Kleine-Levin Syndrome

Let us look at this neurological disorder that causes excessive sleepiness in a bit more detail.

Any person between the ages 6-59 can suffer from sleeping beauty illness. Although, male adolescents are known to suffer more from this problem. Especially kids and young adults between the ages between ages 10-20 are known to suffer from this problem the most. The average though, that many experienced this condition at was 15.7 years.

• Females usually tend to develop this condition at the age of 17.
• In the US, Caucasians are known to suffer the most from sleeping beauty illness.

Symptoms

The demographics aside, in people who develop this condition, as mentioned earlier, we see a change in behavior. While some people tend to act childish, some lose track of their surroundings and feel disoriented.

• Some do not tend to exhibit any kind of emotion whatsoever.
• Some do not tend to communicate and remain bed-ridden even if they are awake.
• Some exhibit hypersensitivity to light and sound.
• In some, we observe excessive craving for food.
• Women who develop this condition, tend to get depressed a lot.
• Some can stay asleep for days at stretch.
• Many become amnesiac unable to remember when they previously woke up.
• Bedsores can also develop in some, given the number of hours one spends in the bed.
• If stopped from sleeping, they can become violent.

As of now, there is no definitive way in which Kleine-Levin Syndrome can be treated. Although stimulants like modafinil, amphetamines etc can be used to reduce the sleepiness, sluggishness and the behavior changes cannot be altered. But then again, the disease is known to disappear by itself once the kid into his/her twenties. All one can do is be patient with the person suffering from the problem.

Sleep Apnea Pillows

Although there are several other aids like sprays, nose clips and masks that can help one stop snoring, many opt for these pillows, given how easily hey can be used. What these pillows do is to provide the sleeper to place his/her neck in the right posture so that snoring is avoided.

Although, it is important to keep in mind that these pillows only help in avoiding snoring thus, providing a good sleep to the sleep apnea sufferer. They in no way either cure snoring or the disorder that is causing the snoring, which is sleep apnea.

Pillows in the Market

Let us look at some of the pillow models available in the market that people suffering from sleep apnea can use.

Sona pillow

The Sona pillow is the only pillow to have been clinically tested and approved by the US FDA. Most people rate this pillow as the best when it comes to preventing snoring. One can get to sleep in a comfortable position using this pillow, and it also enables the neck to remain in the right posture. The price varies between 59 dollars to 70 dollars.

Brookstone pillow

This pillow is for those who do not sleep in one position. The pillow has memory foam in it which keeps people from snoring despite them changing positions continuously in their sleep. The price of this pillow varies between 59 dollars to 99 dollars.

Obusforme pillow

This pillow comes with an elevated panel and enables the sleeper to switch to his/her side during their sleep thus, keeping them from snoring. The price of this pillow varies between 69 dollars to 89 dollars.

One can choose the comfortable out of the above mentioned sleep apnea pillows based on his/her needs and constraints.

OTC Sleep Aids

Some of the OTC drugs that are available are Nytol, Benadryl, Compoz, Unisom etc. These drugs contain either doxylamine or diphenhydramine, which are antihistamines. Antihistamines are used to treat problems like severe itching, usually observed in allergies. But antihistamines are known to induce sleep as well, the reason why they are used in sleep aids.

Apart from the above drugs that contain antihistamines, there are several other over-the-counter sleep aids available in the market which contain painkilling and cough medications. Choosing the best aid for your temporary sleep problem out of the many available can be a bit confusing.

But make sure that you read the side effects that will be mentioned on the drug’s label before purchasing the medicine. Also, seek your doctor’s assistance before using the medicine for any drug interactions if you are using any other medicines for the problems that you might suffer from.

Available OTC Aids

The following is the list of sleep aids that are available in the form of tablets, capsules or syrups-

• melatonin supplements
• melatonin receptor agonist hypnotics
• benzodiazepine sedative hgypnotics
• non-benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics
• herbal medicines
• herbs like Valerian root, chamomile, lemon balm
• S-adenosyl methionine

Side Effects

The following are the side effects of these

OTC sleep aids

-

• drowsiness or dizziness
• memory loss
• lack of coordination
• blurred vision
• constipation

The above mentioned over the counter sleep aids are meant either for a one-time or short-term use only. Using them on a regular basis would cause one to become dependent on them, meaning it would impossible for one to sleep without using the sleep aids. Also, one has to keep in mind that these aids are not treating the condition causing the sleeplessness in anyway.

Sleep Deprivation

Being able to go to sleep quickly or unable to stay asleep for long is what we refer to as insomnia, which obviously is a lack of enough sleep. Extending on the causes that have been mentioned above, various other factors like, stress, hormonal changes, wrong sleeping patterns, environmental factors, excessive consumption of stimulants or alcohol and drugs are all responsible for insomnia.

• According to Mark Mahowald, a neurology professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a lack of proper sleep would affect the mental performance considerably.
• Dr. Eve Van Cauter mentions that people who fail to get enough sleep regularly are known to be less sensitive to insulin. This will make them more prone to developing diabetes or high blood pressure. Both these conditions are known to affect the brain’s performance.
• According to Dr. Van Cauter, an increasing sleep debt would trigger an early onset of obesity, memory loss, hypertension or diabetes, which otherwise should only occur in the old-age.

The Effects

Let us look at some of the effects that our brain experiences due to a lack of proper regular sleep-

• memory loss
• headaches and dizziness
• hallucinations
• irritability and mood changes
• nausea
• lack of energy that affects the day-to-day performance
• improper functioning of the growth hormones
• hormonal imbalance
• hair loss
• weakened immune system
• impaired coordination
• blurred vision

Previously, it was only the older people who suffered from problems related to sleep deprivation but, insomnia is an ever increasing problem even in the younger and middle-aged people, given the kind of work patterns and work related stress that one is having to experience. Making suitable lifestyle changes and following a doctor’s advice is must to address the problem of sleeplessness.

Overcoming Sleep Anxiety Disorder

Usually, people who suffer from chronic insomnia (long-term problem) are known to develop this anxiety disorder. But then again, not all people suffering from chronic insomnia develop this disorder. Sleep anxiety is a very big problem, and has to be dealt with immediately. But how does one escape a problem caused by a vicious cycle?

Before finding the answer to this question, let us look at the symptoms and causes of this disorder first.

Symptoms of Sleep Anxiety

Let us look at the symptoms-

• a disturbed sleep coupled with an inability to sleep
• frequent awakenings (sometimes, within seconds only) due to the circulating thoughts
• tension and anxiety about how to go about the next day in case you don’t get enough sleep
• dullness and tiredness
• nausea, acidity, headaches and breathing problems

Causes

Now that we have looked at the symptoms, let us look at the causes as well.

• depression
• previous traumatic experiences
• medication side-effects
• stress
• environmental conditions

Treating the Disorder

Now, let us look at how to resolve this problem of sleep anxiety disorder.

Try to induce positivity

As mentioned above, people are just scared if they will be able to sleep at all or not. First thing one has to do is to take these negative thoughts away from the mind. Even if you do think, keep telling yourself that these thoughts are only trivial and are in no way going to affect your sleep.

Stay relaxed

Once you are through your positive thought process, try relaxing the mind. While relaxing, do not think about anything. Soft music, deep breathing or meditating will help achieve the relaxing effect.

Exercise

Exercising exhausts the body. Not only that but, it also increases the blood flow. Both exhaustion and increased flow help stimulate a good sleep.

Eat cautiously

Sleep anxiety can also be a resultant of problems like heartburn or acidity. If you suffer from these problems, do not eat spicy or oily food before going to sleep.

Reasons for Insomnia – Family Members

Psychological problems, medical ailments, medications or family members, whatever or whoever may be the cause of insomnia, the after effects of this symptom can be really taxing and impact the performance of a person drastically.

Let us take a look at the research that shows the role of insomniac family members in the development of insomnia.

• As mentioned above, the research was conducted at the Universite Laval, in its School of Psychology. Dr. Charles M. Morin was the head of the research team, who conducted the study on 3,485 people. As part of the study, the 3,485 participants had to take part in a telephone survey. The survey inquired about the sleep quality of the interviewee and his/her immediate family members.
• Apart from the telephone survey, the participants were also asked to do a mail-in questionnaire thrice in a year.
• The results of the survey and the questionnaires showed that 40 percent of the 3,485 participants, had at least one member in the family who suffered from insomnia.
• Nearly 76 percent participants, had 1 member in the family suffering from this sleep issue, while 21 percent had two people in the family suffering from the issue and 3 percent of them had 3 people suffering from insomnia.
• In the first case i.e where there was one family member with insomnia, the risk of developing insomnia in another member increased by 37 percent. In the second cases, the risk increased to 250 percent and in the third case, it increased to 314 percent.

Thus, it is now proved that one of the reasons for insomnia can be your own family member.

Sleeping Pattern

Before understanding how one can still stay energetic despite a lack of sleep in quantitative terms, let us understand our sleep pattern first.

After we fall asleep, the first 1-2 hours are where we are in a deep sleep. It is during this deep sleep stage that damaged cells in the body are repaired, as the blood flow is increased. After this stage, we enter the rapid eye movement stage, during which we start dreaming. After staying in REM for a while, we again go into the deep sleep stage, and so on.

The first deep sleep and the REM stages are the longest in one’s sleep, and as the night progresses, the cycles begin to shorten.

How to Stay Energetic With Less Sleep Hours?

Now that we have understood our sleep pattern, let us see what steps we can follow to improve our sleep, in terms of quality.

Sunlight

Exposing ourself to morning sunlight is one of the best and cheapest ways of increasing the quality of our sleep. Taking in the sunlight for an hour at least, will help with the production of melatonin. Melatonin is the chemical that tells our body to sleep as it nightfall begins. Proper melatonin levels thus, automatically will improve our sleep quality.

Body Temperature

As night sets in, the temperature of our body begins to decrease thus, signaling the brain to put us to sleep. This is under normal circumstances. For people suffering from various sleep disorders like insomnia, it is necessary to raise the body temperature though. Exercising will help achieve this.

Dark Environment

There is an internal clock that runs in our body that tells the brain to fall asleep when it goes dark and wake up when there is light. So, the darker the room you are sleeping, the better your sleep quality.

Following the above tips will help you stay energetic despite the lack of sleep in quantitative terms.

Biphasic Sleep:

Most of us are aware of a ‘siesta’. A siesta is an early afternoon short nap that one usually takes after having his/her lunch. People living in warmer countries tend to practice siesta. When it comes to the ‘sleeping twice in a day’ pattern, one may choose to sleep during any time and not necessarily in the afternoons only.

For instance, if a monophasic sleeper sleeps at an 8-hour stretch, a biphasic sleeper would choose to split the same 8 hour period into a 2-6, 3-5 or sometimes 4-4 kind of schedule depending on one’s needs. In the end, they manage to get their 2 naps for sure.

The Benefits of Sleeping Twice:

Several studies indicate that people who sleep twice in a day have their mental health improved, as sleep provides our brain with the required rest. One reason why monophasic sleepers feel drained out after a long day’s work is because their brain has become sluggish after a long day’s work.

• Napping between your work will refresh the mind and rejuvenate the brain function. Depending on one’s work schedule, it is necessary that one grabs the required sleep during office hours to keep the brain sharp.
• Another advantage of biphasic sleep is that it reduces the long stretch sleep. For instance napping for an hour or two during the day will enable an 8 hour sleeper to reduce his/her sleep to 7 hours there by decreasing the necessity to compensate for a tiring day.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Sleep Apnea:

Before we see how the anxiety disorder leads to the sleep disorder, let us understand sleep apnea first. Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person would stop breathing for a certain period of time (could be for seconds or minutes) in his/her sleep.

Sleep apnea can be of two types, viz. central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. While the former is the resultant of lack of signals from the brain to the muscles that assist in breathing, the latter is caused because of obstructed airways.

Now, how does PTSD affect the breathing during sleep, that it leads to sleep apnea? Here’s the answer.

• As mentioned above, people suffering from PTSD suffer from nightmares about the traumatic incident they were part of. This lays a lot of stress in them, and stress affects the breathing mechanisms. Since the stress occurs during sleep in PTSD patients, the breathing mechanism is obstructed during sleep, and would lead to central sleep apnea.
• One may either breathing cessations or breathe so rapidly in the sleep, that after waking up, they would be left gasping.

Dealing with Sleep Apnea in PTSD Sufferers:

Both children and adults can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which as we can see can lead to a lot of stress, breathing problems and other health problems. The family of the person suffering from the problem should have to be helpful in making the sufferer let out his/her suppressed feelings.

• Seek medical assistance for the nightmares’ episodes. Anti-psychotic, anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drugs may be prescribed by the doctor to deal with patients problems.
• For the breathing problems due to sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks would have to be used.

It is thus important to understand that PTSD could lead to sleep apnea, and it is important to deal with the problems at an early stage before they can lead to other health complications.

Treating Sleep Apnea:

There are several options in the masks that patients suffering from sleep apnea can use. Upon consulting with your doctor, you may choose to use full face masks, oral masks, nasal pillows or triangular masks.

Treatment with the help of masks is referred to as CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure, which is the most preferred non-surgical treatment for patients suffering from sleep apnea. Let us look at each of the masks in detail now.

Full Face Masks

A full face mask during CPAP would cover the entire area from the nose to the mouth. This would prevent the leakage of air from the mouth, which is in fact very important for the therapy to be successful. One of the biggest advantages of these masks is that they prevent snoring completely. In the initial stages of the therapy, wearing the full face mask can be very irritating as it obstructs one’s movements substantially. Getting used to it is although very important for reaping the benefits of CPAP.

Oral Masks

These masks are for those who tend to keep their mouth open in their sleep. Keeping the mouth open during sleep dries it, eventually drying the throat and the lower nasal passage as well. These oral masks are fit into the mouth’s inside, and the heat humidifier of the mask keeps the drying away not allowing the sleeper to pause breathing.

Nasal Pillows

These nasal pillows fit into the patient’s nostrils and keep one from snoring. They are very compact and light and can be worn by the sleeper during travel as well.

Triangular Masks

These masks are made from a gel-like material which allows them to be customized as per the person’s face. The two openings that this mask contains regulates the flow of oxygen.

Treating sleep apnea with the help of masks is considered to be the best technique that is available right now for this sleep disorder.