Preventing Parasomnias: Get Plenty of Sleep

Parasomnias such as sleepwalking involve actions over which you have no deliberate control. You remain asleep or in a sleep-like state during an episode. As a result you are unaware of what is taking place. You are unable to make conscious decisions during the event.

This makes it important for you to act before an episode occurs. Preventing parasomnias will reduce unwanted sleep disturbances for you and those in your household.

One way to prevent parasomnias is to get plenty of sleep. Episodes of a parasomnia may be triggered by sleep deprivation.

Try to get a full night of sleep every night to keep your body and mind well rested. Most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep per night.

Teens need a little more than nine hours of nightly sleep. Toddlers and schoolchildren need about nine to 14 hours of total daily sleep, depending on their age.

Get more tips for preventing parasomnias on SleepEducation.com.

Get help for a parasomnia at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea & Daytime Sleepiness

Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common warning sign for obstructive sleep apnea. But not everyone with sleep apnea feels sleepy during the day.

Sleep apnea involves a wide range of severity levels. A person with mild sleep apnea may stop breathing five or ten times an hour during sleep. In contrast a person with severe sleep apnea may stop breathing 30 or more times per hour.

Each breathing pause ends when the body briefly wakes up to take a breath. The more times this occurs, the more fragmented and disrupted your sleep will be.

Mild sleep apnea should be taken seriously even if you don’t have daytime sleepiness. It can increase your risk of other health problems such as high blood pressure. It also can progress to more severe sleep apnea over time.

Answer these questions on SleepEducation.com to learn more about your risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

Get help for sleep apnea at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Insomnia: When Should You Get Help?

Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint; everyone has trouble sleeping at times. So how do you know when your insomnia is severe enough that you should seek help?

This is what sleep specialist Dr. Donna Arand told the AASM:

“You should seek help when these three statements all describe your insomnia:
1. The insomnia has lasted more than three weeks.
2. It is not improving.
3. It is interfering with your ability to function during the day.”

“Insomnia is often a typical response to a stressful situation. It should disappear as the stress decreases. But bad sleep habits can develop during the period of stress. This prolongs and establishes the insomnia. It is easier for you to re-establish good sleep if you eliminate these habits early.”

Get more insomnia advice from Dr. Arand on SleepEducation.com.

Get help for insomnia at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Violent Dreams: Who Has REM Sleep Behavior Disorder?

People who have REM sleep behavior disorder act out vivid, action-packed dreams as they sleep. Who is likely to have RBD?

It is most common in men over the age of 50. But a new study from London confirms that it can occur in other people as well.

The study reviewed a sleep center’s case files from the previous seven years. Ninety-one people had been diagnosed with RBD during that time: 62 men and 29 women.

The average age of people with RBD was 52 years; 39 of the people were under the age of 50 years.

In people with RBD over the age of 50, the ratio of men to women was 3:1. The male to female ratio dropped to 1.4:1 in people under 50 years of age.

RBD occurred together with narcolepsy in about 38 percent of people in the younger age group. In the older age group, about 29 percent of people also had a “synucleinopathy.” These are neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

A person with RBD may punch, kick, jump or get out of bed and run - all while he or she is still asleep. Cuts, bruises or broken bones may occur to the dreamer or to a bedpartner.

Contact an AASM-accredited sleep center if you or someone you know acts out dreams during sleep.

Wired: Technology, Caffeine Keeping Teens Awake at Night

Technology-savvy teens can excel at multi-tasking. They can send text messages, surf the Internet and watch their favorite TV show all at the same time.

But a new study shows that technology may be taking a toll on their sleep. Many teens are staying up too late and consuming too much caffeine. As a result, they’re not getting enough sleep to remain alert during the day.

The study involved students between the ages of 12 and 18 years. They reported how much time after 9 p.m. they use various technological devices.

WebMD reports that watching TV was the most common activity; 82 percent of participants watched TV after 9 p.m. Fifty-five percent reported being online; 44 percent reported talking on the phone; and 42 percent reported listening to an MP3 player. Other common activities were watching movies, text messaging and playing computer games.

Multi-tasking was high; teens used an average of four technological devices after 9 p.m. Teens who did more multi-tasking tended to drink more caffeine.

Only 20 percent of participants got eight to 10 hours of sleep per night; these teens tended to do less multi-tasking after 9 p.m.

Thirty-three percent of teens reported falling asleep in school. Students who fell asleep in class consumed 76 percent more caffeine.

The AASM reports that most teens need a little more than nine hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested during the day. But a shift in the timing of their body clock causes teens to feel sleepy later at night. This explains why it can be hard for them to fall asleep before 10 p.m.

The AASM recommends that parents keep the TV and computer out of their teen’s bedroom. Parents also should set a “communication curfew” at night; set a time after which your teen can no longer talk on the phone or send text messages, instant messages or e-mails.

Learn more about teens and sleep loss on SleepEducation.com. Parents can get more tips for teen bed times.