Getting enough sleep is one of the most important aspects of healthy living that most adults, and many adolescents, often ignore. Even men and women who exercise often, do not smoke and avoid drinking excessive alcohol often only get a fraction of the sleep their bodies really need to stay healthy. Sleep is one luxury many mature adults, as well as young adults simply don’t spend enough time doing. It is estimated that nearly 68 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep condition.
Sleep problems are not confined to one small segment of the population. All over the planet sleep issues are on the rise do to increased anxiety levels associated with modern life, increased caffeine consumption and a continued reliance on technology which goes against our natural sleep rhythm. Here are some of the more common sleep problems seen in many people today:
Snoring or Sleep Apnea: Snoring is a classic symptom of sleep apnea, which is a sleep condition that causes a person to stop breathing momentarily during sleep. Sleep apnea can be classified as obstructive, which means soft tissues in the rear of the throat collapse slightly while a person is sleeping, momentarily blocking the airway and interrupting sleep. Central sleep apnea occurs when a person’s brain actually “forgets” to tell the body to continue breathing during the night.
Bed Wetting As an Adult: Normally only considered a sleep issue which plagues small children, it is estimated that over 6 million adult suffer from bed wetting episodes, though those numbers are believed to be under reported. Adult nocturnal enuresis occurs when a mature person or adolescent does not wake to eliminate urinate during the night time sleep cycle. Obviously, this may lead to a fear going to sleep, increase stress about sleeping and ultimately disrupt sleep patterns which can worsen the condition.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): This sleep condition causes a person to experience a crawling, tingling or even pulling sensation in the leg when they lay down to go to sleep or sit for long periods of time during the evening hours. The muscles of the leg can cramp and the person may experience the need to get up and walk around to make the feelings to go away. These feelings prevent sleep and can be more than just bothersome if they happen every night. While it is usually used for fighting leg cramps, the quinine in most tonic water will reportedly decrease the feelings of restless leg syndrome.
All of these sleep maladies can be treated and some are preventable. You may need to speak with your primary care physician if you have to deal with any of these conditions yourself. Getting the right amount of sleep is critically important to your overall health and can greatly improve your quality of life.
A lack of sleep can negatively impact your overall well-being. Visit our site to learn more about what causes leg cramps and the options available to you.
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