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Sleep
With years of sleep research, we now know that our
brains are very active during sleep. Moreover, sleep
affects our daily functioning and our physical and
mental health in many ways that we are just beginning to
understand.
During sleep, we usually pass through different phases
of sleep. These stages progress in a cycle from stage 1
to REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The first few stages
are very light stages of sleep. The last few stages of
sleep are more restorative.
Some sleep disorders never allow a person to progress
beyond the light phases of sleep. That is why they do
not feel rested in the morning, even after a full night
of sleep.
Since sleep and wakefulness are influenced by different
signals in the brain, foods and medicines that change
the balance of these signals affect whether we feel
alert or drowsy and how well we sleep. Caffeinated
drinks and some medications can cause insomnia, or an
inability to sleep. Heavy smokers often sleep very
lightly and have reduced amounts of REM sleep. many
people who suffer from insomnia try to solve the problem
with alcohol.. the so called night cap. While alcohol
does help people fall into light sleep, it also robs
them of the more restorative stages of sleep by keeping
them in the lighter stages of sleep.
Although scientists are still trying to learn exactly
why people need sleep, animal studies show that sleep is
needed for survival. Sleep appears necessary for our
nervous systems to work properly. Too little sleep
leaves us drowsey and unable to concentrate the next
day. Researchers have found that people with chronic
insomnia have a higher incidence of psychiatric problems
such as anxiety and depression and are more likely to
get help.
Sleep Apnea
The symptoms are often overlooked and or misdiagnosed,
like what happened to me. I have probably had this
problem for years, but it wasn't discovered until June
2006. In the past i had gone for all kinds of tests with
my heart, since 2001 when I was scared enough to finally
go to a doctor for help, no one ever even suggested that
I may have sleep apnea! So what are the symptoms?
Snoring, daytime sleepiness, even after 7 or 8 hours of
sleep, been observed to stop breathing during sleep,
(yes no one ever told me this either, but I come to find
out I do it many times a night).
There are over 40 million Americans each year that
suffer from chronic, long term sleep disorders each year
and an additional 20 million experience occasional
sleeping problems. These disorders and the resulting
sleep deprivation interfere with work, driving, and
social activities. The hard part is getting it
diagnosed, although once being sent for a sleep study,
it can be corrected effectively. Sleep apnea is actually
the most common sleep disorder!
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