Sound Sleep Guide

Archive for December, 2006

Snoring is a pesky problem that can really make your nights dreary. One thing that many people don’t know, however, is exactly how much trauma their snoring may be causing for their spouse. It is a known fact that bedmates of a snorer generally lose around one hour of sleep per evening due to the fact that their spouse’s snoring is not conducive to proper sleeping patterns. Known as spousal arousal syndrome, this overlooked facet of snoring can cause the bedmate to wake up as many as 21 times per hour, damaging their night’s rest in an irreparable way. This can result in a day time fatigue, causing a host of problems from restlessness to trouble concentrating on simple tasks. As a side effect of the lack of proper sleep, the affected person often has poor performance at work and may feel irritable, ill, or unable to think well.
According to a recent survey, as much as 80% of snoring couples sleep apart. This can affect the happiness of a relationship, not to mention the sex life. Snoring can be a bigger problem than you’d think! When snoring begins to affect the livelihood of your relationship, it is important to take action. If your spouse’s snoring is giving you troubles, here are a couple guidelines to addressing the issue:
First off, its most important to discuss the issue with your spouse. If you do not have a solid line of communication about the problem, there’s no way it can ever be solved. Let your spouse know about the problems that spousal arousal syndrome can cause.
Next, you should examine the factors that contribute to snoring, and see if any of them could be reasons for your spouses problem. Common reasons for snoring include consumption of alcohol, excess weight, sleeping on your back, and medications such as anti-histamines or sleeping pills. Read up on all the reasons that people snore, so that you can accurately diagnose the problem that your spouse is facing. For most of the reasons that people snore, there are effective methods of stopping the problem. For instance, if your spouse has trouble with snoring only when they are sleeping on their back, try putting a regular tennis ball into a sock, and pinning it to the back of their pajamas. This will make it uncomfortable for your spouse to sleep on their back, forcing them to sleep on their side or on their chest, fixing the problem.
If you can’t seem to pin down the reason that your spouse is having these nightly problems, it is important to check with a health care professional about the possibility of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing problem which can cause many more issues than a standard snoring problem, and needs to be addressed.
Overall, make sure that your spouse understands that you respect them and that you need to get over this problem for the common good of the two of you. Snoring is a fixable problem that just needs some attention to be remedied. The both of you will be feeling much better after a little research and work!

The definition of a sleep disorder from a clinical point of view is, “a disruptive pattern of sleep that may include difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.” Doctors and specialists who study sleep have identified approximately one hundred different types of sleep disorders. Sleep disorders are broken down into four categories as delineated by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. These categories are dyssomnias, parasomnias, medical/psychiatric disorders and proposed sleep disorders. Examples of dyssomnias include a variety of subcategories of insomnia, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. Examples of parasomnias include sleepwalking, bruxism (teeth grinding), bedwetting, and primary snoring. Medical/ psychiatric sleep disorders include asthma, peptic ulcers, dementia and degenerative brain disorders. Proposed sleep disorders are disorders that don’t fit in any of the other three categories such as short sleepers, long sleepers, subwakefulness syndrome and sleep choking syndrome.

Many myths revolve around sleep and sleep disorders that need to be dispelled. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common myths and bust them!

It is a myth that health problems such as diabetes, depression, hypertension, obesity, etc. have no connection whatsoever to how much sleep a person gets on a regular basis and the quality of sleep the person in question receives. Research has proven time and time again that there is a very real connection between a bad quality of sleep and/or inadequate sleep due to any number of diseases. To use an example, a lack of sleep can inhibit the ability of the body to properly manufacture insulin, thereby bringing on diabetes.

It is a common myth that as you age you require less sleep to function properly. This is not exactly the case. As a general recommendation, seven to nine hours sleep a night is best for most adults, whether they be twenty or fifty although the sleep patterns of people can become different as they get older. However older individuals may actually get less shuteye per night than younger adults because they wake up more often during the night. On the heels of this myth is the myth that you can somehow “cheat” on the quantity of sleep you are getting. It can be adverse to your health and well being both physically and mentally (for a whole host of reasons) to skimp on your hours of sleep. As well you cannot “save up” your sleep for days when you have more time to sleep in. An average of seven to nine hours a night is advisable.

It is a common myth that insomnia is simply a problem with falling asleep. This is not so. Insomnia is more complex than that and is associated with four specific symptoms which are, as previously mentioned, a difficulty getting to sleep, but also waking up too early in the morning and not being able to fall back to sleep, frequent moments of waking up during the night and a feeling of being tired or somehow “not refreshed” from a night’s sleep.

Many people believe that their brain is at rest while they are sleeping. This is not so. The human body rests during sleep while the brain is very much active. During sleep the brain is recharging its batteries and still very much in control of the majority of bodily functions, including breathing. As we sleep we go back and forth between two “sleep states”, these being Rapid Eye Movement sleep (abbreviated to REM and the period in which we dream) and Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (or NREM).

It is a myth that sleep deprivation will not affect one’s ability to operate a motor vehicle. This is a myth that could prove deadly. It is estimated that approximately 567,000 car accidents that result in 980 highway deaths every year in the United States are related to sleep deprivation. Doing such things as opening the window, turning on the air conditioner or turning up the radio are only stopgap measures to help keep you awake and alert at the wheel. If you refuse to stop and rest your body eventually your mind will block out the things you have done to stay awake and you will fall asleep at the wheel. This could cost you your life and others as well.

Who hasn’t suffered from the ‘winter blues’? We wake in the dark and go to work in the dark, and by the time we fall asleep, it has long been dark. With the cold weather and gloomy skies, it’s no surprise that some people suffer from seasonal depression and an overall sense of lethargy.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) is a condition that develops when the ‘winter blues’ become more pronounced and debilitating. SAD affects over 10 million Americans each year. SAD symptoms include fatigue, overall sense of energy, weight gain, an increased appetite (including a craving for sweets), depression, mood swings, and a desire to sleep more. Besides affecting an individual’s ability to function normally, SAD can have a strong effect on their ability to get a good night’s sleep. It is estimated that roughly 70-80% of people affected by SAD are women. Most people who are affected by SAD will notice onset of the disorder sometime in their 30s. Research has shown that there is a direct link between the SAD and light exposure. People who live in cold northern climates are much more likely to experience SAD symptoms than people who reside in milder Southern climes.

SAD may affect a person’s ability to achieve restful sleep. In fact, many times the symptoms of SAD may indicate a sleep disorder. One cannot be sure if an underlying sleep disorder may cause SAD-type symptoms to become more pronounced, or if SAD may make an individual more apt to develop a sleep disorder. Regardless, researchers have shown that there is an inextricable link between seasonal depression and the inability to get a restful night’s sleep.

In fact, SAD may be connected to several sleep disorders, including Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder and Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder. Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder involves the inability to fall asleep, and the urge to sleep late into the morning. Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder involves the feeling of tiring too early in the evening, and waking too early in the morning. Both disorders can be traced to the jarring effect that seasonal depression and other SAD-like symptoms have on the circadian rhythms.

What is the connection between SAD and the ability to sleep? Researchers believe the key is in the amount of light that a person is exposed to on a daily basis. If a person does not receive an adequate amount of light, their circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle, may become disrupted, resulting in lack of restful sleep.

What can be done to counter the effects of SAD and restore normal sleep patterns? There are many therapies now available to individuals who suffer from sleep disorders due to seasonal depression. Perhaps the most well known of these is light therapy. Light therapy consists of the daily use of a light box. The light device is simply a box outfitted with full spectrum fluorescent lights. Most people will choose to use the light box in the morning, as some people experience insomnia if they use the light box in the evening.

Most people who undergo light therapy will use their light box for roughly 30 minutes to an hour or more. When first using the light box, users must measure the distance between the light and their eyes. The light must reach one’s eyes, although one should not stare directly into the lights. It is best to use the light box during long blocks of time, rather than divide the time into shorter sessions. The light therapy box has been proven to help reduce the effects of SAD, and help establish a normal circadian rhythm.

Other types of therapies and treatments that may help individuals overcome the effects of seasonal depression include regular exposure to outdoor light and daily exercise. Even if the sky is gloomy and overcast, research has shown that SAD-affected individuals can benefit from taking daily walks and getting regular exercise. Getting exposure to light can help stabilize a person’s circadian rhythm, and will also help alleviate the effects of SAD-induced sleep disorders. If SAD symptoms are pronounced or severe, an individual may be prescribed anti-depression and anti-anxiety medications, including SSRI drugs such as Paxil and Zoloft. Cognitive psychotherapy may also help relieve the effects of seasonal depression, which in turn may help keep sleep disorders in check.