Do you have problem sleeping at night? Do you constantly have nightmares? Do you sleepwalk? If you answered yes to all of the questions, then you might have what experts call a sleeping disorder. Sleep is very important to the well-being of your body because during sleep the body repairs itself and regenerates tissues, builds muscle and bone and strengthens your immune system and might even delay the aging process. Infants need around 16-18 hours of sleep, teenagers need 9 hours and adults need 7-8 hours of sleep a day so if you don t get that much time then your health might suffer. So what are the types of sleeping disorders and their causes?
- Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that is characterized by you not getting enough sleep. It may be caused by a medical problem (primary insomnia) or by a separate issue such as a side effect of medication. Insomnia maybe acute (short term) or chronic (long term). Acute insomnia can be caused by illness, stress, physical or emotional discomfort, environmental factors (noise, extreme temperatures or light that may interfere with your sleep), medications and interference in your normal sleeping schedule (switch from day-night, jet lag, etc.). Chronic insomnia can be caused by discomfort or pain at night, chronic stress and anxiety or depression. Do not fret though because there are insomnia cures that can help you have better sleep like meditation, stress and anger management, herbal remedies, acupuncture, aromatherapy and more.
- Sleep apnea is a very serious sleeping disorder that you need to watch out for because this disorder happens when your breathing is being interrupted during your sleep and if you have a serious case of sleep apnea, you might stop breathing repeatedly during the time that you sleep. Sleep apnea has 2 types: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) this happens at the time the soft tissue located at the back of your throat collapses while you are sleeping and Central Sleep Apnea unlike OSA where the airway is blocked, this type of apnea happens when your brain fails to give signal to your muscles to keep on breathing. Some of the causes of sleep apnea are being overweight, having a large neck (around 17 inches in men and 16 inches or more in women), having a family history of apnea, having larger tonsils and being male. Men are more prone to apnea than women.
- Nightmares are dreams that make you have a strong and unpleasant emotional response like fear or horror, sensation of pain, bad events, falling, drowning or death. Although they are more common in children, adults experience them as well. Nightmares may cause you distress and in turn disturb your sleep. They usually happen during a period of sleep that is called REM (rapid eye movement). This is the stage of your sleep where all the dreaming happens usually in the early hours of the morning. Some nightmares in adults are caused by having a late-night snack. This actually increases your metabolism and signals your brain to be more active. Medications such as antidepressants, narcotics and blood pressure medications are also know to cause them. Withdrawal from substances like alcohol or tranquilizers may also trigger nightmares as well as sleep deprivation. Other triggers for nightmare can be psychological disorders like depression, anxiety and also post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
These three are just part of the many types of sleeping disorders and these disorders cause an imbalance in your life and lead to serious health problems so take the time to check out sites like www.webmd.com for more information on sleeping disorders and what causes them.
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