Sleep Disorders and Sleep Problems

Sleep issues are common in the US

• 50-70 million US adults have a sleep disorder

• 37.9% reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day

• 30%: Insomnia is the most common specific sleep disorder, with short-term issues reported by around 30% of adults and chronic insomnia by 10%

• 25 million US adults have obstructive sleep apnea

• Most adults need 7 hours of sleep

Sleep issues are common: Adolescents

• Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best

• One study found that only 15% reported sleeping 1.5 hours on school nights

• Tend to have irregular sleep patterns

Sleep Disorders and Sleep Problems

Insomnia: Trouble sleeping or staying asleep

• Happens in stage 1 or 2. NEver reach REM sleep

Narcolepsy: Sudden onset of feeling tired or going to fast periods of REM sleep: REM stage

• Caused by a chemical imbalance in the hypothalamus

Sleep Apnea: Breathing is stopped during sleep.

• Major cause is obesity (although skinny people can have it) and smoking or lung issues like COPD. Happens more in REM sleep.

Somnambulism: Sleepwalking

• Happens in stage ¾

Night Terrors: These are not nightmares. You do not remember night terrors. You appear awake but your brain is asleep. Acting out the “Dream.”

• It happens more in stage 4

Other Sleep Disorders

Bruxism - Teeth grinding. Stages 1-2

Enuresis - Bedwetting. Stage ¾

Myoclonus - Sudden jerk of a body part. Stage 2 sleep

• Hypnagogic sensations: Falling or feeling of being pinned down

Seasonal Affective Disorder: when the time changes and it gets darker earlier

• In areas of the world where it is dark for long periods

EEG: Machine that amplifies and records waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface

• Electrodes are placed on the person’s scalp to measure the waves

• Used as a means to measure the stages of sleep