Researchers classify sleep disorders into three groups: insomnia The kind of insomnia you get during the day, but there are still those Of nervous origin Sleep disturbances and interruptions during deep sleep, both together For parasomnia Called
Insomnia is characterized by a lack of sleep. Difficulty falling asleep or frequent awakenings make it difficult to rest, which can lead to daytime fatigue, insomnia, and irritability. It can also be caused by a psychological or physical disorder, stress, or excessive alcohol intake, but should not be confused with narcolepsy, which has its origin in the nervous system and is manifested by bouts of daytime sleep with loss of muscle tone. As you can see below:
More than they thought
new In the study Scientists analyzed sleep data from nearly 800 people and found that 1.5% suffered from insomnia, which makes days miserable. A feature of this particular neurological condition is that patients sleep a lot, but still fall out of their mouths during the day.
The researchers were shocked by the 1.5 percent figure because, according to 2021 estimates, only 37 out of 100,000 people in the United States had been diagnosed with the condition, or just 0.037 percent. Of course it is difficult to recognize the disease, because some people just point it out and feel sleepy, so who knows they were asleep, there is nothing interesting or strange about it, let alone sick. And in the era of smart watches that also measure sleep, it may seem that there is no need to analyze our condition, because the watch tells us that we are sleeping anyway – however, experienced smart watch users say, it is not necessarily worth trusting a smart device.
It takes a long time to determine the diagnosis, which is why people who yawn a lot may avoid doing it, because it requires a serious sleep study, not half an hour. However, the estimates, published Dec. 13 in the journal Neuroscience, may raise public awareness of the disorder, said Dr. David Plante, co-author of the new study and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
According to the findings, insomnia is more common than commonly thought, so there is likely to be a large discrepancy between those who seek medical help and those who prefer to stifle contagious yawns.
Plante and his colleagues analyzed data on the sleep habits of nearly 800,000 people who took part in the trial, for example polysomnography, through which body functions can be seen during sleep – brain activity, heart rate – and a multiple sleep latency test, which shows how quickly Someone’s sleep if they give their head a nap during the day. But they also administered an interview test with questions like how tired a person feels during the day, or how much sleep they get at night on weekdays and weekends.
The evaluation showed that 1.5% felt sleepier than average during the day, even if they slept as well at night as others. Patients fell asleep an average of nine minutes faster at night and fell asleep six minutes faster during the day than those not at risk for the disorder. But they also scored higher when asked how likely they were to fall asleep while sitting or talking. People with insomnia scored an average of about 14 points on the survey, compared to 9 points for healthy people. A score of less than 10 usually means moderate daytime sleepiness.
Three-quarters of the suspected patients had suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness for about 12 years, meaning their symptoms were chronic. But sleeping sickness goes away in about half of people, meaning the condition is not permanent. However, testing should be expanded, with only working people being tested, although illness often makes it difficult to go to work, and there may be many sick people among the unemployed.
The importance of napping
Research into sleep problems is also important because a link has been found between heart problems and poor sleep, which can be explained by damage to the group of nerves that control both the heart and brain. For people with heart disease, production of the sleep hormone, melatonin, is not healthy due to damage to the upper cervical brain nerve group. As part of the nervous system, cervical nerves control involuntary processes in the body, such as breathing and heart rate. Since nerves are connected to both the heart and the pineal gland, the brain structure responsible for producing melatonin, heart problems may explain why the body’s melatonin product is not working well.
Insomnia is a common side effect of heart disease, and 73% of people with heart failure have insomnia symptoms due to low melatonin levels. When researchers analyzed brain tissue samples from deceased heart patients and healthy people, they found that the patients had fewer nerve fibers than those with healthy hearts.
(Cover photo: Alexey Forman/Getty Images)
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