3 Common Adult Sleep Disorders

Experts are finding that even people who exercise regularly, stay away from cigarettes and avoid heavy drinking often only get a small amount of the sleep their bodies really desire to stay healthy. Getting the right amount of sleep is one of the most important parts of healthy living that most adults, and many adolescents, often ignore. It’s been estimated that nearly 60 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep condition.

Sleep issues are not confined to one small segment of the population. All over the world sleep issues are on the rise do to increased stress levels associated with modern life, increased caffeine consumption and a continued dependence on technology which goes against our natural sleep rhythm. Here are some of the more common sleep problems seen in many people today:

Sleep Apnea: This sleep condition causes a person to stop breathing momentarily while the person is sleeping. Sleep apnea can be classified as obstructive, which means soft tissues in the rear of the throat collapse slightly while a person is sleeping, momentarily obstructing the airway and interrupting sleep. Central sleep apnea occurs when a person’s brain actually “forgets” to tell the lungs to continue breathing during sleep. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea. Both types of apnea disturb sleep patterns and though they may not entirely wake a person up, they do disrupt the deep level a sleep a person needs.

Bed Wetting As an Adult: Normally only considered a sleep issue which plagues small children, it is estimated that over 6 million adult suffer from bed wetting episodes, though those numbers are believed to be under reported. Bed wetting in middle age occurs when a mature person or adolescent does not wake to urinate during the night time sleep period. Obviously, this can lead to a fear going to sleep, increase stress about sleeping and ultimately disrupt sleep cycles which can worsen the condition.

RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome): RLS is a sleep disorder which causes a person to experience a crawling, pins and needles or even pulling sensation in the leg when they lay down to go to sleep or sit for long periods of time during the evening hours. RLS may be one of the causes for leg cramping. These feelings disrupt sleep and can be more than just bothersome if they happen every evening.

All of these sleep maladies can be treated and some can be prevented. You may want to speak with your primary care physician if you have to deal with any of these conditions yourself. Getting the correct amount of sleep is critically important to your overall health and can greatly improve your quality of life.