Reasons Someone Might Experience Sleep Disorders or Insomnia

Many people, especially younger people, often shrug off a few nights without decent sleep. They might even embrace it, considering themselves night owls. However, all of this nocturnal living, especially without catching up with sleep during the daytime, does have potentially negative consequences. In fact, many people might not even realize they are suffering from insomnia without considering some of the reasons they aren't sleeping.

For those who suffer from sleep disorders Novato or sleep apnea Novato, it is important to understand what some of the causes of insomnia, which include the following:

• Stress. Carrying worries about family, work, health concerns can feel overwhelming and can definitely wreak havoc on regular sleep patterns.
• Depression. Sufferers of depression usually encounter either excess amounts of sleep or, quite often, severe lack of sleep. Insomnia often exacerbates their depression, creating a vicious cycle.

• Anxiety. Whether anxiety of work or other everyday concerns, or if someone suffers from an anxiety disorder, a lack of sleep can make this condition worse. The person suffering from anxiety will often add their lack of sleep to their list of anxieties.
• Medical Conditions and Illness. There are many illnesses and physical conditions that can make getting a good night's sleep challenging, if not impossible. Those suffering from cancer and going through cancer treatments often experience side effects that make sleep nearly impossible. Other illnesses and conditions that make sleep difficult include heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, restless legs syndrome, arthritis, neuropathy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, overactive thyroid, and gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD).

• Medications. Many prescription medications cause an alarming number of side effects, which often include insomnia. Anti-depressants often a major culprit, but patients taking medications for heart disease, attention deficit disorder, and high blood pressure might often find getting a good night's sleep difficult. Over-the-counter medications, such as decongestants and weight-loss products, can also cause problems.

• Excess Caffeine, Alcohol or Nicotine. Coffee, soda, tea, alcohol and cigarettes can all cause problems for those trying to get to sleep at night, especially if they drink any of these products or smoke cigarettes anywhere near bedtime. Those suffering from insomnia are probably drinking coffee, tea and soda too late in the afternoon. While alcohol is a sedative, it disrupts different phases in a person's sleeping patterns.

A few other reasons that people might experience insomnia include travel, eating too much and too late at night, and simply developing poor sleeping habits by staying up too late at night on a continuing basis. 

Many options exist today for snorers and their families

For people with a snorer in their household, it’s hard to think that there could be any relief, short of bopping them with a pillow to wake them up or heading to a different room. Or both.

Especially since there are so many people who snore, or at least live with them. The American Academy of Otolaryngology, which specializes in head and neck surgery, reports that 45 percent of adults snore at least occasionally, and 25 percent are regular snorers.

The Sleep Foundation breaks this number out even further – 90 million sleepers snore occasionally and 37 million do so regularly.

Causes vary, but experts say factors include age (the muscles of the throat relax over time); gender (men snore more than women); alcohol use (this can relax the throat); and obesity (this leads to increased tissue in the body and respiratory challenges, and is a growing problem nationally.)

Though snoring isn’t necessarily harmful by itself, except to people trying to sleep nearby, it is also connected with sleep apnea, which is when the walls of the throat close so much that breathing actually stops. So instead of just being a noisy nuisance, it can become a serious threat to the body, causing everything from higher blood pressure to increased fatigue.

Luckily, there are several options for snoring and related sleep disorders Novato area.

• Lifestyle changes. The Mayo Clinic suggests that snoring can sometimes be reduced by stopping drinking, especially at bedtime; losing weight; or sleeping on one’s side instead of back.
• CPAP: A common treatment method is a mask attached to a machine that provides a steady flow of air to the noise and throat.
• Surgery. Snoring, especially in young children, can suggest problems with tonsils or adenoids. Snoring in someone who has never snored before may indicate possible tumors or obstructions of the throat.
• Appliances: People can receive devices in the jaws and teeth which expand the airway.

Today’s snorers can receive help from physicians and from dentists. Since dentists are familiar with the shape of one’s mouth and surrounding tissue, they may be in a stronger position to evaluate what could be causing snoring. They also can offer some solutions for those suffering from sleep apnea Novato, which can include everything from crafting the appliances to minimal surgery.