Tag: Mood Changes

Sleep Disorder – A Growing Concern in the United States

Sleep Disorder – A Growing Concern in the United States

In the United States alone, it is estimated that approximately 60 – 80 million people have some form of sleep disorder. This number continues to rise. Several of the reasons for the increasing numbers are the aging of the American population, the change in our lifestyle and the obesity epidemic. Of course there are other factors that can lead to a sleep disorder, such as, stress, shift work, illness or genetics.

There are more than 100 different types of sleep disorders. They range in severity from minor to life threatening. People of any age, from infants to the aged, can be affected by a sleep disorder at any time of their lives.

As sleep disorders increase in the United States, so do the dangers that are associated with them.
Tiredness can lead to slower mental alertness and a slower reaction time. This can be a very dangerous combination. Between 20 – 25% of all serious vehicular accidents involve a tired driver. Many of these drivers suffer from some form of sleep disorder and may not even be aware of it. A large number of accidents that occur at home or at work are also due to people with some type of sleeping problem. Sleep disorder, combined with the cost of the accidents and illnesses it causes, results in the American people and the government spending billions of dollars.

Lack of sleep is directly related to many physical ailments and conditions. People that do not get sufficient sleep generally suffer more form headaches, sore joints and stomach problems. Often a sleep disorder is an underlying cause of heart problems, lung conditions and diabetes. Sleep disorders can also affect the mental well being of people stricken with them. Mood changes, anxiety, eating disorders and depression can result.

Many people still do not think of a sleeping problem as a medical problem. Because of this, many never tell their physician that they are having a problem with sleep. Even if they see their doctor on a regular basis for an illness or condition, they never mention their difficulty sleeping.

As the American public and medical community become more educated and aware of the symptoms, effects and severity of various sleep disorders, more and more cases are being diagnosed. Sufferers are being treated with medication, oxygen, cpap machines and even surgery. There are better screening methods and diagnostic tests which find sleep disorder problems earlier. Overnight sleep centers no longer resemble a hospital room. They are now designed to look more like a hotel room, to make the patient feel more comfortable. In some cases, due to computerization and miniaturization, equipment can be so small that some testing can even be done at home.

Sleep is not an option or a luxury. It is a basic element of living and of good health. If you think you, your partner or your child may be suffering from a sleep disorder see your physician. A sleep disorder is a medical problem that can be helped.

How to Tell If You Have a Sleep Disorder

There are many people that have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. They may feel very sleepy during the day. They may have trouble falling to sleep or staying asleep. Friends or relatives may tell them they look very tired. They may experience mood changes, irritability or become overly emotional. Often they have difficulty paying attention, concentrating, or remembering things that are important. These are all symptoms of sleep deprivation, and possibly of a sleep disorder.

A person that has an undiagnosed sleep disorder will usually answer the question, “What is the problem with your sleep,” with one of five answers. Those answers will be; “I have trouble falling asleep,” ” I have trouble staying awake,” “I can’t get up in the morning,” “I seem to do strange things in my sleep” or “I can’t sleep because of my partner.” The particular answer chosen helps to narrow down the possibility of a specific type of sleep disorder.

When someone says “I can’t fall asleep” it can mean several things. There could be a problem when first going to bed, after waking up in the middle of the night, or in the early morning hours.
Many people have the problem of not being able to fall asleep when they go to bed. This is called sleep latency. Sleep latency can be a very serious symptom of certain sleep disorders, including sleep onset insomnia, delayed sleep phase disorder, shift work, restless leg syndrome or paradoxical insomnia. Many times the problem is not being able to stay asleep, which is sleep fragmentation. Often a person with this complaint can fall to sleep easily when they go to bed, but wake up often throughout the night. Sleep disorders may include sleep maintenance insomnia, shift work. If a person wakes up very early in the morning and cannot get back to sleep, it could be a sign of advanced sleep phase disorder or sleep maintenance insomnia.

If the answer to the question is “I can’t stay awake” and the person is falling asleep at inappropriate times there may be a sleep disorder such as narcolepsy , obstructive or central sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, restless leg syndrome, shift work or advanced sleep phase disorder.

Those that say “I can’t get up in the morning” and take an hour or more to fully wake from their sleep may suffer from excessive sleep inertia. They are having difficulty making the transition from sleep to being awake. Sleep disorders that could be responsible for excessive sleep inertia are sleep apnea and delayed sleep phase disorder.

A person that answers the question with “I do strange things in my sleep” may find that their sleep is full of surprises. Sleepwalking, Sleep terrors, confusional arousals, REM sleep behavior disorder, nightmares, sleep-related eating disorder and bruxism are all types of sleep disorders known as parasomnias.

If a person answers “I can’t sleep because of my partner” snoring, sleep apnea, bruxism, restless leg syndrome, or periodic limb movement disorder may be the sleep disorder to blame.

How would you answer the question of “What is the problem with your sleep?”

Advantages and Disadvantages of Estrogen Therapy

In the past years, many women have stopped taking estrogen hormones because of the report that it can cause heart disease. Now, researchers have found out that this hormone is not as terrible as what others thought.

Estrogen hormones are helpful in avoiding diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Once a woman has an insufficient number of estrogen in her body, she needs to get a solution to this kind of problem. And the only solution for it is an estrogen therapy.

An estrogen therapy is a therapy for the body, emotional and health-risk factors linked with menopause. It can be in the form of a pill, patch, cream, implant, injection or vaginal ring.

Who should take the estrogen therapy?

There is no exact answer for this since every woman has her own medical record and desires. However, the women who can benefit more from estrogen therapy are those:

With serious vasomotor symptoms like hot flushes

More prone of having bone fracture and osteoporosis

Who have experienced early menopause which is resulted from:

1. Surgery of the ovaries
2. Chemotherapy
3. Malfunction of the ovary

What are the advantages of estrogen therapy?

1. It lessen the threat of osteoporosis
2. It lessen the threat of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease
3. It reduce hot flushes
4. It may reduce mood changes and enhance psychological comfort

Although there are severe threats associated with estrogen therapy, many health practitioner and institutions believe that the helpful result set aside the risk factors. Consider the following statements made by the American Medical Association:

Estrogen therapy is the only reliable and adequate therapy to maintain system dependents with the hormones in the ovary and to reduce hot flushes.

Indicative vaginal waste and vaginitis and waste changes of the lower urinary tract with irregular and inconsistent urination are reversible with the estrogen therapy.

In order to avoid osteoporosis, it requires estrogen replacement.

What are the disadvantages of the estrogen therapy?

1. It increases the threat of uterus cancer

2. It increases the threat of breast cancer especially when used for over 10
years.

3. It can be very dangerous for women who are more prone to blood clotting.

4. It can give headaches or migraines

5. It increases the threat for endometrial cancer

6. It can destroy the liver

With all these advantages and disadvantages presented, it all depends to the person if she wants to have the therapy. However, if you really want to take an estrogen therapy, it would be a nice idea if you discuss the matter carefully with your doctor. Keep in mind that it is your health that will be at stake so, you have to think about it a hundred of times.

Great details and information can be found in the Internet. Having an estrogen therapy could be a very big decision. It is imperative that a woman should be well aware of what she does with her body. This is where the information superhighway, the Internet, could be of valuable help.

Many support grouped and sites dedicated to estrogen therapy could provide invaluable information to many women who are thinking about getting estrogen therapy. Forums and discussions are abound and many women could help each other out. Professional advices are present and women who has undergone the therapy could point out some more advantages and disadvantages about estrogen therapy.