An Informative Speech on Sleeping Disorders

I am sure most of us here if not all of us value peaceful sleep. Laying down to sleep is one of the best ways to relieve stress and to rest both physically and mentally. It is however unfortunate that some people have medical conditions which mess with sleep patterns. Such disorders may have severe physical, emotional, social and mental effects which affect the normal functioning of a person. Research shows that about 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and a budget of $15.9 billion is spent for treatment annually (NCSDR, 2017). For this reason, I find it valuable to educate the masses on sleep problems and how to deal with them.

The most common sleep disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, Narcolepsy, and Circadian Rhythm Sleep disorders (Thorpy, 71). Insomnia refers to the inability to get quality sleep at night without explicitly having any specific cause. This is usually associated with stress, medication, jetlag, anxiety, and even the levels of caffeine intake (Morin, 93). Sleep apnea, on the other hand, is a condition whereby, there is the temporary ceasing of breathing forcing you to wake up. This disorder is life-threatening but is treatable. People with such disorders usually wake up in the morning feeling tired and irritated thus reducing daytime productivity (Guilleminault, 29).

Restless Leg Syndrome is a disorder which brings about the urge to move your legs due to uncomfortable, creepy senses. For some people, it affects both the arms and legs and the movements are involuntary due to the tingly feelings while lying down. The other common sleep disorder is Narcolepsy, and it is unique in that it is a daytime condition. This involves extreme overwhelming sleepiness during the day. If you always have a longing to get some sleep no matter the place, then you could be narcoleptic. Such a problem is usually responsible for poor work output due to laziness (Dement, 34).

Circadian rhythm involves the biological timing of sleep. This is a biological setting of the brain whereby, at night, melanin is released and causes the desire to sleep. In the morning, the natural light causes a lesser release of melatonin, thus enabling one to wake up and stay awake for the rest of the day. Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders can, therefore, be defined as a condition resulting from disruption of the sleep cycle causing disorientation and sleepiness at odd times. This explains jet lag because traveling across time zones messes with the circadian cycle. The effects of this are either having an advanced or a delayed sleep phase disorder (Peirson & Russell, 270).

Causes of sleep disorders can be classified into physical, medical, psychiatric and environmental. Physical causes are disturbances such as body pain from injuries and ulcers. Medical causes include conditions such as asthma. Psychiatric causes are common and the include schizophrenia, panic, anxiety disorder, alcoholism, mood disorders and psychosis. Environmental issues include weather conditions and disruptive aspects such as noise.

I would like to clarify that it is normal everyone experiences occasional sleeping problems. A scrutiny of the symptoms helps in identifying whether the condition is chronic to take appropriate measures. Treatments can be done through behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, rehabilitation, and management. As a precaution, it is advisable to avoid excessive coffee, alcohol and substance abuse. As I conclude, I would like to advise anyone affected to seek medical help so as to restore quality sleep. Thank you all and may God bless you.

References

Dement, William C., et al. "Narcolepsy. Diagnosis and treatment." Primary Care 3.4 (1976): 609-623.

Guilleminault, Christian. "Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome." Sleep Disorders Medicine: Basic Science, Technical Considerations, and Clinical Aspects; Chokroverty, S., Ed(2013): 199-217.

Morin, Charles M. Insomnia: Psychological assessment and management. Guilford Press, 1993.

NCSDR - The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research Home. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/org/ncsdr/. 2017

Peirson, Stuart N., and Russell G. Foster. "Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disruption in Psychosis." Circadian Medicine (2015): 271-282.

Thorpy, Michael. "Classification of sleep disorders." Drug Treatment of Sleep Disorders. Springer International Publishing, 2015. 71-83.