By Jennifer Pullinger
These days, people are living fast and
furious lifestyles. Who has time for
rest? For many suffering from sleep
apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, sleepwalking, and
other sleep disorders, getting some “Z’s” is important.
Even more important for sufferers, is
getting “the right kind” of shut-eye. Sometimes,
not getting good sleep can potentially be life
threatening.
In the case of sleep apnea, the sufferer experiences
a multi-second pause in breathing or
shallow breaths, which occurs throughout the
night. Top risk factors include weight, age, and
gender; more middle-aged to senior men have
sleep apnea than women. Family history, a history
of smoking or high alcohol consumption,
and a small nose, mouth, or throat airway also
heighten risk. Sleep apnea is considered a serious
medical disorder, and can contribute to
diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular
disease -- even cardiac arrhythmia -- if left
unchecked.
Narcolepsy, on the other hand, can be just
as dangerous as sleep apnea because sufferers
tend to fall asleep at inopportune times. Narcoleptics
often experience extreme drowsiness
during the day, even after a good night’s rest.
While there is no cure for narcolepsy, the disorder
can be controlled with medications and
lifestyle changes.
Insomnia – when someone has trouble falling
or staying asleep – is often considered a
symptom of other sleep disorders, but the
chronic inability to sleep can be disruptive to
an individual’s life. Women are twice as likely to
suffer from insomnia as men. Other major risk
factors include mental health variables, including
dealing with high amounts of stress or feelings
of anxiety and depression.
It may be easy to joke about sleepwalking,
which occurs when a sleeper unconsciously
acts as they normally would awake. But the
dangers are real – falling down a flight of stairs
is just one example of the hazards of somnambulism
if left untreated. An interesting fact about this disorder: identical twins are at a higher risk
of sleepwalking.
Treatment for chronic sleep disorders such
as these requires the supervision of your family
doctor, but you can take control of your health with sensible adjustments to your lifestyle. Eat
healthy. Exercise. Reduce stress. Go to sleep
on a regular timetable. For narcolepsy sufferers,
try to schedule in naps, especially if what
you are doing requires some involved hand-eye
coordination or concentration, like driving long
distances. Finding a support group can also alleviate
some of the emotional struggles sleep disorder
sufferers face. All of these modifications
are sometimes more easily said than done,
but can go a long way in getting the refreshing
sleep you need and making your “waking
hours” more enjoyable as a result.
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