Sleep

Problems with the central nervous system can trigger a sleep disorder. Central sleep apnea occurs when breathing temporarily stops for 10 seconds or more many times during a night's sleep. This is caused by an abnormality in the brain, which prevents it from regulating oxygen levels and automatically triggering breathing. This diminished oxygen is a condition called hypoxia. It can worsen conditions such as epilepsy, or lead to problems such as chest pain or heart attack in people who have coronary artery disease. Central sleep apnea may also be caused by problems in carbon dioxide regulation.

Periodic limb movements in sleep occur when the arms and legs move frequently and involuntarily during sleep. PLMS can cause the arms and legs to twitch, jerk, or flex. This can occur as often as several times per minute for up to several hours. The cause of PLMS is unknown, but experts think it is likely related to the nervous system. PLMS can play a part in insomnia. It can cause daytime sleepiness and fatigue because the symptoms interrupt sleep.

Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder. It causes leg pain, a crawling feeling in the legs, or an urge to move the legs when you're trying to go to sleep. The symptoms tend to occur when you sit or lie down. They are relieved by walking or moving the legs. The symptoms are worse at night. RLS may make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. It also causes excessive sleepiness during the daytime.

This sleep disorder can be acute, or short-term, or chronic, lasting weeks or months. It can be linked to an outside cause, such as stress, medicine, or a medical condition. When insomnia is the result of an outside cause, it is called secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia is not caused by outside events. It can be hard to identify the cause of primary insomnia.

Here is more information about some types of insomnia:

• Psycho-physiological insomnia occurs when someone under emotional stress becomes anxious, concentrates too intently on trying to sleep, and is unable to sleep because of the level of stress and anxiety.
• Paradoxical insomnia, formerly known as sleep-state misperception, is a sleep disorder characterized by a significant difference between the time a person thinks he or she has been asleep and how much time he or she has actually slept. People with this problem may complain that they can't fall asleep and feel sleepy during the day because of lack of sleep, but they are actually sleeping and have no evidence of a sleep disorder. 

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Sleep walking, sleep eating, picking up an axe and chopping wood while asleep, suddenly finding yourself awake and floating down a river.

These are some of the things that people can get up to if they experience sleep problems called parasomnia, also known as night terrors.

But what is at the heart of this disorder, and what can be done to fix it? Life Matters explores unusual sleep behaviour, what can be done about it and hears from listeners too.

According to the Australia Talks survey, two thirds of us are getting eight or more hours of sleep, but the majority of us still say we'd like more.

Guests

Professor Ron Grunstein, Sleep Physician and Head of Sleep Research at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

Dr Delwyn Bartlett, Sleep Psychologist from College Street Specialist in Darlinghurst and Clinical Associate Professor of Sleep Medicine at Sydney University

ABC Radio, viewed 17 August 2020, https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/talkback:-sleep-walking,-night-terrors-and-unusual-behaviour-wh/11628238

Light as therapy in sleep disorders

Proper lighting is necessary for vision and to carry out one’s daily activities. This aspect of light – light for vision – is well known by the general public and health professionals. What is less well appreciated is the large and growing body of scientific literature on light as a therapeutic agent.

Information sourced from National Centre for Biotechnology Information