Diseases of Sleep
For the purpose of this article, when we discuss diseases of sleep, we are
not talking about sleeping disorders like narcolepsy or insomnia. Instead,
we are talking about diseases that are caused by or a result of some factor
or characteristic relating to sleep.
It has long been known that problems related to sleep play a significant
role in a large number of disorders. Many medical problems such as
asthma attacks and strokes, occur more often throughout the night and
into the early morning. It is thought that this may be related to some of the
facets of sleep including things like hormone and heart rate changes.
Diseases of Sleep - Epilepsy
In studies, we have seen how the different stages of sleep - non REM and
REM sleep - can affect
epilepsy patients. It
seems that deep sleep
might actually
promote the spread of
seizures while being
deprived of sleep can
trigger seizures in
people with certain
types of epilepsy. Sleep
deprivation has also
been known to be
connected to heart
disease. In addition,
studies have also
shown that sleep deprivation has been connected to certain mental
illnesses such as bipolar disorder and psychosis. A 2007 study using MRI
technology, performed at the Harvard Medical School, showed that when
lacking sleep, the brain has difficulty dealing with emotional events -
oftentimes being unable to put them into the right frame of reference. This
results in a person's inability to react properly to the event, being unable to
create a suitable response.
Diseases of Sleep - Infectious Diseases
If you've ever had the flu before, you're aware that these types of infectious
diseases make us feel tired. Cytokines, the chemicals produced by our
immune system to fight off these infections, are very strong sleep-inducers.
This feeling of sleepiness is thought to happen because the body is using
sleep to conserve energy and recharge itself. And this is done in
preparation for your immune system's attack on the infectious invaders.
Diseases of Sleep - Mental Disorders
Sleeping problems seem to be a byproduct of almost every mental disorder
- including people with schizophrenia and depression. For people suffering
from depression, they often find
themselves waking up in the middle of
the night, unable to find their way
back to sleep. Ironically, sleep
deprivation is sometimes used as an
effective way to combat depression in
certain cases while in others, sleep
deprivation can be the cause of their
depression. And in extreme cases of
sleep deprivation, people have been
known to experience hallucinations
and states of paranoia. In people
suffering from manic depression, sleep deprivation has been known to be
the catalyst, triggering hyperactivity and agitation (manias).
Not being able to get to sleep at night can be a
horrible experience - at night as well as
throughout the following day. But it doesn't
have to be that way - sometimes all it takes is a
few lifestyle adjustments. Learn what you need
to know to instantly fall asleep each night in the
sleep ebook,
Get to Sleep Now! 39 Ways to Guarantee Your ZZZs.
Diseases of Sleep - Other Disorders
Problems associated with sleep can be associated with a multitude of
infections, diseases and disorders. Patients with neurodegenerative
disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have been known to
experience severe sleeping problems. Other disorders where the inability to
get or stay asleep becomes a problem are in cases of stroke and cancer
patients and for people who experience some type of head injury or
trauma. The problems these people experience while trying to sleep are
thought to be caused by the neurotransmitters that control sleep or from
the drugs they're prescribed. What's worse is that patients who experience
sleeping problems due to their condition usually experience frustration,
depression or bouts of confusion as well as an increase in pain levels. This
in turn leads them to increase their dosages of pain medication, thereby
making it more difficult to get quality sleep.
Diseases of Sleep - Sleep Diseases / Sleeping Sicknesses
There are two types of 'sleep diseases' that are less common around the
world and get their names from the effects of the disease rather than being
caused by anything related to sleep.
One is commonly called Sleeping Sickness which is prevalent in some
regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Also called Human African
trypanosomiasis, Congo trypanosomiasis or African lethargy, this disease is
so named because of the extreme fatigue people feel after they contract the
disease. Sleeping sickness is transmitted by the tsetse fly and people bitten
and infected by the fly will experience symptoms including fatigue, bouts of
insomnia, periods of mania, reduced co-ordination and increased
confusion. The disease is fatal without treatment as the progression of
mental deterioration will eventually lead to a coma and then death.
The other sleep disease carries the nickname Sleepy Sickness but is also
sometimes called (and confused with) Sleeping Sickness. The proper name
being Encephalitis Lethargica, an epidemic spread around the world
between 1915 and 1926 without another epidemic since being reported. The
cause of sleepy sickness is not known for
certain but the symptoms are severe and
include sore throat, double vision, high Related Articles
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