwalking in children.

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Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea, lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. The standard definition of any apneic event includes a minimum 10 second interval between breaths, with either a neurological arousal (a 3-second or greater shift in EEG frequency, measured at C3, C4, O1, or O2), a blood oxygen desaturation of 3-4% or greater, or both arousal and desaturation. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or a “Sleep Study”.

Sleep apnea is a common disorder that affects more than 18 million people in the United States. In many of these people, the condition is undiagnosed. OSA takes its name from the Greek word apnea, which means “without breath.” People with sleep apnea literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer and as many as hundreds of times during a single night.

Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are:

- Frequent silences during sleep due to breaks in breathing (apnea)

- Choking or gasping during sleep to get air into the lungs

- Loud snoring

- Sudden awakenings to restart breathing or waking up in a sweat

- Daytime sleepiness and feeling unrefreshed by a night’s sleep, including falling asleep at inappropriate times

Causes and risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea:

When you have obstructive sleep apnea, your throat collapses during sleep, blocking the airway and preventing air from getting to the lungs. Generally, your throat muscles keep the throat and airway open.

Primary causes and risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea

- Being overweight or obese (although 50% of people with sleep apnea are not obese)

- Large tonsils or adenoids Read The Full Story…

“Smoking is dangerous to your health.” This warning found in cigarette boxes is not for naught and a recent study published in the February issue of Chest suggests yet another ill effect of smoking. According to Dr. Naresh M. Punjabi and his research colleagues, smoking can cause poor sleep quality.

Punjabi, one of the authors of the study, points out that those who smoke are more likely to feel tired when awake and they spend less time in deep sleep than those who do not smoke. This can be attributed to the fact that smokers go through nicotine withdrawal each night, therefore causing sleep disturbances. Read The Full Story…