Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: Serious Health Risks Involved

Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation are two very important terms for you to know. There are several types of disorders which can include sleep deprivation as an outcome. These disorders can be debilitating, especially when they go on for several days, weeks or longer. Not getting one night's sleep may not be significant, but if you fail to get sleep for more than three nights within a week's time, this can be detrimental to overall health.

Sleep Disorders:

A disorder is a medical condition. It is a disruption of the sleep patterns. When these go on for a long period of time, they can be disruptive to overall body and brain function, leading to complications. There are many different types of disorders, including the following:

*Insomnia: One of the most common, this disorder occurs when an individual has difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep.
*Narcolepsy: This condition is one in which there is extreme daytime sleepiness, often responding in falling asleep at inappropriate times, without warning.
*Hypopnoea Syndrome: This condition causes an individual to have shallow breathing rates while sleeping.
*Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome: Often called DSPS, it is the condition in which an individual is unable to wake up or fall asleep at the right time. These individuals do have the ability to maintain sleep.
*Sleep Walking: This condition is one that describes individuals who do various activities in a state of sleep that are normally only done while awake. It includes eating, walking, even smoking.

Sleep Deprivation:

Sleep deprivation is not a disorder specifically, but is often the result of suffering from any of these disorders. Deprivation is serious because it is the body's way of expressing the need to sleep. If an individual suffers from insomnia, for example, he or she is unable to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation sets in. The brain is not getting adequate rest and therefore is unable to respond fast enough to stimuli. Your response time drops considerably. Your short term memory is very poor. You have no ability to concentrate on what you are doing.
For those who may be experiencing sleep deprivation brought on by sleep disorders or other conditions, it is very important to consider the long term outcome. When deprivation carries on for some time, it can lead to serious health conditions including the development of heart disease, heart failure, and strains on the kidneys, brain, and virtually every other organ.

Are you suffering from sleep deprivation?

 Do you believe that you have any of these or other sleep disorders?

 If so, it is essential to speak to your doctor about them. There is help to overcoming these conditions and it often starts with fully understanding your condition. A sleep study can help to point out what the problem is. Environmental factors, emotional stressors, and even physical elements can cause sleep disorders to be displayed.