Combating Sleep Disorders

Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem. About 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated. Some of the most common ones are insomnia, restless legs syndrome, parasomnias, circadian rhythm disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, night terrors, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, and narcolepsy. Long standing sleep disturbances can lead to nonproductive lifestyles, poor work performance, weight gain, difficulty with concentration, and social avoidance. Some disorders, like sleep apnea, can lead to even more serious problems such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Therefore, there is an urgent need for this introduction to the subject of sleep disorders. Chapters include information on symptoms and problems that signal a possible sleep disorder, descriptions of sleep loss effects and their demographics, definitions of common sleep disorders, explanations of various medical and psychological tests for sleep disorder diagnosis, essential medical treatments, guided intervention to change thinking about sleep and related health habits, alternative interventions, follow-up and maintenance issues, and behavioral changes. Appendices include a list of accredited sleep laboratories and resources, suggested readings, and suggested exercises and activities.

Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem. About 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated. Some of the most common ones are insomnia, restless legs syndrome, parasomnias, circadian rhythm disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, night terrors, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, and narcolepsy. Long standing sleep disturbances can lead to nonproductive lifestyles, poor work performance, weight gain, difficulty with concentration, and social avoidance. Some disorders, like sleep apnea, can lead to even more serious problems such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Therefore, there is an urgent need for this introduction to the subject of sleep disorders.

Chapters include information on symptoms and problems that signal a possible sleep disorder, descriptions of sleep loss effects and their demographics, definitions of common sleep disorders, explanations of various medical and psychological tests for sleep disorder diagnosis, essential medical treatments, guided intervention to change thinking about sleep and related health habits, alternative interventions, follow-up and maintenance issues, and behavioral changes. Appendices include a list of accredited sleep laboratories and resources, suggested readings, and suggested exercises and activities.

Contents......Page 8 Figures and Tables......Page 10 Foreword by Phyllis C. Zee......Page 12 Preface......Page 14 Section One: Understanding Sleep Medicine......Page 16 CHAPTER 1 SIGNS OF POOR SLEEP......Page 18 CHAPTER 2 SLEEP LOSS EFFECTS......Page 30 CHAPTER 3 SLEEP MEDICINE FACTS......Page 44 CHAPTER 4 HOW SLEEP IS MEASURED......Page 52 CHAPTER 5 TREATMENTS FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCES......Page 60 CHAPTER 6 CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT YOUR SLEEP......Page 68 CHAPTER 7 ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR SLEEP......Page 76 CHAPTER 8 FOLLOW-UP CARE......Page 86 Section Two: Common Sleep Battles......Page 88 COMMON BATTLES......Page 90 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO ENSURE HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS......Page 96 MENOPAUSE AND POOR SLEEP......Page 98 EMOTIONS AND POOR SLEEP......Page 102 DREAMING PROBLEMS AND OTHER SUCH MATTERS......Page 105 YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR SLEEP......Page 110 SLEEPY ATHLETES......Page 114 WORK AND SLEEP......Page 117 HEALTHY PRACTICES AND YOUR SLEEP......Page 122 SHOULD YOU TRY MELATONIN PILLS FROM THE HEALTH FOOD STORE?......Page 125 SHOULD YOUR PET SLEEP WITH YOU?......Page 126 FOOD AND SLEEP......Page 127 CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON SLEEP......Page 131 Appendix......Page 134 Index......Page 144 Long standing sleep disturbances can lead to nonproductive lifestyles, poor work performance, weight gain, difficulty with concentration, and social avoidance. Some disorders, like sleep apnea, can lead to even more serious problems such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. There is, therefore, an urgent need for this introduction to the subject of sleep disorders. Chapters include information on: definitions of common disorders; symptoms and problems that signal a possible sleep disorder; descriptions of sleep loss efects and their demographics; explanations of various medical and psychological tests for sleep disorder diagnosis; essential medical treatments; alternative interventions; guided intervention to change thinking about sleep and related health habits; follow-up and maintenance issues; and behavioral changes. (Publisher) Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by sleep problems. About 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated. Some of the most common ones are insomnia, restless legs syndrome, parasomnias, circadian rhythm disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, night terrors, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, and narcolepsy