Sleep Problems

Studies have found that cutting back on sleep results in poor glucose control in those who have type 2 diabetes.

What I have noticed from living with a person with type 2 diabetes is that the sleep pattern is very disrupted, it is rare for that person to experience unbroken sleep, the longest period of uninterrupted sleep is around 5 hours, and that’s rare.
There are other studies that have found that poor quality sleep appears to be associated with obesity . Since both of these problems, diabetes and obesity, are on the increase in the Western World, do we blame these conditions on poor sleep quality?

I really don’t think that poor sleep quality causes type 2 diabetes or obesity, both conditions result from overindulgence in food, mostly of poor quality.However, maybe overindulgence in food combined with a stressful lifestyle gives the final push towards both conditions.

So far the study was only done using patients who already had type 2 diabetes, and it was found that poor quality sleep resulted in poor glucose control. A study involving “healthy” insomniacs may prove to be informative if their blood sugar control was measured.

Bruxism results from the perfectly natural reflex action of chewing, and apparently most people at some time will grind their teeth, unfortunately some retain the habit for their lifetime.
Grinding your teeth can occur even during a light dose, you don’t have to be in deep sleep, similarly snoring can occur in this manner. However, teeth grinding over time can do untold damage to your teeth, chipping them, wearing down the biting surfaces, and any decayed teeth may collapse under the pressure. Apart from the damage done to your teeth, it can be a nasty experience for a bed partner to be awakened numerous times during the night by the teeth grinder.

The cause of this habit is unknown, and there seems to be no cure, other than wearing an acrylic guard for the upper teeth. This device would have to be properly fitted by the dentist, and is well worth the time taken to have this procedure done, for it will protect the teeth from further damage.

Hypersomnia mostly occurs with narcolepsy, however, sometimes it may occur as a single entity with no other accompaning symptoms, or disease states. For more on this article
visit: http://www.sleep-problems-nomore.com/Hypersomnia.html

The health implications that can result from sleep apnea can be very serious. According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, approximately 38,000 deaths on a yearly basis relating to cardiovascular problems have to do with sleep apnea. It is estimated that twenty million Americans suffer from sleep apnea in one form or another. This works out to be an average of twenty-four percent of males and nine percent of females. Approximately six million of these individuals have severe sleep apnea that requires medical attention. The number might in actuality be higher as many people who suffer from sleep apnea are not even aware of their condition. Sleep apnea is still a bit of a mystery among doctors and health care professionals and researchers are constantly conducting studies to help them understand it better.

There are some risk factors associated with sleep apnea that a person cannot help and others that fall under the category of preventable factors. Let’s take a closer look at both kinds of risk factors.

First we will look at the risk factors that we have no control over whatsoever. Age plays a role, as sleep apnea is more likely to afflict those over the age of thirty. Sleep apnea is more common in men than women. Some studies done on the subject have yielded the results that two to three times more males have the disorder than females while other studies have gone even farther by saying that five or six times more men suffer from it than women. If someone in your family suffers from sleep apnea then family history dictates that you might be more likely to develop the condition. Some races such as Black, Hispanics as well as Pacific Islanders are more prone to developing sleep apnea while Caucasians are less likely. Studies have proven that Black people tend to develop sleep apnea at an earlier age than do Caucasians.

Those who suffer from scoliosis or other types of spinal deformities sometimes develop breathing interruptions that can lead to sleep apnea. Medical conditions such as Down’s syndrome or Marfan’s syndrome that relate to craniofacial abnormalities can increase a person’s chances of developing sleep apnea. Menopause in some cases seems to increase a woman’s chances of suffering from sleep apnea. In fact the rate of sleep apnea in women is higher for those who are presently going through menopause or for those who have already been through it as opposed to women who have not reached it yet. Apparently after menopause passes, males and females have an equal chance of developing the sleeping disorder.

One of the greatest factors that contribute to sleep apnea is obesity and obesity is a factor that can be controlled. On average seventy percent of individuals who suffer from sleep apnea are overweight or obsess. Losing weight is one way to lower your chances of experiencing sleep apnea. Consuming liquor and/or taking medicines such as sedatives or sleeping pills (prescription or not) directly before bedtime can increase a person’s chances of falling victim to sleep apnea. Smoking can contribute to the sleeping problem as the nicotine in cigarettes relaxes the muscles that make it possible for air to pass through. If you sleep with more than one pillow or an oversized pillow and also if you sleep on your back regularly this could make sleep apnea become progressively worse.

Macbeth:

Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep’, the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast,—