Alexandria Hoggan

Sleep Disorders

Introduction

Ever feel like you dont get enough sleep? Well matter a fact many people struggle with

this phenomena. Sleep-related difficulties affect many individuals today, it affects about 25-30%

of the adult population. Some disorders associated with sleep are; Sleep Apnea, Insomnia,

Somnambulism, Sleep Paralysis and Night Terrors. Almost all of these disorders result in sleep

deprivation and continue to cause health concerns since they are actively disrupting the sleep

cycle. These disorders also contribute to about 16 million dollars spent in medical costs every

year. (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2016) In the later paragraphs I

wish to provide an overall understanding of sleep disorders and how they affect us human

beings.

Literature Review

To begin to understand sleep disorders a deeper understanding of the importance of

getting enough sleep. Sleep is essential to live a healthy emotional, physical, and mental life. In

the brain nerve sending chemicals called neurotransmitters control whether we are asleep or

awake. They act as little alarms. Chemically making us feel drowsy or causing us to feel alert.

When you finally do fall asleep the sleep cycle engages. (National Institute of Neurological

Disorders and Stroke, 2016) The sleep cycle contains five stages of sleep awake where (Beta

brain waves) are, drowsy (Alpha waves) , stage 1 sleep (Theta Waves), stage 2 sleep (K

complex), stage 3 and 4 (Delta waves), and REM (Sawtooth Waves). REM is a common term

thrown around usually of importance with sleep. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the

dreaming stage which means it is the deepest part of sleep giving your physical being a rest.
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These stages are all a part of the circadian rhythm cycle which is your 24 hour cycle. When an

individuals sleep cycle is disrupted; examples include, working late shifts, stress, diet, etc. It can

cause further problems with sleep. Which leads us into our disorders.

Insomnia, is a difficulty one has falling asleep and staying asleep. Being the most

common sleep disorder with about 30-48% of the population reporting symptoms only 6% of

those people are diagnosed it is troublesome to a society. (Schacter, 2014) Almost everyone at

some point will struggle with a small glimpse of Insomnia but, not a reoccurring episode.

Insomnia is such a severe disease because, it affects work productivity, ability to drive, and

overall functionality of self. Since it usually affects people over the age of 40 it can cause major

issues in the career field. Many of the times people who are diagnosed with Insomnia have an

underlying disease behind it examples include; depression, anxiety, schizophrenia etc.

Sleep Apnea is a disorder that effects 15% of the population. (National Institute of

Health, 2011) Where people stop breathing for a brief amount of time while they sleep. How this

happens is a windpipe collapses which results in a blocked airway for multiple seconds

sometimes even minutes. The blood oxygen in your body starts to fall resulting in you

awakening from your sleep. (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2016)

Since it occurs during the night it can cause people to awaken and fall back asleep multiple times

a night. Resulting in sleep deprivation. This disorder goes undiagnosed frequently because, you

are asleep when it occurs and a partner may not notice. A common sign of sleep apnea is snoring

because, it involves the airways. Many people who are diagnosed with sleep apnea are

overweight middle aged men because, it results in buildup of fat and loss of muscle.

Somnambulism or (commonly known as sleep walking is when someone walks around in

their sleep. This usually occurs during slow wave sleep and is typically not problematic unless
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they trip or fall over something. Somnambulism is seen much more frequently in children than in

adults same with Night Terrors. (Schacter, 2014) Im sure almost everyone can recall having a

night terror when they were children at some point. Its usually is waking up from a nightmare

with panic and intense emotional distress. Another disease that is similar to night terrors but, a

more extreme version is Sleep Paralysis. Sleep Paralysis is the feeling that you are paralyzed

when you wake up when your body gains back motor control. Sometimes hallucinations will

occur making it even more extreme. Studies have shown a link between sleep paralysis and ghost

sightings and aliens. This experience is a highly sensational feeling so you may also feel like you

are floating or falling. (Pappas, 2014)

These disorders can have major effect on your health and cause damage to the brain or

mental sanctity. Researchers have found a link to sleep deprivation and early set Alzheimers. It

is a common side effect of Alzheimers to have bad sleeping habits or Insomnia but, scientists are

finding that poor sleep can lead to early on Alzheimers. Findings show that brain activity

induced by poor sleep may influence Alzheimers-related brain changes, which begin years

before memory loss and other disease symptoms appear. (National Institute on Aging, 2016)

People who have poor sleeping habits have a build beta-amyloid protein which transforms into

amyloid plaque which is found in the brain of someone who has Alzheimer. While this is still

ongoing research they have found direct links with mice between sleep deprivation and the

disease. But, this is not the first disease linked to poor sleep either things like cardiovascular

disease, obesity, and depression have been seen to correlate as well.

Application;

The reason I chose this topic is because, I had so much experience with it in my

personal life. My younger brother suffers from extreme night terrors and my father suffers from
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sleep apnea. I have had many experiences with dealing with these disorders and trying to help

my family members overcome them. The first time my brother had an episode he was about 12

years old and it was in the middle of the night. His bedroom is right next to mine so I can hear

him pretty well. One night he woke up screaming this ear bleeding horrible scream like

something horrible was happening to him. I ran into his room and he was shouting Help me

over and over and over. It seemed like he was starting to stop and then he began to seize. He had

a full on seizure after. When the ambulance came he was so distraught and could hardly move

after his seizure. He was terrified but, had little recollection of what happened. Doctors explained

that is a rare case of extreme night terrors and he should grow out of it and told my parents the

precautions they should take. These episodes occur about twice a year and are not life

threatening.

I didnt know much about Sleep Apnea until reading this chapter but, I understand now

that is what my father was diagnosed with. I was too young to remember exactly what happened

but, my mom started to yell because, my dad wasnt breathing when he was sleeping. This

happened frequently and my mom would have to shake my dad to wake up and hope he was

okay. He went to the hospital as well and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea he takes medication

for it and sometimes uses a breathing mask when he sleeps.

Conclusion;

From what I researched I think sleep disorders need to be further examined as it is

becoming a health epidemic. These disorders effect health in many ways and can cause a

tremendous amount of stress in peoples lives. I believe that if more research was done on sleep

disorders we could diagnose them better and understand how to live with them on a daily basis.

Also I think we would have a decline in disorders if we knew what caused them specifically or
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how to prevent them. It would be beneficial for everyone involved if we learned more about

sleep disorders.
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References
National Institute of Health. (2011). National Institute of Health Sleep Disorder
Research Plan. Retrieved from National Center on Sleep Disorder Research.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2016). Brain Basics; The
Understanding of Sleep. Retrieved February 7, 2017, from National Institute
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-
Education/Understanding-Sleep
National Institute on Aging. (2016, July 26). Does poor sleep raise risk for
Alzheimers disease? Retrieved from National Institute on Aging:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/features/does-poor-sleep-raise-risk-
alzheimers-disease
Pappas, S. (2014, March 4). What Makes Sleep Paralysis Scary? Retrieved from
LiveScience: http://www.livescience.com/27621-sleep-paralysis-scary.html

Schacter, G. W. (2014). Psychology. In G. W. Schacter, Psychology (pp. 197-200). New York:

Worth Publishers.
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