How to Prevent Sleeping Disorders - Research Paper Example

How to Prevent Sleeping Disorders Introduction Sleep is the resting place where the brain goes each night. Sleeping is an involuntary process that is out of our control and thus one does not feel comfortable if he does not get enough sleep. Sleep is very important for the good health of the body and lack of enough quality sleep will interfere with the normal functioning of the body. Therefore, if somebody is experiencing difficulties in getting enough sleep, then it is important to take the necessary measures to regain quality sleep in his life. Sleeping Disorders According to University of Maryland Medical center, “Sleep disorders are problems with sleeping, including trouble falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at the wrong times, too much sleep, or abnormal behaviors during sleep” (1). Occasional breaks during sleep is a common occurrence among many people mainly due to stress and other social and physiological issues. Despite this, when the breaks are common and usually interfere with the normal daily schedule of an individual, then it is referred to as sleep disorder. Since the presence of good sleep in an indicator of a good performance level of the body, such deviations should be considered and necessary medical attention sought. There are various sleeping disordersand they include: Shift work Sleep paralysis Hypersomnia Periodic Limb movement Circadian Rhythm REM sleeping Behavior Narcolepsy Sleep Walking Insomnia In USA, the health problem has been persistent with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) being very keen as sleep disorders has been associated with other health challenges. According to CDC, “Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity” para 1 ( http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/) ( http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/) Sleep Disorder distribution in USA Bedroom On observing any change in the sleeping pattern that is not normal, then the first thing one has to consider is the condition of the bedroom. For one to enjoy good sleep, the environment in the bedroom has to be conducive for attracting good sleep. The bedroom has to be amusing, inviting as well as welcoming. First, the bedroom has to be adequately dark since the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for inducing sleep, will become plenty to cause good sleep if the room is dark. The prevalence of sleep disorders in city dwellers is thus due to light pollution during the night, which is a condition that needs thorough consideration. A single ray of light that can penetrate through the window into the room can have very serious effects on the quality of sleep one will have during the night. Before sleeping, therefore, one must remember to block all the loop holes that can allow light into the room (Hughes, Robert and Alfred 52). The bedroom has to be at the right temperature to allow the body to cool to its lowest temperature when sleeping. If it is too hot, then try to open a window to allow free circulation of air. However, care is necessary not to allow light into the room. Contrary to that, the room is not supposed to be too cold as this will also disrupt sleep and poses danger to both children and old people. If possible, a room thermometer can help identify the right temperature of the room for quality sleep. Mostly, the room temperature is supposed to be between eighteen to twenty one degrees Celsius (Hughes, Robert and Alfred 52). Another way of promoting good sleep is by keeping the extremities warm as cold extremities interfere with sleep. Although the bedroom has to be cool, the hands and the feet should be warm. Lying down the body cause the redistribution of body heat to the hands and the feet. For somebody suffering from cold feet then a hot water bottle is better in enhancing the feet temperature rather than using bed socks (Hughes, Robert and Alfred 52). To avoid disruption when sleeping, the bedroom has to be clean, tidy and liberated from clutter. Removing clutter makes the room more organized and this assists in achieving peace of mind that in turn enhance the quality of sleep. Constant vacuuming and clearing dust may be tiresome but asthma as well as allergies during the night can deprive one’s sleep. The presence of some plants in the bedroom can also improve the quality of air since at night they will not produce large amounts of carbon dioxide (Hughes, Robert and Alfred 52). For excellent sleep, the bedroom has to be reserved for sleep only by removing all the unwanted gadgets from the room. This means that the computer, television, working area, books as well as magazines should be out of the bedroom. A radio, though suitable in the morning to inform you about the time and the condition of traffics, it can engage your brain during the night and harm your sleep. There is also the danger that one may fall sleep and leave the radio on and thus it is going to wake him up during the times of light sleeping cycles. According to research, using electronic gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets about two hours before going to bed will interfere with the production of melatonin hormone and this will result to a low quality sleep. The problem is more serious in teenagers than people of the other age categories(Bootzin, Epstein and Wood 19). A perfect means of ensuring quality sleep is keeping the bedroom free from noise. In some areas especially in city centers it is almost impossible to keep away from noise hence some special devices are necessary to deal with the problem. For example, a carpet can block unnecessary noise from a nearby bar or restaurant. If possible, one can use a machine or a disk that plays soft music to help obstruct noise from an external source. In addition, a loud ticking clock located beside a drawer can help protect your hearings from unfriendly noise that can disrupt your sleep (Bootzin, Epstein and Wood 19). The quality of the mattress one is using greatly dictates the quality of sleep one is going to experience. A mattress lacking good support causes a poor sleeping position and this will prevent you from getting quality sleep. One can assess the quality of the mattress he is currently using by sleeping away from home in a good hotel. The best mattresses that provide more comfort are the home made ones with many coils, natural padding, pocket springs and many more quality components. A good mattress that gives comfort and support to the back will allow the spine to relax and rejuvenate throughout the night. Although the mattress must be tough enough to support the weight of the body, it should not be too hard to cause discomfort. It is advisable to test a mattress for some few minutes before buying to confirm that it complies with your body contours (Itasaka et al 340). Lifestyle Apart from the artificial light that can negatively affect the sleeping pattern during the night, research proves that the ordinary light during the evening also suppresses the production of melatonin hormone. This makes the exposed individual less sleepy and consequently delaying on the bed before falling sleep. The effect is more sever with exposure to blue light and less strong with red as well as yellow color. The invention of the sensitive blue photoreceptor specifically aims at the circadian rhythm of the body. Currently, it is possible for one to acquire lumps and bulbs with low intensity of blue light. There are also glasses that reduce the exposure to blue light from electronic gadgets such as computers, tablets and phones that produce large amounts of blue rays that interfere with the production of melatonin. However, the overall exposure to light of whatever color affects the production of the hormone depending on the intensity of the light itself (Borbély et al 207). To avoid interfering with the sleeping patterns, one must maintain a regular routine of his bedtime. One should avoid either going to bed too early or going to bed too late. This will interfere with the sleeping requirements of the body and the problem can sum up into a serious one. If one finds it difficult to fall asleep and he or she is taking too long on the bed then it is better to move out of the bed and move to a another room. One must identify the number of hours the body needs in order to adjust his schedule to comply with the body requirements to avoid disruption (Bootzin, Epstein and Wood 19). Alcoholic drinks makes both the body and the brain to relax but can also have negative effects on somebody’s sleep. Using alcohol or wine as a sleeping aid is not desirable because it worsens the problem. This is because it can compel the user to visit the toilet during the night that will interfere with the sleep since upon waking up one need some time before falling asleep again. The use of alcohol or wine before going to bed can also cause headache and can totally prevent one from falling asleep (Peeke et al 279). As a means of promoting quality sleep one should as much as possible avoids the use of technology when it is late during the night. According to research, the use of mobile phone is more destructive than watching a television. Doctor Howard of the Bristol University confirmed that staring at a bright screen that is small in sizewhen the other lights in the room are off greatly interferes with the production of melatonin hormone. The extent of the interference is much higher than that experienced when one is watching a television. The effect is more serious in teenagers who spend much time texting when the lights go off. The teenagers who spend more time texting when the lights are off also have higher chances of feeling drowsiness during the day (Borbély et al 207). As one continues to get older, avoiding naps during the day is very important to help enjoy good sleep during the night. It is also advisable to take some gentle exercises and keep more active as this will promote healthy sleep. One has to try as much as possible to restrict sleep during bedtime since the more tired somebody is the higher the chances of enjoying a more restful sleep when he or she goes to bed. In addition, one has to set an alarm to wake up at the same time every day since a minor deprivation of sleep will restore somebody to a better sleeping routine (Brendel et al 677). Stress and Worry Job stress and the load of responsibility cause lack of graciousness in the society and consequently pressures build up greatly to the extent of causing discomfort in our lives. Stress and worry come due to lack of satisfaction or failure to achieve what we want to achieve. Therefore deprives us our joy and sleep at night. There is a direct relationship between worry and the rhythm of sleeping in somebody. When somebody is anxious, the speed of the heart increases which also impact the same effect on the brain. This causes the brain to become more active and more stimulated and hence generating beta waves. If this happens when the person is at the bed then the individual finds it very difficult to fall sleep. In addition, failure to get sleep may trigger the coming of more thoughts in the brain and the person finds it harder to get sleep.In order to surmount the problem one has to find means of repelling these thoughts and cool down the heart. One method of achieving this is by placing the hand on the heart and remaining quiet to hear the heart beat. Then one should breathe in very deeply but slowly for about four or three seconds and then breathe out at the same rate. Repeating this for several times will finally lower the speed of the heart beat. This will again slow down the activity of the brain and hence retards the accumulation of thoughts in the brain (Takase et al. 223). Another means of retarding the accumulation of worries in the brain is to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones. For example, speaking will intercept thinking and this will prevent the dominance of the negative thoughts in the brain. The negative thoughts in the brain are like something occupying space and to remove it we have to look for anything that will occupy the position the thoughts are occupying. The new replacement should therefore be something very familiar thing to the brain because an unfamiliar thing may provoke another line of negative thoughts and escalate the problem rather than solving it. In addition, one perfect way of preventing the negative thoughts is by speaking the thoughts loudly rather than allowing the thoughts to just revolve in the brain. Finally, one can assist himself by discussing his most serious problems with the closest friend whom he or she trusts most. It is good to remember that this is among the greatest causes of sleeping disorders in the modern world due to increased responsibilities and tougher tasks that people have to perform every day (Takase et al. 223). Diet Diet is also a very important determinant of the quality of sleep that one will get at night and changes in the diet can also help somebody solve a good number of sleep disorders. The idea that some foods promote good sleep is common to many individuals in the world. For example, a cup of warm milk can greatly assist a person to achieve healthy sleep. In addition, eating foods rich in tryptophan such as milk, beans and sunflower seeds will increase the level of serotonin in the body that in turn lead to a reduction in depression and anxiety. At night, serotonin undergoes some changes to become melatonin which influence sleep in the body. Apart from inducing sleep, melatonin helps in regulating the circadian rhythm which also helps to avoid all sleep disorders associated with heart (Turek and Martha523). Conclusion Sleeping disorders are common occurrence across the globe and international as well as personal inputs are required to ensure that it is effectively contained. In United States of America, sleep disorder prevalence has been on the rise with many individuals using substantive amount of their income in addressing challenges that result from it. It is therefore important for substantive measures to be taken to ensure economic and health prosperity of USA. Works Cited Bootzin, Richard R., Dana Epstein, and James M. Wood. "Stimulus control instructions." Case studies in insomnia. Springer US, 1991.19-28. Borbély, Alexander A., et al. "Pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field affects human sleep and sleep electroencephalogram." Neuroscience Letters 275.3 (1999): 207-210. Brendel, David H., et al. "Sleep stage physiology, mood, and vigilance responses to total sleep deprivation in healthy 80‐year‐olds and 20‐year‐olds." Psychophysiology 27.6 (1990): 677-685. CDC. Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic. October 30, 2014. Cdc. Gov. January 13, 2014. Hughes, Rod J., Robert L. Sack, and Alfred J. Lewy. "The role of melatonin and circadian phase in age-related sleep-maintenance insomnia: assessment in a clinical trial of melatonin replacement." Sleep 21.1 (1998): 52-69. Itasaka, Yoshiaki, et al. "The influence of sleep position and obesity on sleep apnea." Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences 54.3 (2000): 340-341. Peeke, Shirley C., et al. "Combined effects of alcohol and sleep deprivation in normal young adults." Psychopharmacology 67.3 (1980): 279-287. Takase, Bonpei, et al. "Effect of chronic stress and sleep deprivation on both flow‐mediated dilation in the brachial artery and the intracellular magnesium level in humans." Clinical cardiology 27.4 (2004): 223-227. Turek, Fred W., and Martha U. Gillette. "Melatonin, sleep, and circadian rhythms: rationale for development of specific melatonin agonists." Sleep medicine 5.6 (2004): 523-532. University of Mryland Medical Center.Sleep Disorders Overview. October 30, 2014.Umm.edu.March 10 2012. Read More