Sleep Wake Disorders
Sleep is an essential component of our health. Resulting daytime distress and impairment are core features shared by all the sleep disorders. Even though sleep comprises an essential part of our mental and physical health, around 10% of Australians have a disorder. This is thought to be an underestimated figure as many people are unaware that they have a sleep disorder. Sleep is what we do for approximately a third of our lives and remarkably we know very little about it compared to other aspects of our health. Until there are issues with it most people do not think much about the sleep. Enormous advances have been made in this field in the past 50 years. There is growing emphasis on the importance of sleep sites within the medical and psychological field. Although there is still much to learn about sleep, many advances have been made. What we do know is that it is a complex fate in which many important functions occur and without adequate amounts of good quality sleep health is at risk. Above all, sleep is important for our health. In fact it is just as important for health as fitness and nutrition but it doesn’t get as much attention or priority. It should be considered one of the main pillars of health. The Sleep Health Foundation (Australia) states that the role of optimal sleep in our lives is as important to our health as good nutrition and good level of physical fitness. Sleep may be defined as a period of reduced activity associated with a typical posture, such as lying down with eyes closed, resulting in decreased responsiveness to external stimuli. Sleep is a state that is relatively easy to reverse which distinguishes it from other states of reduced consciousness such as hibernation and coma. This last point is particularly important when relevance to the treatment of insomnia. People suffering from insomnia often need their expectations of sleep reset. That is, they are craving a state of near oblivion with their sleep and even within normal sleep this is not possible to achieve. Insomnia is a common term in any discussion on sleep disorders. It can be transient or chronic and is a very common disorder that may have significant long-term health consequences. Australian population service surveys have shown that 13% to 33% of the adult population have regular difficulty in getting to sleep or staying asleep. Insomnia can occur as a primary disorder or, more commonly, it can be combined with other physical or mental disorders. Around 50% of patients with depression have insomnia. Insomnia disorder is more common in women and those with medical/psychiatric/substance disorders and in people in the lower socio-economic strata. Individuals who have difficulty sleeping during stressful times and report being habitual light sleepers appear to have an elevated propensity to develop chronic insomnia. The onset of insomnia may be acute or gradual. In the latter case individuals often report symptoms of insomnia in early life for young adulthood. Onset of insomnia is often associated with major life events (e.g. divorce, death of a loved one, etc), work stresses and changes in sleep schedule. There is help for those experiencing sleep difficulties. By many habits, these experiences are built up over a period of time and therefore one may expect that a reasonable period of time is required for their correction. Patience, along with recommended sleep hygiene practices can be the elements of success in achieving effective sleep hygiene. If you are feeling suicidal or in need of help please contact Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support service on 13 11 14. If you would like to see a psychologist, give me a call 0400 809 050 to make an appointment. We are committed to help you. |
|