We all have trouble sleeping from time to time. Some nights, we toss and turn for hours, never really falling into a restful sleep. When this happens once in a while, it's totally normal. But sometimes an inability to sleep becomes more serious. Tossing and turning night after night usually signifies a bigger problem. In this lesson we'll talk about a few different sleep disorders and the treatments we might use to address them. Let's start by looking at a few common sleep disorders.
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep. Symptoms of insomnia can vary from person to person. But often the disorder involves waking up too early or waking up multiple times during the night. This can lead to daytime tiredness, lack of attention, and general feelings of not being well-rested. When insomnia is causing us to not sleep enough, it can lead to things like tension headaches, anxiety, and depression.
Insomnia can also be caused by conditions like anxiety or depression. These issues can make it difficult for us to fall asleep. Worrying about work or problems at home can also lead to trouble sleeping. Certain diseases like cancer or heart disease can cause insomnia. It's also possible for certain medications to cause insomnia.
Ever notice that afternoon slump? Do you find yourself reaching for a cup of post-lunch coffee? Most of us find that we are generally sleepier at certain times of the day. This is largely due to our circadian rhythms, which are basically patterns that lead to mental and behavioral changes throughout a 24-hour period. Circadian rhythms are endogenous, meaning they occur inside of us, but they can be impacted by external factors. These rhythms are controlled by what we call biological clocks, which coordinate our rhythms and let us know when to sleep.
Sometimes, though, our circadian rhythms might be thrown off, which causes problems with sleeping. This can be the result of a circadian sleep disorder. Let's talk about some of these now.
Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) makes it difficult for people to fall asleep until well into the night. People with DSPS often stay up very, very late and then sleep late into the morning or afternoon. However, during this time they tend to sleep well. It's just that they sleep in much later than many other people.
Non-24-hour-sleep-wake disorder (Non-24) is a circadian rhythm disorder that makes it difficult for people to follow a 24-hour clock. Basically, it's marked by a desire to sleep a lot during the day and very little at night. It's is quite common in people who are blind. The brain is not signaled by natural light, as in people with sight, and this throws off the 24-hour clock.
Advanced phase sleep disorder (APSD) is sort of the opposite of DSPS. Instead of going to bed very late and getting up very late, people with APSD go to bed very early and get up very early.
Shift work disorder is a disruption to the circadian rhythms that happens when people work nights or switch working shifts frequently. This makes it difficult to follow a normal routine and can impact our sleeping.
So what can we do if we have these disruptions to our sleep? Let's talk about treatment options for addressing sleep disorders.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a method for treating a variety of disorders. It is aimed at changing behaviors. In reference to insomnia, the goal is to treat the condition without using sleeping pills. The idea is to change our sleep patterns and habits. There are a few different CBT techniques that might help with insomnia. Stimulus control therapy can be used to try to get rid of things that might trigger us to avoid sleeping. So, we might stop napping and force ourselves to go to bed at the same time every night. A therapist might also recommend sleep restriction. This involves forcing yourself to stay awake when you're tired so that you might sleep better the next night. Sleep hygiene might also be an effective approach. This means avoiding things like alcohol and caffeine close to your bedtime.
Light is very important to our circadian rhythms. As a result, Bright Light Therapy is sometimes used to treat circadian rhythm disorders. A common technique is to use what is called a light box, where we expose ourselves to safe levels of very bright light. The light box is composed of tubes and fluorescent bulbs that give off somewhere between 2,500 and 10,000 lux of light (lux is a unit of measurement). The idea is to sit near the light box for a few minutes to several hours, depending on you condition. The light box is thought to correct problematic sleep patters. So, for example, if you have delayed phase sleep disorder, meaning you sleep very late into the day, the best approach is to sit in front of the light box early in the morning.
We all have trouble sleeping from time to time, but if it begins to interfere with our day to day life, it might be a problem. Insomnia is a disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. It can be caused by medications, disease, or stress.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are caused by disruptions to our circadian rhythms, which are internal patterns that result in mental and behavior changes, like our desire to sleep. When these are thrown off, we can experience trouble falling asleep at a reasonable time, trouble getting up early, or problems following a normal 24-hour clock.
The good news is that there can be some relief for sleep disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing the behavior patterns of insomniacs to produce better sleep. Bright Light Therapy exposes us to a bright light to hopefully help regulate circadian rhythms when they are out of whack.
Here's to a good night's sleep, hopefully!
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VCE Psychology: Exam Prep & Study Guide23 chapters | 204 lessons | 21 flashcard sets
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