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Insomnia and Sleep Apnea Sleep Disorders
Insomnia and Sleep Apnea Sleep Disorders
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Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorder is a term used to refer to conditions that affect sleep timing, duration, and quality and affect the individual’s ability to function properly when awake. Sleep disorders tend to lead to other medical issues and some may signify underlying mental health problems. The American Sleep Disorders Association published the first classification for sleep disorders in 1979. However, the understanding and knowledge of sleep health have transformed tremendously in the last four decades. Over 100 specific sleep disorders are known today and today’s classifications are based on criteria such as symptoms, causes, physiological effects and other criteria. Common signs of sleep disorders include difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying awake during daytime, circadian rhythm imbalance, and unusual behavior that disrupts sleep.
Insomnia is a sleeping disorder characterized by the recurring difficulty to remain or fall asleep despite the means and motivation to do so. Individuals that struggle with insomnia tend to encounter excessive sleepiness during the day and other cognitive impairments when awake. Insomnia is deemed chronic when the patients show the symptoms for a minimum of 3 times a week for 3 months (Patel, Steinberg, & Patel, 2018). According to recent statistics, one-third of adults grapple with some form of insomnia. Causes of insomnia include poor sleep habits, stress, eating a lot in the evening, and -tight work schedules. Other causes include post-partum and PMS. Symptoms of insomnia include having worries concerning sleep, waking up at night, having a hard time falling asleep, increased accidents, waking up too early, difficulty focusing, not feeling rested after sleeping, irritability, and daytime tiredness.
Sleep apnea is a sleep-related sleep disorder that takes place as a result of a blocked upper airway. People that have the condition wake up gasping for air or choking. Sleep apnea is also characterized by sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, like other sleeping disorders is caused by excessive fatigue and daytime dryness and numerous cognitive impairments. Sleep apnea is categorized into obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA). Sleep apnea is associated with other health issues such as heart disease and PTSD. Additionally, a link has been established between teeth grinding and sleep apnea.
Understanding the negative effects of insomnia on the mind is important. Sleep deprivation disrupts normal body and brain functioning. When one is sleep deprived, it means that they are not getting a sufficient amount of sleep. The average adult needs between seven to nine hours of daily sleep for optimal functioning. Lack of sleep especially affects cognitive functions. Insufficient sleep causes mood swings, sleep deprivation, headaches, and judgment and memory impairment. Lack of sleep also tends to cause clumsiness, weight loss, and weight gain. The effects of sleep deprivation on the brain vary depending on whether one is partially sleep deprived or total deprived. Partial sleep deprivation is when one sleeps for insufficient amount of time to rest. It goes unnoticed until the buildup of sleep deficit. Sleep deprivation has arguably dangerous and life-threatening effects. Partial sleep deprivation causes impaired and slower thinking in the prefrontal cortex (Rundo, 2019). This part is responsible for higher functions such as executive function, language, and creativity. Total sleep deprivation is when a person an entire night without sleeping. A person’s ability to finish tasks with accuracy and speed decreases with sleep deprivation. In a clinical setting, knowledge about sleep deprivation is important in helping clinicians understand their patients’ health problems and recommend the necessary help.
References
Patel, D., Steinberg, J., & Patel, P. (2018). Insomnia in the elderly: a review. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 14(6), 1017-1024.
Rundo, J. V. (2019). Obstructive sleep apnea basics. Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine, 86(9 Suppl 1), 2-9.
Insightful post (3)
Insightful post! I tend to agree with you on most of your points. There are numerous changes that tend to occur in an adolescent’s body. The brain also tend to change significantly during this stage. It’s important to know the physiological changes that can be expected when someone is an adolescent. I think one change we don’t talk about enough is synapses. Synapses are connections between neurons that act as the point of communication. They’re responsible for communicating information throughout the brain and they grow stronger as they’re used. Reading, writing, and solving math problems will slowly strengthen them.
I find it interesting that you have noted that when the prefrontal cortex is developing, the amygdala is what the adolescent will rely on, which makes decisions and solves problems. In some ways this makes sense, because most psychologists would agree that adolescents are impulsive and start to make decisions based on the amygdala, rather than the prefrontal cortex. I have also noticed that even when my children get older, they use their prefrontal cortex to help solve problems, but tend to rely more on the amygdalae as well. If a child thinks something is wrong with his or her teacher or parent they may react faster and more aggressively as opposed to using their thoughts and reasoning to come up with an appropriate response. All of this ties back in with your post, because if they are not using their prefrontal cortex on a regular basis now, eventually they will be forced to rely fully on it later in life. From the conversation with your 17-year-old cousin, it is clear that an adolescent’s body and mind tend to change a lot. Their thought process tend to develop greatly and thus enhance their decision making strategies and planning.
Insightful post
Insightful post! I have enjoyed reading your post and I like the way you have discussed your knowledge about antisocial personality disorder. I tend to concur with you that antisocial personality disorder involves an irresponsible, often criminal, and impulsive behaviour.
However, I would like to compliment you on the fact that you have taken the time to discuss and highlight some of the similarities and differences between antisocial personality disorder and other personality disorders.
I recognize that there is always a need for further research in this regard, since the condition can cause irreversible damage to both the individual and any relationship he may be involved in at the moment. I find it interesting that you have not necessarily agreed with the fact that antisocial personality disorder is the same as sociopathy, but you have highlighted the obvious difficulties in diagnosing these conditions. In my opinion, it is very difficult to diagnose anyone with any personality disorder, but this is especially true of people who are unable to accurately assess their own feelings and emotions.
I am pleased that you have recognized how similarities exist between antisocial personality disorder and some other disorders such as narcissistic and borderline personality disorders. You have not only made connections to other disorders but you have also highlighted how differences exist between them. It appears fair to me that they are still different diseases; they just share some common traits which provide a few pointers as to their phenomenology.