Insomnia Essays (2572 words) - Sleep Disorders, Neuroscience, Dream

Insomnia Thesis Statement In this research paper I will attempt to familiarize you, the reader, on the role of sleep, health risks of sleeping disorder that is most common, Insomnia. I will give you some of the aspects which cause Insomnia and how it can be treated. We human beings spend one third of our lives in a mysterious, potentially dangerous and seemingly unproductive state of unconsciousness---and no one knows exactly why. Scientists have attempted to study the effects of sleep and its role on our existence but have yet to come up with an accurate reason why we need sleep. Yes, we do need sleep. All animals, be they mammal, amphibian, aquatic, etc., need some form of sleep in order to rejuvenate their body and/or mind. Without sleep our bodies tend to experience some type of mental or physical malfunctions. Some of us human beings can even become down right incapable of proper social function. In other words, cranky frustrated emotional nutcases. So, sleep does play an important role in our daily functions, and no matter what we must fit it into our lives/schedule. Edison's light bulb can be considered one of the major technological ?curses? of the modern age, says sleep researcher Harvey Moldofsky, chief psychiatrist at Toronto Western Hospital. Edison believed that his light bulb would liberate us from the night and in the process transform our lives. The fact that the light bulb served as a reliable, controlled was to, banish the night, did not act as perhaps Edison hoped it would. Yet, it helped banish our need for sleep. And with this a change in our sleeping patterns. This is one of the ultimate causes of sleep problems. Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty sleeping, waking up too early, unrefreshing sleep, waking frequently through the night. When one has Insomnia it is difficult to initiate and/or maintain sleep. Some believe that Insomnia is not a disorder, it is a symptom that often indicated other problems. Other diagnosis, hold that Insomnia is the most common of all sleep disorders and perhaps the most frequent health complaint after pain. Severe cases can disrupt social and occupational function and is associated with depression, fatigue, and anxiety. There are different types of Insomnia which affect our sleep patterns in many different ways. Types of Insomnia are: Sleep Onset Insomnia (delayed sleep Phase Syndrome): a disorder in which the major sleep episode is delayed in relation to the desires clock time which one wishes to be awakened. Idiopathic Insomnia: A life long inability to obtain adequate sleep that is due to an abnormality of the neurological control of the sleep-wake system. Psychophysiological Insomnia: A disorder or somatized tension (conversion of anxiety into physical symptoms) and learned sleep - preventing associated with results in a complaint of Insomnia and associated decreased functioning during wakefulness. Childhood Insomnia (limit-setting Sleep Disorder): Primarily a childhood disorder that is characterized by the inadequate enforcement of bed times by a caretaker with resultant stalling or refusal to go to bed at the appropriate time. Food Allergy Insomnia: A disorder of initiating and maintaining sleep due to an allergic response to food allergens. Environmental Insomnia (Environmental Sleep disorder): A sleep disorder disturbance due to a disturbing environmental factor that causes a complaint of either Insomnia or excessive sleepiness. Transient Insomnia (Adjustment Sleep Disorder): Represents sleep disturbance temporally related to acute stress, conflict or environmental change causing emotional agitation. Periodic Insomnia (Non 24-Hour Sleep-Wake Syndrome): Consists of a chronic steady pattern consisting of 1-2 hour daily delays in sleep onset and wake times in an individual living in society. Altitude Insomnia: An acute Insomnia usually accompanied by headaches, loss of appetite, and fatigue, that occurs following ascent to high altitudes. Hypnotic-Dependency Insomnia (Hypnotic ? Dependent Sleep Disorder): Characterized by Insomnia or excessive sleepiness that is associated with tolerance to or withdrawal from hypnotic medications. Stimulant ? Dependent Sleep Disorder: Characterized by a reduction of sleepiness or suppression of sleep by central stimulants and resultant alterations in wakefulness following drug abstinence. Alcohol ? Dependent Insomnia (Alcohol ? Dependent Sleep Disorder): Characterized by the sustained ingestion of sleep onset by the sustained ingestion