Sleep Disorders - Insomnias And Hypersomnias, Observation And Classification Of Sleep Disorders, Dyssomnias, Parasomnias, Diagnosis Of Sleep Disorders
common daytime discovery psychiatrists
Sleep disorders are chronic sleep irregularities, which drastically interfere with normal nighttime sleep or daytime functioning. Sleep-related problems are the most common complaint heard by doctors and psychiatrists, the two most common being insomnia (inability to go to sleep or stay asleep), and hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness). While most people experience both problems at some time, it is only when they cause serious intrusions into daily living that they warrant investigation as disorders.
Sleep disorders research is a relatively new field of medicine stimulated by the discovery in 1953 of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and the more recent discovery in the 1980s that certain irregular breathing patterns during sleep can cause serious illness and sometimes death. While medical knowledge of sleep disorders is expanding rapidly, clinical educational programs still barely touch on the subject, about which many physicians, psychiatrists and neurologists remain seriously undereducated.
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Insomnias include problems with sleep onset (taking longer than 30 minutes falling asleep), sleep maintenance (waking five or more times during the night or for a total of 30 minutes or more), early arousal (less than 6.5 hours of sleep over a typical night), light sleep, and conditioning (learning not to sleep by associating certain bedtime cues with the inability to sleep). Insomnias may be tran…
Sleep abnormalities intrigued even the earliest medical writers who detailed difficulties that people experienced with falling asleep, staying asleep, or staying awake during the day. By 1885, Henry Lyman, a professor of neurology in Chicago, classified insomnias into two groups: those resulting from either abnormal internal or physical functions; or from external, environmental influences. In 191…
This group includes both insomnias and hypersomnias, and is divided into three categories: intrinsic, extrinsic, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Intrinsic sleep disorders originate within the body and include narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and periodic limb movements. Narcolepsy is associated with REM sleep and the central nervous system. It causes frequent sleep disturbances and thus excessive da…
Parasomnias are events caused by physical intrusions into sleep which are thought to be triggered by the central nervous system. These dysfunctions do not interfere with actual sleep processes and do not cause insomnia or hypersomnia. They appear more frequently in children than adults. Arousal disorders appear to be associated with neurological arousal mechanisms. They usually occur early in the …
Many undiscovered secrets lie hidden behind the doors of sleep and its related disorders. However, the future looks bright for sufferers of sleep disorders. Intense interest from researchers, satisfaction of an increasing number of accurately diagnosed and treated patients, advances in technology, and the recent formation of a National Institute of Health Commission on Sleep by the United States C…
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