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Professor:

Karen Kwan

From:

Kely Minen

Date:
RE:

July 24, 2015


Unit 3 Textbook PICTURE discussion- chapter 3

Sleep Disorder

I chose sleep disorder as a subject because I know people have


difficulty sleeping and this can affect health in several ways. In the textbook,
it describes some of the sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, night
terrors, sleep walking and narcolepsy. Sometimes difficulty sleeping is normal
and we all experience it in some form when we are stressed. However, if it
continues to become longer-lasting, it is necessary to get health assistance
because sleep disorders can cause metabolic alterations. It is necessary to
treat and find out what causes the problem. Treatment of the underlying
disease can be a solution for the problem.
1. Insomnia is affected by the amount of the time you sleep, quality
of sleep, and effects after you sleep. For example, if you sleep
seven hours but still are drowsy in the morning, you could suffer
from insomnia. What causes insomnia? It can be an underlying
disease, stress, or increased amount of caffeine intake during the
day. It is a common disorder, 1 in 4 adults has insomnia. In the
textbook, it explains that sleeping pills are the quickest way to
decrease insomnia. When you stop taking the sleeping pills,
insomnia can get worse. It is better to look for natural
alternatives. For instance, exercising in the morning, having a
regular sleep schedule, relaxing before sleep, and avoiding
caffeine.
2. Night terrors Sleep is divided into REM (rapid eye motions) and
non-REM (non- rapid eye movement). Non-REM is divided into
four stages. The night terrors occurs during stage four when you
have deep sleep (2-3 hours after falls asleep) and affects most
children. Night terrors are not nightmares (which, like other
dreams, typically occur during early morning REM sleep (pg.79).
Fear, sweat, upset stomach are some reactions of night terrors

and occur between ages 4 to 12. It is an unusual disorder it


happens to only 3 to 6% of the kids.
3. Sleepwalking also affects children, likewise night terrors are a
stage 4 sleep disorder. Young children who have the deepest
and lengthiest Stage 4 sleep, are the most likely to experience
both night terrors and sleep walking. My younger sister was
sleep walking sometimes and she said she had the same bad
dream but she couldnt remember what it was about. If you try to
wake her up, she cried and she was scared, usually she went to
bed by herself or we guide her to the bed. About 20% of 3-to12 years old have at least one episode of sleepwalking, lasting 2
to 10 minutes: some have repeated episodes (pg.73).
4. Sleep talking, according to the textbook, says it occurs during
stage 2. May be spontaneous or induced by conversation.
5. Sleep apnea means breathing has stopped and this disorder can
be very dangerous. You may have sleep apnea if you snore
loudly. According to the book, 1 in 20 has this sleep disorder and
it is associated with obesity. Many people need to sleep with a
mask called a CPAP which keeps the airway open using an airway
pressure.

6. Narcolepsy occurs every 1 in 2000 people. People suffering from


this disorder jump the sleep stages and REM occurs almost
immediately in the sleep cycle. Attacks usually last more than 5
minutes but sometimes occur at the most inopportune
times.(pg.78). One of the symptoms is muscle paralysis or loss
of muscular tension.

References
Breus, Michael. "Sleep Well." February 4, 2014. Accessed July 23, 2015.
http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2014/02/understandingnarcolepsy.html.
Giles, (1994). Sleep Stages. Exploring psychology (Eighth ed., pg. 73).

Hartarman, (1981). Sleep Disorder. Exploring Psychology (Eighth ed.,


pg. 79).

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