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The Sleep Disorders Center Articles |
Symptoms of Sleeping DisordersInfants who wake up screaming in the middle of the night are the youngest victims of sleep disorder symptoms. Parents can hear, at least after a few episodes, that these screams are not indicative of hunger or a dirty diaper. A child who falls back to sleep after rocking or holding is not necessarily suffering from sleeping disorders. Parents are often taught about, and instructed in, causes and prevention of SIDS that, in a way, is also symptoms of sleeping disorders. Sleep apnea, a condition that causes victims to stop breathing while asleep, is also a concern of children and adults. Many adults have a variety of medical ailments that may not even be associated with a sleeping disorder until the right doctor asks the right questions. An important part of the sleep cycle is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep - the deepest level of sleep, and the level necessary for the restorative and healing aspects of the body. Diagnostic Tests When a patient presents with a cacophony of symptoms, one of which may be insomnia, a doctor may realize that a sleep test should be performed. While there are sleep tests for a variety of reasons, they are all different. One sleep test may indicate that a patient has a very short period of REM sleep, which is impeding the ability of the patient's body to heal or otherwise repair itself at night. Another sleep disorder test can determine whether a person is sleeping throughout the night and if there are periods where the supply of oxygen is lower than medically acceptable. Many people suffer from sleep apnea, although far less need treatment. One of the most obvious symptoms of sleeping disorders is being tired all the time. There are levels of tiredness that can border on exhaustion. If someone never seems to wake up, is groggy and disoriented throughout the day, falls asleep at traffic lights, and otherwise feels something is wrong, they are experiencing symptoms of sleeping disorders. Your physician may also consider testing for other causes as well. There are diagnostics of other sleeping disorders that are far more critical and present themselves far earlier in a patient's life. One such disease is narcolepsy. Narcoleptic patients fall asleep randomly at any period of time, no matter what they are doing or where they are going. Some narcoleptics teach their children to drive - far younger than legally allowed - in case they are in a traffic situation when the parent falls asleep. |
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Uncovering the Source of Adult Sleep Problems
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