Sunday, April 24, 2011

Parasomnia and sleep apnea

It used to be that the only term that you heard with regards to not getting enough sleep was insomnia, where your sleep is interrupted anywhere from a couple of days to months. In the past twenty years the big sleep disorder has been sleep apnea where there is a blockage in the back of the throat that causes you to stop breathing at night. Because of the dire consequences of sleep apnea it is always best to seek treatment for that. A few posts ago I discussed something called dyssomnias, which covers sleep disorders that where it is difficult to get to sleep and difficult to remain sleeping. Another related term, is Parasomnia.


According to Webmd dot com “Parasomnias are disruptive sleep-related disorders that can occur during arousals from REM sleep or partial arousals from Non-REM sleep” Sleep disorders that fall into this category are nightmares, night terrors and sleep walking. It is also reported that children have a greater risk of Parasomnias than adults.

If you have sleep apnea you may have a greater risk of Parasomnia than most folks. An article in Medscape.com states that sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea, can be a reason why some folks develop Parasomnias. If the sleep apnea is controlled by a CPAP machine then the Parasomnia might also be controlled.

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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Side effects of Sleepiness

As you know there are many problems with sleep deprivation due to all the disorders associated with it. The consequences can be dire. I was recently sent a link that describes some of those side effects and I want to share it with you.


10 Scariest Side Effects of Sleeplessness

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Sunday, April 10, 2011

What are Dyssomnias?

There are many problems that can be experienced with regard to sleeping. You may have a problem getting to sleep or staying asleep or even waking up. Or possibly the problem is the quality of sleep and whether it is giving you enough rest to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The sleep disorder that seems to get the most attention today is sleep apnea, where you constantly wake up gasping for air due to a blockage in the back of the throat. Insomnia is also a widespread problem that could last for a few days or for much longer. Sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy are part of the group called Dyssomnia.


According to Wikipedia Dyssomnias are “broad classifications of sleeping disorders that make it difficult to get to sleep, or to remain sleeping. They are primary disorders of initiating or maintaining sleep or of excessive sleepiness and are characterized by a disturbance in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep.” As you can imagine there are quite a few that fit into this category. Besides sleep apnea, insomnia and narcolepsy there is also restless leg syndrome, shift work syndrome, sleep hypersomnia and periodic limb movement. All total (according to Wikipedia) there are about 30 disorders.

Of course the cures for these sleep disorders vary from one to another. Check with your doctor if you feel that you have any problems regarding sleep.

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Sunday, April 3, 2011

Complex sleep apnea

The majority of people who have sleep apnea have obstructive sleep apnea where the airway in the back of the throat is blocked. This blockage causes the body to stop breathing which in turn causes the body to go into panic mode which wakes you up. This routine can happens hundreds of times each night eliminating any chance of getting any rest. This is the most common type of sleep apnea; the other type is central sleep apnea which only occurs in a small percentage (about 5%) of folks with this sleep disorder. Unfortunately central sleep apnea can also occur when you are being treated for OSA, which is called complex sleep apnea.


What is central sleep apnea?

Central sleep apnea is similar to obstructive sleep apnea in that your breathing stops while you are trying to sleep. But the cause of that stoppage isn’t from the airway in the back of your throat being blocked it’s because the brain doesn’t send the correct signals to the muscles that are in charge of breathing. According to mayo clinic dot com “Central sleep apnea may occur as a result of other conditions, such as heart failure and stroke. Sleeping at a high altitude also may cause central sleep apnea.” Like obstructive sleep apnea the symptoms are usually gasping for air, loud snoring, being tired the next day and other’s similar to OSA. The causes could be heart problems, stroke or other medical disorders. There is also likelihood that the reason is unknown or idiopathic. Like obstructive sleep apnea the consequences of not seeking treatment can be serious. “

What is complex sleep apnea?

The strange thing about complex sleep apnea is that it occurs when you are being treated for OSA with a CPAP, a device that pushes air into the back of your throat. Complex sleep apnea is rare and does seem to be some controversy about whether it is a disease or not.

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