While some people regard sleep as an overrated element of our lives, others feel that it is a necessity and a rudimental aspect in the well-being of a person. The discussion on the position that the value of sleep should be accorded in our lives may be subjective to some extent. However, the role of good sleep and rest is inarguably a necessity for our well-being. The human body can be perceived as a ‘small machine’ whose performance and efficiency relies on several aspects. Just like a machine would need a source of power, lubrication, cooling systems, and other attributive elements to be able to perform, the human body functions in a similar mechanism. Food, water, and prevention from pathogens are some of the most important elements of man’s survival. Sleep, also, constitutes a great percentage of a person’s well-being. It is therefore important to understand the meaning of sleep as will be demonstrated presently in this scholarship
Sleep from a Psychological Dimension
The brain is the center of all physiological and behavioral tendencies of a human being. It is the reference point and control system of the body of a person. Sleep is centered in the brain since it is here where it can be initiated, stopped, or dismissed completely. Therefore, whether a person sleeps soundly or experiences certain sleeping disorders, the brain has to be involved. The reaction to stimuli, external impulses, and internal impulses is controlled by the Central Nervous System (CNS) (Crowley, 2011). Indeed, the brain is part of the CNS and it a plays a vital role in the integration of the entire system. It initiates sleep when it receives certain impulses from the body which could be external or internal. In the case of normal sleep, the impulses are internal while in instances of drug, substance abuse or medical procedures, such sleep is triggered by external impulses.
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Sleep can be described as the periodic rest of the body. It is important to note that it is not every part of the body that relaxes during sleep. For instance, the heart does not rest because when it stops pumping blood, it technically means that someone is dead. However, during sleep, its activity is minimal as the pulse rate is averaged and other physiological processes like digestion slow down. Brain activity is also minimized during sleep as there are no activities of thought, memory or computations going on. It is worth pointing out that the brain is the most critical part of the entire sleep activity as even when all the other body parts slow their activities and processes, sleep cannot be engaged until the brain initiates rest. This explains why some people can rest in environments characterized by loud noises. Despite the external noise impulses, the brain has already initiated sleep and it cannot be changed.
Causes of Sleep Disorders and Stages of Sleep
The causes of sleep disorders are based on its initiation and how it is disrupted in the various stages of its development. The first thing about sleep disorders is the inability of the brain to engage any process geared towards sleep. This means that a person is willing to sleep, but the brain fails to kick start the process. In itself, the entire phenomenon of the brain’s inability to engage the sleeping process is a type of sleeping disorder. However, what are the reasons why the brain fails to initiate sleep even when a person wants to sleep?
As stated earlier, sleep is elementarily resting. Thus, a person can only rest if he or she has been engaged in some demanding activity which could be physical or psychological. A person can only rest if they are tired. Some people spend the whole day watching movies or laying around without engaging in any involving activities. Such people have a high probability of having trouble when initiating the entire activity of sleep since their brains are not able to notice any sleep stimulators or initiators-which are essentially fatigue or tiredness. A person who stays idle the whole day, therefore, has a very high likelihood of facing sleep difficulties.
Medication is yet another element that can cause the brain to fail to initiate the process of sleep. It is important to note that medication can be both a hindrance and stimulator for sleep. For instance, some drugs have an effect of depriving people of sleep. These drugs could be medicinal or related to substance abuse. The brain is an agglomeration of cells and biotic fluids and it works through nerves which essentially function by relaying electrical signals from different parts of the body (Sehgal & Mignot, 2011). Therefore, the drugs that hinder the brain to initiate the sleep process have a ‘stimulant effect’ on nerves and brain cells. Instead of slowing body activities, such drugs accelerate specific body activities denying the brain the ability to rest as it has to keep up with the functions of the body because they are all dependent on it.
Psychological disturbances are yet other causes of sleeping disorders. Depression, stress, and even mental illnesses can cause the brain to have difficulties when initiating sleep. These elements act as stimulators or ‘stimulants.’ However, they do not work like drugs or medication. When the brain rests, it switches from all activities of thought, imagination, and computation. This means that a person cannot sleep if the activities of thought entangle their brain. Psychological disturbances like stress and depression occur in the form of thoughts. When an individual is stressed, they usually have a lot of thoughts going through their brains. With these activities, the brain cannot rest because they are all based on its infrastructural functioning. Consequently, if the brain cannot relax, then sleep cannot be initiated.
Some people start the process of sleeping well, but they face difficulties in going through the stages and phases of constructive sleep. Although it may be unknown to many people, sleep comes in stages. A person can portray a sleeping disorder if they have trouble completing the stages and phases of sleep. Complete sleep for a healthy person often goes through five stages. The first stage begins when one gets in a sleeping or resting position. In this phase, some thoughts are still running in the brain and one can easily be woken up. During the second stage, eye movement stops while the brain waves progressively become slower. The third stage involves the initiation of deep sleep whereby smaller and faster brainwaves take over the delta waves. Night waking, talking, and bed wetting typically occurs during this stage (Licis & Amy, 2017). Stage four involves deep sleep where the brain produces the delta waves. When a person is woken up from this stage, they become disoriented momentarily. The Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is the last stage of sleep. However, it is not a must for a person to undergo the REM stage for them to have a complete sleep. This stage denotes the beginning of waking up whereby the brain waves imitate the activity of the waking state. Here, the eyes remain closed, but they can move rapidly from side to side. This is attributed to intense dreaming or the transition from sleep to waking up. It is crucial to understand that throughout the various stages of sleep, there are different pulses or waves that the brain relays. These include Gamma, Beta, Theta, Alpha, and Delta waves. These waves are definitive of the brain activity at a particular time.
Sleep disorders can be said to exist if someone undergoes disruptions in one or several of the above stages. In most cases, people who experience periodic interruptions in one of the steps may not be considered to have sleeping disorders. The reason is that disruptions during sleep can be caused by a number of factors such as a break in or an urge to use the bathroom. However, disturbances that arise from within an individual’s inner self can result in sleeping disorders. It must, however, be noted that disturbances from sicknesses, emergencies, and other medical-related problems cannot be used as a criterion to determine whether an individual is undergoing a sleep disorder.
Types of Sleep Disorders and Signs/Symptoms
There are many types of sleep disorders and their differences are based on the nature of the disorder, its occurrence, and its attributive factors. The signs and symptoms of sleeping disorders are almost synonymous with the name. Sleeping disorders essentially mean that someone has trouble or challenges sleeping. Therefore, the signs and symptoms are attributed to the lack of sleep or finding it difficult to sleep. Apart from the sheer absence of sleep, other signs of sleeping disorders include high irritability and moodiness. Due to the deprivation of sleep, a person may also experience fatigue and the eyes may be watery or red.
Insomnia is one of the most common sleeping disorders. Indeed, most people with sleeping disorders note that they experience restlessness even when it is not necessarily the case. Insomnia is the inability for a person to get sleep. Also, the failure of a person to sleep well at night can be regarded as insomnia. The use of stimulants like coffee could cause it, or it may be due to anxiety. Stress and depression can also cause insomnia. Sleep apnea is another sleeping disorder that occurs due to disruptions in the respiratory system. In such cases, a person wakes up suddenly because their breathing has temporarily been disrupted. The condition is treatable and is primarily associated with respiratory ailments and depression (Grimaldi et al., 2012).
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleeping disorder whereby a person makes sudden moves with their legs or arms when asleep. Discomfort could cause it due to crawling insects, parasites or an ailment. Dreams are also associated with the disorder though it is not a serious disorder, and most of the times, it reveals itself as discomfort or unprecedented interruption of sleep. Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder that involves uncontrollable sleepiness during the day. It is as a result of the dysfunction in the way the brain controls someone’s sleep patterns. A person with the disorder can go through ‘sleep attacks’ where they can sleep during conversations or when driving.
An irregularity in the production of melatonin causes Circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by the body to initiate sleep. At night when there is little light, the brain triggers the production of this hormone. However, when there are irregularities in the release of the hormone, a person may lack sleep, hence the disorder. Shift work sleep disorder occurs when there is no synchrony between a person’s work clock and their sleep schedule or patterns (Mysliwiec et al., 2013). Some people work night shifts and others dayshifts. In the case of a person who is used to a nightshift, and they are rotated to a day shift, they may experience trouble sleeping at night. Delayed sleep phase disorder occurs when a person’s regular hours of sleep are ‘eaten into.’ As a result, they may go to bed late and experience trouble sleeping. The same also applies if a person goes to bed earlier than their normal hours. Jet lag can also be viewed as a sleeping disorder. It occurs due to frequent disruptions in the normal sleeping hours of a person because of constant traveling.
Remedies to Sleep Disorders
Just like there are many types of sleeping disorders, so are the remedies, which can be classified into two main categories based on the nature of the disorders. The first category is treatment which involves the disorders that have a medical base or those that are associated with illnesses. For instance, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and Circadian rhythm sleep disorder can be remedied by treatment. Also, the sleeping disorders that emerge due to medication can be treated through this first type of remedy. It is crucial to note that most sleep disorders cannot be solved through therapy.
The second type of remedy is based on the behavioral adjustment. This includes the modification of sleeping patterns, traveling schedules, work shifts, and even the sleeping environment. Behavioral change can control all the other types of disorders that are not solved by the first type of remedy. Indeed, insomnia can be addressed through an alteration in one’s sleeping patterns or schedule while jet lags can be resolved through the modification of travel patterns. On the other hand, RLS can be remedied through a change of the sleeping environment. Most sleeping disorders are associated with stress, depression, and other psychological instabilities. Thus, the mere change of sleeping patterns may not be a viable solution in some instances. To this end, therapy or seeking medical help is advised because dealing with stress or another psychological disturbance is the basis for overcoming the specific associative sleeping disorders (Crowley, 2011).
Overall, it is important to understand the relation between dreams and sleeping disorders. Dreams happen because there is a particular part of a person’s brain that is not entirely asleep thus triggering memories which are manifested through dreams. In fact, this is the reason why most dreams revolve around a person’s experiences, thoughts, perceptions, plans or things they have been watching or listening. Therefore, frequent dreaming can imply that someone is not having a good sleep since their brain is not wholly engaged in the activity of sleep. Most sleeping disorders are temporary and can easily be treated. It is crucial to understand that it is not advisable for a person to take sleeping pills as a result of the inability to sleep as they have been found to have adverse effects on a person’s overall health. In addition, they are attributed to addictions.
References
Crowley, K. (2011). Sleep and sleep disorders in older adults . Neuropsychology Review, 21(1), 41-53. Doi: 10.1007/s11065-010-9154-6
Grimaldi, D., Calandra-Buonaura, G., Provini, F., Agati, P., Pierangeli, G., Franceschini, C., & Cortelli, P. (2012). Abnormal sleep-cardiovascular system interaction in narcolepsy with cataplexy : Effects of hypocretin deficiency in humans. Sleep , 35(4), 519. Doi:10.5665/sleep.173
Licis & Amy, (2017). Sleep disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Doi:10.1016/j.chc.2017.02.009
Mysliwiec, V., Gill, J., Lee, H., Baxter, T., Pierce, R., Barr, T. L., & Roth, B. J. (2013). Sleep disorders in US military personnel : A high rate of comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. Chest , 144(2), 549. Doi:10.1378/chest.13-0088
Sehgal, A., & Mignot, E. (2011). Genetics of sleep and sleep disorders . Cell, 146(2), 194-207. Doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.07.004
