There are four basic categories that each sleeping disorder can be put into: insomnia, hypersomnia, sleep disruptive disorders, and basic trouble with adhering to a normal sleep pattern. Some symptoms of having a sleeping disorder are: difficulty in falling asleep, daytime drowsiness, loud snoring, fatigue, depression, anxiety and lower leg movements during sleep.

Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which a person's breathing stops during sleep for 10 seconds or more, sometimes more than 300 times a night.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. The first is Obstructive Sleep Apnea which may represent the stoppage of breathing due to a mechanical blockage of the airway. The second is Central Sleep Apnea which appears to be related to a malfunction of the brain's normal signal to breathe.

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea may include restless sleep, loud and heavy snoring which is often interrupted by silence and then gasps, falling asleep while driving or when the person is at work or at home while watching TV, morning headaches, loss of energy, trouble concentrating, and mood or behavioral changes.

Snoring is usually associated with apnea. Snoring is defined as noisy breathing one occurs during sleep when the flow of air through the airways is blocked or when the airways vibrate during breathing.

Several factors tend to make people snore: nasal congestion, being overweight, smoking, drinking alcohol before bedtime, and sleeping on your back. Sleeping pills, painkillers and other drugs that cause drowsiness can also make snoring more likely.

Because a person is not able to sleep well or not get good nights sleep, some doctors are now conducting research to see how Apnea manifests insomnia since both interferes with the daytime functioning o f a person. Some causes which still have to be confirmed are the certain medicines available in the market to treat such disorder; medical conditions, excess stress, or poor sleep habits can all affect the quality of your sleep.

To check if a person has a sleeping disorder, a diagnosis is made by a physician specially trained in sleep medicine. After a physical examination of the upper airway and an interview with lots of questions, if it the tests have determined that the patient has a sleeping disorder, one will have to undergo a polysomnogram (sleep test). Most sleep centers and labs monitor 16 different sleep parameters including EEG, EKG, eye movement, chin movement, air flow, chest effort, abdomen effort, SaO2, snoring and leg movement. Each parameter serves to help the physician make a correct diagnosis.

Test are conducted in a sleep room much like a motel room. A technician will paste electrodes at certain points on your head, face, body and legs. Those electrodes will be hooked to monitoring equipment that will record the entire night study. Most patients do not experience anxiety or difficulty in going to sleep. The patients in most case are extremely sleepy and will be asleep in just a few minutes.

Once a correct diagnosis has been made, the doctor may recommend a variety of treatments available for those that suffer from sleep apnea, including medications, behavioral therapy, and, in extreme cases, surgery.

Although over-the-counter sleep aids may be helpful it is not advisable to use these products on a regular basis. These sleep aids don't eliminate the problem but only provide temporary relief and may become less effective after a few days of use.

Doctors however often recommend a prescription device called a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device for patients with sleep apnea. During sleep, the patient wears a mask that fits over the nose. The mask is attached to an air compressor adjusted to blow enough air through the nose to keep the airway open. If a CPAP device doesn't help, then surgery on the upper airway may be the last resort.

By developing good sleeping habits, one may be able to break the pattern of sleeplessness without needing other therapies. Good habits include going to bed and waking up at a regular time, eliminating naps, and avoiding stimulation from exercise or caffeine shortly before bedtime. Relaxation techniques and changes in diet can also help some people.

These are some ways to help specialists know if you have sleep apnea.

- Checking your medical history, including asking you, your family, and officemates on how you sleep and how you work at day

- Examining if you have large or extra tissues in your mouth, throat, or nose.

- Recording your sleep to check your breathing pattern.

How could you be treated for sleep apnea?

The goal in treating your sleep apnea is to restore back your regular breathing during the night and solving symptoms such as loud snoring and sleepiness during the day.

If you suffer from a mild case, some changes in your daily habits or activities could lead to the treatment.

- Stay away from alcoholic beverages, sleep-inducing medications, and smoking.

- Try to shed off some pounds if your weight borders on the plus side.

- Instead of sleeping on your back, try sleeping sideways.

People who have cases that are severe or even moderate should try these treatments:

- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

The most frequent treatment for moderate and severe sleep apnea cases, CPAP allows you to have the right amount of airway pressure in your mouth to keep the throat open as you sleep.

If not used correctly or abruptly stopped, your disorder will come back.

Ask your doctor for any possible effects from using CPAP.

- Mouthpiece

A mouthpiece or an oral appliance may prove to be useful to those who have mild cases of sleep apnea.

A customized mouthpiece will keep your throat airways open as you sleep. Just check with your orthodontist or dentists if you might suffer from side effects. Make sure that the mouthpiece fits.

- Surgery

In some cases, surgery is the ultimate solution. You just have to consult with your doctor the nature of the surgery and if there are possible health repercussion after you have completed the surgery.

At present, there aren’t any medications yet that could treat sleep apnea. But this should not sadden you. With the help of medical specialists, solving your sleep apnea could be attainable.

Before reading through the rest of this chapter, please answer the following questions:

- Do you regularly snore a lot? Is your snoring so loud that you or someone is awakened by it?

- Does it ever happen to you that you wake up abruptly, often choking or gasping for air?

- At daytime, do you feel extremely sleepy? Even if you’re doing something, do you have a hard time staying awake to finish it?

- Do you have dry mouth, headaches, sore throat once you wake up in the morning?

If you answer YES to all these questions, then you probably have the sleep disorder apnea.

Sleep apnea is a deadly sleep disorder that gets worse as you grow older. Not only is sleep apnea causes you sleep deprivation, but worse, it can pose danger to your life.

Anyone can have sleep apnea. According to recent statistics, at least 12 million American suffer from sleep apnea. Majority of those suffering from sleep apnea are overweight and heavily snorers.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea? These are:

- Snoring loudly and regularly;

- Are overweight;

- Suffering from high-blood pressure;

- Have small airways sized in the nose, mouth, and throat; and

- Has at least one from your family that have been suffering or suffered from apnea.

This sleep disorder affects more men than women. Out of 25 middle-aged guys, one suffers from sleep apnea while only one out of 50 women suffers from it.

Based on statistics, sleep apnea occurs more commonly in Americans of African descent, Hispanics, and those living in the Pacific Islands. If your family has a sleep apnea case, then it is highly probable that you would get one too.

Sleep apnea also occurs with children, with its most common symptom as snoring.

What are the common sleep apnea symptoms?

- Loud snoring

- Gasping or choking for air during sleep

- Drowsiness and extreme desire to sleep at day time, even while you’re at work or driving

Others signs may include:

- Morning headaches

- Learning or memory problems

- Feeling irritable

- Inability to concentrate

- Mood swings or changes in personality

- Dry throat upon waking up

- At night, frequent urination

2. Physical or Mechanical Therapy. Here is one of the most effective ways of treating sleep apnea. During the therapy, the patient wears a mask on his nose during sleep while applying air pressure to the nasal passages. The therapy provides air pressure to keep the airway from narrowing.

3. Surgery for adults. Surgery is considered only when other alternative therapy failed or if the patient volunteered to. Surgery aims to remove unnecessary tissue build-up in the throat to open up the airway.

The best cure to sleep apnea is prevention. There are several ways to prevent one from having to develop sleep apnea and reduce the frequency of the attacks:

1. Many Sleep apnea patients are obese. Maintaining a healthy weight is a sure way to prevent the frequency of apnea episodes since it increases the volume of oxygen in the blood. Studies showed that a 10 percent decrease in weight would reduce the frequency of apnea episodes up to 26 percent.

2. Avoid or at least limit alcohol intake.

3. Avoid or limit the use of tranquilizers, sleeping pills.

4. Have time for enough sleep. Lack of sleep increase the frequency of apnea attacks.

5. Treat allergies and runny nose promptly.

6. Avoid sleeping on your back.

Sleep apnea is a serious disease. It could be just a symptom of other more serious illness such as hypertension and heart disease. Should you suspect having the symptoms, take time to visit your family physician. Early detection and diagnoses of sleep apnea could save your life.

Sleep apnea is usually associated with choking sensations and often leads to headaches and sleepiness during the day. Its moderateness or severity is measured with respect to the frequency of episodes per hour, whether you have no breathing (apnea) or slower breathing (hyponea).

Sleep apnea occurs mostly but not limited to men and not specific to any age group. Loud snoring is usually associated with apnea. People with high blood pressure and obese are most likely to developed sleep apnea. Problems in the nose, throat, and air passageway can also cause sleep apnea. Early detection of sleep apnea is very important since it is usually implies an underlying health conditions such as heart problems.

In some cases, apnea happen when the muscles in the throat & tongue relax when one is sleeping, which eventually lead to blockage of the air passageway to some varying degree. Then breathing becomes noisier, slow, or even stop for a while. Obese people have great possibilities of having sleep apnea since they have more tissue in the airway that makes it narrow for normal breathing.

Sleep apnea makes an active person feel sleepy in the morning and affects their concentration in work. Severe sleep apnea could lead to depression, memory loses, irritability, and other negative socio-psychological conditions. Sleep apnea could increase the risk of having a heart attack, high blood pressure and even stroke. One should suspect having a sleep apnea disorder when the following conditions occur:

1. Heavy snoring during sleep while struggling to breath. This is usually monitored by the spouse or room mate.

2. Co-workers noticing one's lack of concentration at work and falling to sleep frequently.

3. Headaches upon waking up from sleep.

4. Frequent urination at night.

5. Heartburn during the night.

6. Frequent changing in sleep position restlessly.

7. Night time choking episodes.

Detecting sleep apnea is a collaborative effort among your family physician, neurologist, and pulmonologist. Among the tests for diagnosing person with such disorder are Polysommography and The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). Polysomnography monitors different functions of the body during sleep such as brain activity, movement of the eye, movement of the muscles, heart beating, blood oxygen. The test will also determine whether the condition is moderate or severe. The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) measures how fast the individual fall into sleep. Normal people fall into sleep in 10 to 20 minutes on the average while people with sleep apnea disorder fall into sleep in 5 minutes or less. Additionally, MSLT is use to measure the daytime sleepiness of the person.

Health experts contend that the classification and the intensity of the condition of the person being deprived from a good night’s sleep determine the kind of problem that he or she has. In fact, they even insist that these symptoms of sleeping disorders are indicative of life-threatening conditions that other people just take for granted.

Hence, it is extremely important for physicians and other health experts to identify these problems immediately so as to avoid harnessing further problems that may lead to death.

Surveys show that almost 30 million Americans are said to be suffering from persistent sleeping disorder, while others are said to have episodic or momentary sleeping problems.

Furthermore, reports assert that 2% to 4% of the adult population are currently suffering from a sleeping disorder known as sleep apnea. On the other hand, 5-10% of the whole populace is experiencing chronic insomnia. The rest of the percentage of the population suffer from other forms of sleeping disorders such as periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, etc.

Among the different sleeping disorders, insomnia is being considered deadly serious by almost all of the people who suffer from sleeping disorders. This is because insomnia triggers the individual to doze off to sleep unexpectedly during the day due to lack of sleep they had during the night.

Insomnia is generally characterized by inadequate amount of sleep brought about by a wide range of factors such as waking up more often during sleep at night, difficulty in falling asleep and falling back to sleep, restless sleep, and waking up too early in the morning considering the fact that the person had only slept for a few hours only, say, two or three hours.

Basically, insomnia occurs to people who have been ill for quite sometime, those who came from travel, changes in the environment, jet lag, stress from recent work-related problems, psychological problems, etc.

These conditions manifest what most people know as sporadic or transient insomnia. This type of insomnia usually last for a short period of time only and will soon be eradicated.

However, there are instances wherein people suffer more than just what transient insomnia indicates. Here, chronic insomnia is said to be causing more dangerous cases of insomnia.

Chronic Insomnia

The term chronic simply means unceasing, therefore, when experts tell people they have chronic insomnia, this means that the kind of insomnia that they experience are more constant compared to the transient insomnia.

Generally, people who have chronic insomnia suffer from difficulty of falling asleep that have the tendency to become so weakening that other signs of different illness follow.

Failure to treat this kind of insomnia will result to what health experts define as conditioned insomnia or those that is constant in its occurrence. This type of insomnia has symptoms that will last for longer period of time, usually from 6 months to a year or even longer.

Conditioned insomnia is characterized by a persistent and worsening condition of the person suffering from the basic conditions of insomnia. It may pose dilemma to people who experience it but the problem does not lie on the conditions it manifests but on the inability of the person to identify the underlying cause of the problem. That is why it is extremely important to know what insomnia is all about and what causes such condition.

Circadian Rhythm defects can come many distinct forms depending on the amount and timing of waking up and sleeping. Others, as in the case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), result in the changes in the length of day and night.

People who tend to sleep at a later time of the day and wake up late as well are said to be exhibiting Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS). These people tend to develop insomnia, an abnormal inability to take adequate amount of sleep due to not being able to sleep at the right time of the night.

Still, other people, especially the elderly, are more likely to sleep early around 7:00 PM and consequently wake up early around 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM. This is a symptom of disrupted natural biological rhythms known as Familial Advanced Sleep-Phase Syndrome (FASPS).

The amount of a substance called melatonin is also perceived as a motivating factor in sleep-related disorders in humans. In a study among vertebrate mammals, melatonin is secreted in response to the absence of light.

This means more melatonin is secreted in the period of darkness and less in the presence of light. It presupposes the idea that melatonin is related to the 24-hour sleep/wake cycle of every human being.

Genetics

A considerable research has been made with the objective of locating the gene responsible for the emergence of these disorders. One research study published in Science on January 12, 2001, a monthly scientific journal, shows that the Familial Advanced Sleep-Phase Syndrome was a result of an apparent mutation of hPer2 gene.

But much has to be known about the function of the normal form of this gene and its adverse effect in mutated forms while considering its relation to other sleep-related illnesses.

Recommendations

With the knowledge gained in the preceding discussion, it can be assumed that the presence and absence of light affects our sleeping/waking schedule. With these in mind, keep yourself committed to your schedule to rest and sleep and set aside things which are not really important.

Keep your room as dark and gloomy as possible, to make it easy for you to sleep. Colorful objects stimulate your senses and disrupt sleep. Keep it ventilated and air-conditioned.

Studies show that as we sleep, our body temperature drops and allows the neurotransmitter melatonin to be produced at a rapid pace.

Keep those things in mind and do not forget to seek medical help should your condition progresses.

However, imagine a system so disrupted that our normal scheduling for sleeping and waking is totally altered. Some people tend to sleep early and wake up early in the morning and some cannot sleep early and as a consequence, wakes up late.

These and other sleep-related problems are manifestations of a malfunctioning biological circadian clock and characterize several forms of Circadian Rhythm Syndrome. Circadian activity is a unique by 24-hour period or cycles in which our body is physically patterned.

24-hour vs. 25-hour cycle

Earth rotates around the sun in a 24-hour cycle, so as our body functions in this 24-hour time schedule. All living organisms charismatically subscribe to this cyclic resting and activity patterns so that their body could function in sync with the environment in which they live.

Although humans externally operate under a 24-hour environment, research found that our body clocks evidently works significantly different than what we see in the environment.

It shows that the human body closely behaves as if it were under a 25-hour environment. Convincingly, humans’ reluctance to wake up at a required time and sleeping late at night probably explains this theory.

To compensate for this discrepancy, the body uses time “cues” to effectively counter-manage this asynchronous rhythmical. Setting an alarm helps us wake up at a designated time of the day and allows us to function as if it were under the 24-hour rhythmic schedule.

Dark vs. Light

Light and temperature provides the determining factor by which the body responds to the 24-hour activity period. The presence or absence of light primarily affects the part of the brain which paces your bodily activities.

It was believed that the fundamental locus or location of our biological clock is the brain specifically in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus.

In complex animals like humans, hypothalamus forms part of the autonomous nervous system which in part, controls the functions of organs that are not voluntarily controlled, hence involuntary. Involuntary, meaning, they are not governed by conscious will to act. These include breathing, heart beat and intestinal digestion.

Eyes, Light and SCN

One interesting point to make is that the location of SCN is just above the optic chiasma (cross). Optic chiasma can is described as a location where optic nerve fibers meet and cross (chiasma-cross).

It is fitting to say that, the perception of light through the opening in the eyes, triggers the wake/sleep patterns in humans since this is one way the organism receives such physical message.

As retina (a portion of the eye where initial image of an object is stored) traps light rays, optic fibers relays the image to the brain via characteristic electrical pulses.

This unique sensory impulse is carried along the optic fibers to the occipital lobe (rear part) of the brain and is perceived as images. The proximity of the optic chiasma to the SCN perhaps provides the opportunity for the hypothalamus to “sense” the referred electrical impulses.

Continue reading to Forms of Circadian Rhythms Syndrome

Perhaps, one reason for unsuccessful treatment is due to patient’s attitude over the symptoms. Typical indications of the disease are ignored due to the symptoms unpredictable pattern of attack sometimes occurring during wakefulness or at night or in the middle of the sleep.

Symptoms usually last for days or weeks or usually progress to weeks and disappear for weeks or months. Pain eventually reappears with less intensity after a day or weeks and even for months.

These apparent incalculable occurrences of symptoms make treatment difficult to reconcile. More so, the disease may progress due to the inappropriate treatment applied as the symptoms are ignored.

Since causes remain unidentified, medical treatments are yet to be discovered. A couple of treatment is to relieve the symptoms and not specifically cure them.

Additional Findings

Restless sleep syndrome is usually confused with Periodic Limb Movement in Sleep Disorder (PLMD). Individuals affected by this disorder are identified with the same type of symptoms as in the case of RLS patients but the main difference is that, as the name suggest, it occurs only while asleep and is usually the main cause of insomnia in patients with sleep disorder.

Kicking, flailing primarily of the legs and arms are just some of the most common stereotypical movements. While most RLS patients have PLMD, not all PLMD symptoms develop to RLS.

Genetics

There has been mounting evidence that RLS may be inherited. In a study conducted on 2001, 14 RLS patients among those 25 French-Canadian individuals apparently suggest the autosomal recessive mode of transmission of RLS.

In autosomal recessive type of inheritance, 2 copies of gene that codes for the disease should be present in order for the effects to materialize in a living species.

Now what does this mean to us? This implies that the chances of developing the disease are enhanced when either your parents have a family history of the disorder or both of them somehow exhibited the condition or are carriers of the condition.

Conclusions

If you experience any of the conditions above, it is best to seek the medical help of your physician so that proper treatment and guidance will be patterned should the disease was identified as RLS. Early detection and treatment is necessary early treatment and to lessen at the very least, the symptoms associated with the disease.

The following section you are about to read diligently tackles the common misconceptions facts about the restless legs syndrome and properly identify the symptoms characterizing such disease and how you can empower yourself and people suffering from them.
Facts and Symptoms
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a type of neurological sickness which is characterized by painful leg muscles which continues unless they are drawn into physical action.

These distinctive symptoms are in some ways suggestive of motor and sensory malfunction in which uncontrollable urge to move is more prominent.

That means, as leg musculature are relaxed, the more frequent the occurrence of symptoms are. People with this disease feel an abnormally unpleasant feeling of muscle dragging which reduces in severity as the legs are physically maneuvered as in the case of walking or jogging.

It afflicts people of all ages and both genders. Given the current statistics, females and older individuals are apt to develop the symptoms.

Causes

Restless Legs Syndrome is of idiopathic type; meaning its exact cause and origin is not yet known. Currently, scientists are working on locating the part of the brain, which triggers the condition, and genetically identifying the gene which transmits such trait to other cells and other physiological and nutritional factors which activates the episodes of pain in the leg and foot region.

The conditions peculiar to this disease usually occur when the legs are in the resting state. Idleness triggers the symptoms by which this disease is known and manifests patients suffering from this ailment. Burning and creeping sensations are just some of the most common feeling. Collating all the symptoms, we can identify them as follows:

1. The desire to move the legs due to uncomfortable pain

2. Pain becoming more pronounced and advancing at night

3. Involuntary movement of the legs during sleep

4. Onset of symptoms occurs during periods of inactivity and relieved once the legs are moved

The disease affects a considerable number of people worldwide. In fact, according to the latest Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation studies, more than 8% of the US population may be harboring this neurological condition. This can be translated to more than 12 million people currently diagnosed and exhibiting such remarkable conditions.

Due to the commonality of symptoms and their apparent similarity to other diseases, RLS patients are more often than not misdiagnosed which in turn result to unsuccessful medical treatment.

Much to the patient’s dismay is that, little attention and funding is dispensed on this type of disease suggesting the slow progress to unveiling the mystery of restless legs syndrome and helping patients suffering on it.