ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
13.10.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Sleep Disorders–causes of Sleep Disorders

Author: Joyce Turner Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 12-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 7 | Rating:  (51) Article Popularity - Blue (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Related Videos
How to Treat Sleep Disorders

For the seventy million people who suffer from sleep disorders, getting treatment...

Common Sleep Disorders

Twenty-five percent of Americans suffer from sleep disorders that keep them tossing...

Understanding Sleep Disorders

Can't sleep? Neither can 70 million Americans. Here are some clues as...

Sign Up Now!

A sleep disorder (somnipathy) is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning. A test commonly ordered for some sleep disorders is the polysomnogram.

Sleep is absolutely essential for normal, healthy function. Scientists and medical professionals do not fully understand this complicated, necessary, physiological phenomenon. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 40 million people in the United States suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders each year and an additional 20 million people suffer occasional sleep problems.

Causes of Sleep Disorders

The cause of major depressive disorder is a combination of brain chemistry, family history, and psychosocial environment. It is not certain which of these factors dominates, but abnormal levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine are closely linked with depression. Thus, the cause of depression is often attributed to a "chemical imbalance." These neurotransmitters play important roles in how we experience pleasure and moods.

Night shift workers often experience sleep disorders, because they cannot sleep when they start to feel drowsy. Their biological clock is telling their body to do one thing while they are doing something entirely different. People who work at night often have an increased risk for heart and digestive problems, as well as emotional and mental problems.

Age: Although depression can occur at any age, its onset is typically between the ages 24 and 44. Later onset may correlate with the absence of a family history of depression. Fifty percent of people with major depressive disorder experience their first episode of depression at about age 40, but this may be may be shifting to the 30s. Studies find that the rate of incidence is higher among middle-aged people.

Genetic Factors: Statistics show that the children of parents who suffer from depression are likely to develop the disorder. A person has a 27% chance of inheriting a mood disorder from one parent, and this chance doubles if both parents are affected. Studies of the occurrence of depression in twins show a 70% chance for both identical twins to suffer from depression, which is twice the rate of occurrence in fraternal twins.

Aging: About 50% of adults over the age of 65 have some type of sleep disorder. It is not clear whether this is a normal part of aging, or a result of medications.

Mental Illness: Most patients with mental illness experience some type of sleep disorder. Depression often causes patients to wake up early in the morning, unable to go back to sleep.
Taking a nap during the day not only is a refreshing thing to do, it might actually make you smarter. Basically, when you sleep, you learn. Sleep is the time that the brain is "offline" from monitoring reality and has time to put new facts and experiences in place. If you sleep during the day, you'll gvie yorself some time to incorporate the first part of your day into memory.

Sleepwalking or somnambulism: Engaging in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness (such as eating or dressing), which may include walking, without the conscious knowledge of the subject.

Obesity is strongly associated with sleep apnea and is a cause of it in some cases. Imaging scans have shown fatty cells clogging the throat tissue, which indicates that they narrow the airways. In one study, the more obese a person with sleep apnea was, the higher the pressure on the airway and therefore the greater the obstruction of the airway. (Obstructive sleep apnea may also contribute to obesity itself, however, since a sleepy person tends to be sedentary).

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/sleep-disorderscauses-of-sleep-disorders-385227.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:

Read about Body Building Tips and Girls Discussion Forum Message Board. Also Read About How to Solve a Problem

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Help me get to sleep please,
By: linda | 02-09-2008
how do i switch off my brain activity to get to sleep.

What is the easiest way to get to sleep???? I lay ...
By: ashnjer10... | 19-05-2008
What is the easiest way to get to sleep????  I lay in bed for hours before I can finally go to sleep even if I have only had 4 hours of sleep for the day!  My bed is uncomfortable but I wouldnt think it cause me to lay for hours......

How did the dog know there was a problem? The dog was disturbed by my apnea.
By: Bog | 30-04-2008
It seems that the dog has (or had) a real problem with my sleep apnea. And how does he how there was (is now controlled) a problem?  Why is the dog so disturbed by it? How does he know it is a potential issue (or was.) Are dogs that smart? Long story short.  The dog tends (less so now) to be insistent at waking me up in the middle of my sleep time. He will work very hard at waking me up, then let me go back to sleep. Much of this has stopped as it was partly corrected when I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and got a machine to treat it.  Sometimes he will still try to wake me up despite the action the CPAP machine will take. I mentioned that to my doctor and just said ?meh, they just do that, usually you can trust it?? Interestingly, the dog is one that I dog-sit on a regular basis so he isn?t even mine. The dog is very loving.

Does a lack of sleep cause sleepwalking?
By: rochester | 11-04-2008
Does a lack of sleep cause sleepwalking?

Does lack of sleep provoke sleepwalking?
By: Kibbutz | 09-04-2008
Does lack of sleep provoke sleepwalking?

How much sleep do you need?
By: jenniferyearofcat | 05-04-2008
How much sleep do you need?

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Health Articles

How Your Cleaning Supplies Can Affect Asthma
By: Thomas Pretty | 13/10/2008
A look at a recent study that found how certain cleaning supplies may worsen the effects of asthma and why effective cleaning methods are vital.

Accomplish Your Healthy Fat Loss Goals
By: Krystyna Pritschmann | 13/10/2008
It is not difficult to reach your healthy fat loss goals as long as you eat right, go in for a balanced diet and not a fad diet. It is also vital that you do not starve yourself or go on a fasting spree in the hope that it will...

What Services You Should Expect Your Dentist To Provide
By: Christine OKelly | 13/10/2008
Whether you've moved or are just ready for a new dentist, it's important to do your research on the services offered by local dentists. This article explains some services that many dental offices offer to their patients.

How to Have a Successful Weight Loss and Not Plateau
By: Marci Lall | 13/10/2008
For some women, after a few months of beginning a new exercise program they are able to see incredible results. They are able to lose some pounds and maybe even drop a dress size or two. However, more and more women are allowing themselves and their exercise routines to become...

8 Harmful Effects of Fat
By: Marci Lall | 13/10/2008
Fat, mainly fat around your waistline, increases your risk of some serious illnesses. Are you doing anything about it? Chances are, you've probably tried a bunch of things that were either to hard to implement or something that claimed you would lose a number of pounds in a number of...

Is Going Organic the Way to Go?
By: Marci Lall | 13/10/2008
You see it in the grocery stores all the time, the high priced organic foods that are supposed to be free of residue and said to be made naturally without any pesticides. But is it worth it? Are organic products that much better for your health than commercially farmed foods? To...

Foods That Reduce Your Appetite
By: Marci Lall | 13/10/2008
If you find that you overeat and never feel hungry, you may be eating the wrong foods. Sometimes knowing which healthy foods can decrease your hunger will help in reducing your caloric intake and and provide you with a strategy to change your eating habits. The list below are some of...

Why Circuit Training Will Help You Lose Weight Faster
By: Marci Lall | 13/10/2008
There are many forms of training, so many in fact that's it's really difficult to choose the type of training that's right for your specific goals. Research, as well real life case studies show that "circuit training" combined with super-setting produce amazing results for women who want to lose weight...

More from Joyce Turner

Sleep Disorders–symptoms of Sleep Disorders
By: Joyce Turner | 12/04/2008 | Health
Sleep Disorders vary in nature and degree. The three major sleep disorders are dyssomnias (insomnia), hypersomnia (disorders of excessive sleepiness) and parasomnias (abnormal behaviors during sleep).

Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer
By: Joyce Turner | 12/04/2008 | Health
Knowing the signs and symptoms of breast cancer may help save your life. When the disease is discovered early, you have more treatment options and a better chance for a cure. Most breast lumps aren't cancerous. Yet the most common sign of breast cancer for both men and women is a lump or thickening in the breast. Often, the lump is painless.

Information on Breast Cancer
By: Joyce Turner | 11/04/2008 | Cancer
The breasts sit on the chest muscles that cover the ribs. Each breast is made of 15 to 20 lobes. Lobes contain many smaller lobules. Lobules contain groups of tiny glands that can produce milk. Milk flows from the lobules through thin tubes called ducts to the nipple.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below