Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

Jayra N. Rodrguez Ortiz

Inter American University
GEEN 2313 TR 10:00

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

Abstract
Sleep Disorders are difficulties with sleep, which involves the struggle of
obtaining and maintaining sleep, feeling excessively drowsy, falling asleep at different
times of the day or any other sleep complaints. The symptoms of the disorders may vary
from breathing problems and blockage of the respiratory tract to health risks such as heart
disease or depression due to the condition. Also, associated with car accidents due to
excessive daytime sleepiness or sleep deprivation. These conditions are very common in
todays society with peoples different and incongruent sleep schedules. Also, affects the
sleep rhythms patterns in a persons biological clock and irregular mood behaviors,
among others.

The benefit of getting a good sleep improves brain function and physical health, among
others. Sleep is a highly structured, functioning state of being that involves many features of a
persons structure in a multifaceted way. It is essential to life and to maintain optimum health.
According to the National Sleep Foundation (As cited in Sigurdson & Ayas, 2007), most persons
need a standard time of eight hours of sleep every day. The amount of sleep needed depends on
the person. Some people can perform well with six hours of resting. On the other end, some
may require from nine to ten hours of sleep to function properly during the day. Even so,
depriving oneself of sleep has severe consequences for a persons well being and waking
functions (Fallone, 2002). Still, sleep continues to be decreasing by individuals daily activities
and prospective conditions that impact on development and performance.

Likewise, sleep

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

disorders have negative consequences on a persons health such as sleep apnea, insomnia and
depression.
Sleep apnea is one of the common causes of excessive sleepiness, an extensive disorder
or problem in this population, particularly in teenagers and young adults. This condition can
have major harmful effects on the individuals functioning, health, cognitive function, mood and
safety that can be detected when a person starts to shows signs of irritability, sleepiness and
moodiness due to the lack of sleep (Millman, 2005). Excessive Daytime Sleepiness has a wide
spectrum of presentations, ranging from mild sleepiness to unrecognized episodes of micro sleep
to uncontrollable sleep attacks. Manifestation of excessive sleepiness may vary in severity from
minor decrements in performance at school or at work, to catastrophic industrial or motor vehicle
accidents. True EDS symptoms must be differentiated from fatigue, tiredness, lack of motivation,
which are also quite common and are often associated with depression and various insomnias
(Reite & Weissberg, 2008, p. 124). Other disorders caused by excessive sleepiness include
obstructive sleep apnea, a condition characterized by repeated interruption or blockages of the
upper airway while sleeping leading to recurrent arousals from slumber, sleep fragmentation or
nocturnal hypoxemia. Distinctive pointers involve loud snoring, perceived apneas, and nocturnal
choking that disturb sleep at night. Due to the continual stimulations and sleep disintegration,
persons with sleep apnea suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness and reduced quality of life
(Sigurdson & Ayas, 2007).
Additionally, there are threats or factors for obstructive sleep apnea such as obesity,
alcohol consumption, smoking and nasal congestion among others. A number of prospective
epidemiologic studies have showed significant relationships between sleep habits and long-term
health outcomes. Kripke et al. (As quoted in Sigurdson & Ayas, 2007, p. 180), illustrated this by

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

finding that men (reporting less than 4.5 h per night) and women (reporting less than 3.5 h per
night) were associated with a 15% increase in the relative risk of the 6 year all-cause mortality
rate. According to Fallone (2002), associated with health complaints are the amount and value
of resting has presented to be more prone of increased physical illnesses, risks for accidents and
implementation of health-risk behaviors such as increased consumption of alcohol, nicotine, and
caffeine. Of particular note for older adolescents, drivers age twenty-five or younger were
shown to be responsible for a majority of fall-asleep automobile crashes in one (Fallone, 2002,
p. 2233).
Another sleeping disorder is Insomnia, the difficulty of falling or staying asleep through
the nighttime or waking up too early and feeling too tired in the morning is characterized as sleep
deprivation. Chapters of restlessness can be episodic or perdurable. Individuals who have
insomnia are often consumed by the thought of receiving plentiful sleep. However, the more
they attempt to sleep, the more unsatisfied and upset they get, and sleeping becomes harder to
archive. Lack of restful sleep can make you exhausted and unfocused. You should also think
about modifying lifestyle and sleep routines that may disturb your sleep. Also, called sleep
hygiene consists on making some adjustments in your sleep habits so it can improve or solve
your insomnia (Merrill & Zieve, 2011).
Several alterations happen in a persons sleep patterns, and there are many influences on
the quality and quantity of sleep. Sleep routines such as going to bed at different times every
night or taking naps during the day can affect our slumber behaviors in the long term. A persons
lifestyle and environment also impacts on developing insomnia. For example, using cellphones,
laptops or watching television during or before going to sleep, working different shifts and not
getting enough exercise. The quality of your sleep is as important as the amount of how much

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

sleep you obtain (Merrill & Zieve, 2011). The quality of life of a person starts with the
capability to function properly during the day and if they are feeling irritable, drowsy or bad
tempered due to a lack of sleep, their quality of life is diminished (Dinsdale, 2010). Additionally,
a study into sleep advises to generate a specific waking time in a persons biological clock to
create a good sleeping pattern. The importance of the circadian rhythms in the body are
becoming a focus for research. Circadian rhythms are the natural cycles of wakefulness and sleep
that the body progresses through, and although there is a general template for humans, they can
vary surprisingly from one person to another (Dinsdale, 2010, p. 14),
The changes in sleep patterns are more notable in the adolescence phase, which includes
incongruent sleep schedule that can lead to insomnia. Additionally, field studies, surveys and
laboratory conclusions have indicated that across the second decade of life, there are many
changes in sleep structure and functioning connected with constant progressive patterns of sleep.
Significant discoveries involve reduced sleep period with increasing age, a delay or deferment in
bedtime and rise time (except on school mornings), and a frequently and extensive inconsistency
between weekday and weekend sleep patterns. Millman, (2005) states that A number of groups
have examined sleep across adolescent development in laboratory-based studies. In these studies,
laboratory constraints may affect outcomes, and this needs to be kept in mind when interpreting
findings. For instance, although some studies have used participants usual schedules to set
bedtimes and rise times, other studies have used a fixed period of time (10:00 pm to 8:00 am) for
sleep.

In laboratory studies in which the sleep schedule was varied, total sleep time has

consistently been decreased in older adolescents, as expected, because of changed (school-night)

sleep habits. These changes include a decrease in slow-wave sleep time (decreased by nearly
40% from pre pubertal to late pubertal adolescents with a 10-hour sleep opportunity), an increase

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

in the amount of stage 2 sleep, and a decrease in the latency to the first episode of rapid eye
movement (REM) sleep (p. 1774)
Depression or mood disorders are symptoms of sadness due to the inability to sleep or
other sleep complaints, another condition caused by sleep disorders. People often look for
solutions to cope like medications but the usage of drugs may also affect sleep. Studies of
drugs outcomes on sleep are of variable quality with discoveries that occasionally vary. In the
medical situation, the best method consists in being attentive and prepared for the potential
effects that these medications might have in sleep disorders to require the patient to modify or
suspend the utilization of drugs that could be producing a sleep concern (Reite & Weissberg,
2008). Furthermore, Rosenthals publication conveys, The Toronto study is consistent with a
2008 study of 30 patients at Stanford University, all of whom suffered from insomnia and
depression and were taking an antidepressant pill. Some 60 percent of those given seven
sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in addition to the pill recovered fully from
their depression, compared with only 33 percent in a control group that got the standard advice
for treating sleeplessness. Another study of 66 patients by a team at Ryerson University in
Toronto found that the cognitive therapy for insomnia, a brief and less intense form of talk
therapy than many psychiatric patients are accustomed to, worked surprisingly well. Some 87
percent of the patients whose insomnia was resolved in four treatment sessions also had their
depression symptoms disappear, almost twice the rate of those whose insomnia was not cured
(2013, p. SR11).
Doctors have long believed that depression causes restlessness. The connection can be
employed in both ways because a new investigation indicates that insomnia can contribute to
enhance depression. An expert in the field of sleep disorders Professor Colin Espie, director of

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

Glasgow Universitys sleep research laboratory, is doubtful about the use of medication to treat
insomnia. In Espies research (As cited in Dinsdale, 2010), he states that there is very little
support that pharmacological treatments are effective. Additional investigations have
demonstrated that a small quantity of cognitive and interactive behavioral therapy to treat a
sleeping disorder such as insomnia can have an enormous effect in controlling and even healing
depression and sleeplessness in various individuals, when adding a mood stabilizing capsules
and antidepressant drugs as a supplement to treat depression, because non-pharmacological
therapies, such as relaxation and cognitive behavior therapy, have proved to be more effective
than medication for long-term treatment of insomnia and handling depression (Rosenthal, 2013).
Sleeping is a necessary state, if employed in a correct way a person can have a healthy
well being and plentiful life condition. The brief course of sleep therapy teaches patients to
establish a regular wake-up time; get out of bed during waking periods; avoid reading, watching
TV or other activities in bed; and eliminate daytime napping, among other tactics. It is distinct
from standard sleep advice, like avoiding coffee, alcohol and strenuous exercise too close to
bedtime (Rosenthal, 2013, p. SR11). The perfect length of seven to eight hours of sleep per
night is sustained by numerous epidemiological analyses that designate that this duration of sleep
is correlated with the lowest mortality and morbidity. Short-term sleep restriction has
unfavorable endocrine and cardiovascular effects, and may be associated with early death,
cardiovascular disorder and the development of diabetes.

Although these discoveries are

indicative, advance physiologic and epidemiologic studies are needed to define more favorable
the association concerning sleep length and healthiness to understand better the underlying
pathogenic mechanisms. Nevertheless, these conclusions recommend that sleep should not be

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

considered as an amenity, but instead as a support of a wholesome lifestyle (Sigurdson & Ayas,
2007).
In conclusion, there is a need to learn more about the life-enhancing benefits of
increasing sleep and the high cost of failing to protect it among children and adolescents.
Determining the optimal quantity and timing of nocturnal sleep is likely to vary among
individuals but existing trends suggest that many students should consider expanding schoolnight sleep opportunities, especially in the second decade (Fallone, 2002, p. 2233).
Undergraduates must be more consonant with bedtimes and rise times on school and non-school
nights to prevent disorienting the biological clock. Also, abstain from caffeinated drinks and
nicotine, since these substances can cover drowsiness and lead towards the struggle of falling
asleep assuming that they were taken posterior in the day. A short evening nap is a considerable
healthier substitute. Adults need to manage with their children schedules to construct sleepfriendly family routines that are more convenient for adolescents and grown ups to harbor their
sleep. Definitively, more conscience is required in societies to inform the importance of
consistent sleep schedules and labor guidelines for teenagers, and to educate and create
consciousness about the dangers connected with drowsy driving and other accidents (Fallone,
2002). Finally, a satisfactory amount of restful slumber causes results in our waking to a new
day feeling strengthened, recharged, prepared to engage the days requests. However, if those
ideal expectations are not met for different reasons, various influences of sleep disorders such as
unsatisfactory or troubled sleep will determine how we feel and function throughout the day and
can also impair our health (Reite & Weissberg, 2008).

Running head: SLEEP DISORDERS

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10

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