In a vicious circle of high-paced lifestyle, over-scheduling, and stress, people are harming themselves as well as their dear ones. Such breakneck existence is turning detrimental to the health of today’s society in which sleeping disorders are the most common problems that are being faced by most people.
As per the statistics, each one of us spends one third of our life sleeping. Just like food and water, sleep is pivotal for our survival and well-being. But in today’s hectic lifestyle, most of us barely take care of our sleep.
The World Sleep Society stated that the sleep disorders are like a silent epidemic. At least 35% of people believe that sleep disturbances are affecting their physical and mental health. India’s Sleep Survey of 2021 revealed that around 25% of country’s population were not happy with their sleeping patterns.
For better understanding and clarity about the sleeping problems, let’s dive deeper into four commonly reported sleeping disorders.
1. Insomnia
Read more: Different Foods contain Different Antioxidants; Know their Sources and Benefits
Insomnia is a disease in which a person is unable to sleep. The causes behind this can be jet lag, anxiety, hormonal disturbances, and digestive problems. In today’s era, sleeplessness has become quite common. It can further lead to problems like depression, obesity, irritability, and inability to concentrate.
Nowadays this disorder is so widespread that it affects around 30% to 45% of the adult population. According to the research, the patients of Insomnia are 7 times more likely to be seriously injured or die in an accident than normal people. Sleeplessness is most common issue with women and older adults.
2. Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea was very much in news lately, as it was found to be the cause of death for the famous Bollywood singer and composer Bappi Lahiri. He succumbed to obstructive sleep apnea.
This is the condition in which a person stops breathing while sleeping, without even perceiving it. Eventually, it reduces the amount of oxygen in the body. The shortness of breath can last from 10 seconds to even 1 minute. This lack of breath can happen for even 5 times in an hour.
Obese people are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. Some of its symptoms are: excessive snoring, waking up with dry mouth, and night sweats.
3. Parasomnias
Also read: Booze is not a solution to stress; Try these 4 stress-relieving homemade drinks
Parasomnias is primarily a set of several disorders that causes sleep disturbances. These include sleepwalking, murmurings while sleeping, sleep groaning, bed-wetting, bad dreams, body numbness, and firmed jaws.
Parasomnias is mostly reported in children and old people. It occurs due to less sleep, interrupted sleep, as well as sleep-related medications. Apart from this, one can also become vulnerable to excessive anxiety, brain injury, and consumption of drugs and alcohol.
4. Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is commonly known as ‘sleep attack’. This disorder is the strangest one in the list, as in this condition the person can fall asleep immediately due to sudden fatigue. It is believed that narcolepsy is linked to some neurological disorders, one of them is multiple sclerosis. Sleep attack can be dangerous as it can lead to the disease of sleep paralysis.
In sleep paralysis, one cannot move their body for few minutes after they wake up from sleep.