Ever wonder what REM sleep behavior disorder is?  Well, when you go to sleep every night, you go through different sleep cycles.  Some of the time your body and mind are completely at rest and at other times your mind is just as active as when it is awake.  This latter phase of sleep is called the REM cycle.  REM stands for rapid eye movement.  It happens during the time of the night when you are dreaming.  Your brain becomes active, your eyes move, your breathing quickens, and your muscles become mildly paralyzed.  This paralysis happens so that your body won’t act out the events that are taking place in your mind.  However, if you suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder you will find yourself acting out portions of your dreams.

While it is often amusing to watch a sleeping dog running and salivating and speculate on the content of his dreams, when a human’s REM sleep is disturbed there can be much more serious consequences.  Most people that suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder display their symptoms in a violent manner.  This can either cause danger to themselves or their sleeping partner.  Sufferers may fail, punch, kick, or jump when they are in their REM cycle.  This action isn’t specifically directed at anything in their physical world but it can still be injurious.  Depending on an individual’s physical strength, he or she can actually break bones or furniture during episodes of their REM sleep behavior disorder.

Unfortunately, the cause of this sleep disorder is thus far unknown.  Doctors think that it is probably correlated with other neurological disorders as a significant percentage of people who experience REM disorder eventually end up suffering from Parkinson’s disease as well.  Most of these people are middle-aged and elderly men, though every type of person can experience REM sleep behavior disorder.  Younger sufferers will often display symptoms for a period of time following a traumatic or stressful event.  After the vivid memory of the trauma fades, the symptoms will also fade.

For some people, medication is a good option to decrease the symptoms of this disorder.  Other people have benefited from therapy.  However, while a medicine called Clonazepam suppresses or reduces symptoms in a majority of patients, there is no standardized treatment at the present moment.  Instead, people are advised to keep their sleeping environment as benign as possible.  For instance, a mattress on the floor is much safer than a standard bed and frame as one cannot fall out of bed nor can one injure oneself on a metal or wooden frame.  Surrounding the sleeping area with pillows and blankets while at the same time removing any sharp edges and hard surfaces are also good ways to keep people suffering from REM sleep behavior disorder safe.  This person should also sleep alone until the symptoms have passed.

Depending on the individual the symptoms will strengthen or lessen in severity in a cyclical fashion or they will keep increasing to the point where a sufferer will need to get medical attention.  Even if medication does work, the symptoms will return if the dosage is lessened.  Therefore REM sleep behavior disorder is a chronic disease whose cure has thus far evaded doctors.

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Shift work sleep disorder is a common problem noticed among men and women. It is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder found in people who are working in unstable schedules of time i.e. rotational working hours or long night shifts. The individuals face difficulty to adjust to the unfixed wake and sleep routine. This constant interruption in sleep schedules causes insomnia or excessive sleepiness.

Contemporary standards of living have introduced numerous changes in our daily routine. Earlier people used to spend 6 to 7 hours a day in office, although today the scenario has changed. The working hours have increased to 9 to 10 hours or at times even more. Yes, the odd working hours are making a hell of our lives. People are required to work in shifts which are unstable in terms of time schedules. This is mainly the case with individuals working in call centers, as policemen, nurses, firemen, doctors, paramedics, etc.

A study has proved that these unscheduled sleep hours can lead to cancer. The people who work between 10 in the night and 6 in the morning are most affected by shift work sleep disorder. Individuals working during the day face trouble working in a night shift, just as people working in night shifts face the same difficulty while working during the day hours. It is due to the fact that our body has its own clock and runs accordingly. Any change in the clock results in shift work sleep disorder. The body understands the difference between light and dark and thus knows when to be active and when to be at rest. The human body reacts by identifying darkness as the time when body needs rest and therefore this is when sleep is required. But the change in shifts or working at night disturbs the physical clock of our body, which therefore, needs to be adjusted and this is not possible by every individual.

Symptoms of Sleeping Disorder Among Individuals

Consult your doctor as soon as you experience these symptoms. Shift work sleep disorder can be recognized by its symptoms which are

• Lack of energy
• Lack of Concentration
• Headaches

Consequences Faced by Individuals

Lack of quality sleep is the result of improper time schedule of sleep and shift work sleep disorder. This fall in the quality of sleep can cause various problems that are related to physical and mental health. With insufficient energy, you are unable to perform at work. Lack of concentration implies that you cannot maintain focus at work that you do either at home or at the work place. The ultimate result will be mental stress and tension which are the main reasons behind the increased incidence of health problems. In order to get cured, you need to undergo proper medication. Make sure you go to a reliable specialist and get suitable medication to get rid of shift work sleep disorder.

Sleep is a necessity for every person. If a person doesn’t receive enough sleep that is required for a normal human being, it will result in fatigue, frustration, and depression too. You will soon begin to notice sleep deprivation symptoms. Heavy work schedules, professional pressures and tensions, mental and physical energy utilized to deal with chores of everyday life will leave your body with no strength at the end of the day. At this point you need a good night’s sleep to be refresh and energized to carry next day’s activities.

Sleep deficiency is an acute disorder that can persist for a long time. This problem should not be considered as mere illness. It is very important to know what the sleep deprivation symptoms are so that timely medical help can be taken. Sleep deficiency affects our physical and mental health. Moreover, lack of sleep is one of the reasons of deaths in accidents. Yes, it is true that deficiency in sleep can even lead to a loss of life. People sometimes do not realize the importance of quality sleep and get into serious problems.

Symptoms of Sleep Insufficiency

The body of the person functions because of the brain and if it is not revitalized, the whole system experiences inefficiency. The brain will not send signals to different parts of the body to work accordingly and thus the overall health of the person will be at risk. One of the most common sleep deprivation symptoms is fatigue or sleepiness during the day time. It is a common fact that sleep recharges the body and if a person is deprived of it, he or she will feel sleepy and tired the following day. This will ultimately affect the individual’s performance at work. The inability to execute well will further bring mental disturbances like stress, headache and tension.

Apart from these, the person may even suffer from partial loss of memory. He will experience the inability to perform regular tasks and become irritated by the overall physical and mental conditions. And in the end people around him or her will have to deal with this irritation. Therefore, frustration is one of the sleep deprivation symptoms.

Since the lack of sleep affects the efficiency of the human brain, poor concentration and focus are the other common symptoms. This will even not allow you to perform your work as usual, and will affect you personally and professionally. You will be present physically but your mind will not be at work.

Sleep deprivation also influences the reaction time of an individual. The proficiency and responses will not be same as in a normal person who receives complete rest. These sleep deprivation symptoms can be very dangerous especially while you are traveling by road. The failure to react instantly can cause minor or major accidents. It is the main reason behind road accidents.

The person suffering from sleep deprivation also faces the problem of not being able to communicate effectively with others. The person has difficulty in pronouncing words or is almost inaudible. The sentences formed are either illogical or are poorly constructed.