Sleeping Disorders Research Paper

Words: 1818
Pages: 8

There are many diagnosed sleep disorders out there. Some disorders are more frightening than others, and if a person lives with a sleep disorder, it is extremely hard to live a normal life. It must be frustrating to know that almost every night people will have an occurrence. These are some of the most stressful sleeping disorders. The first disorder is REM sleep behavior disorder, which is what my dad struggles with almost every night. This is a disorder where a person will act out their dreams vividly. It could turn into an exceedingly violent dream, and it would result with them kicking, yelling, and punching. The next disorder is sleep apnea. This disorder is when your breathing is interrupted while a person is asleep. Narcolepsy is when …show more content…
This research paper will help people become more educated on each disorder and understand how they go about diagnosing it, treating it, and personal struggles that will occur in everyday life. First there is REM sleep behavior disorder. This is when someone has an elevated pulse rate and elevated brain activity. REM sleep also makes breathing irregular, and there is a complete loss of muscle tone. With this complete loss of muscle tone, it makes people act out their dreams (Ferini-Strambi, 2000). These dreams can be extremely violent, causing people to yell, punch, kick, jump, and even grab during their dreams. This disorder is usually found in men that are middle-aged to elderly. Some symptoms during REM sleep behavior disorder can be that breathing becomes highly irregular, blood pressure rises, eyes start having rapid movements, and the loss of muscle tone. In about 55% of all cases of REM sleep behavior disorder, the cause of what makes this occur is unknown. In 45% of the cases, it can be caused by alcohol or sedative-hypnotic withdrawal. Sedative-hypnotic withdrawal is from a drug that reduces the activity in your central nervous …show more content…
For sleep apnea, a doctor may require a polysomnogram test. This test records any physical activity that tends to occur during sleep. If the specialized doctors diagnosis is sleep apnea, then more tests will be necessary to be able to find the best treatment. There are two tests that help diagnose narcolepsy, as well as a physical exam and reviewing medical history. The polysomnogram and the multiple sleep latency tests help diagnose narcolepsy. The multiple sleep latency tests helps to measure the tendency to fall asleep. For hypersomnia, diagnosis is a little bit easier. A doctor will ask about sleeping habits, any emotional problems, and any medicine that the person is taking. Doctors can order blood tests, computer tomography scans, electroencephalogram or sleep tests. There are treatments for each sleep disorder. For REM sleep behavior disorder, consulting a sleep specialist will allow a proper diagnosis for this disorder. A medication called Clonazepam is highly effective in almost 90% of patients (Ferini-Strambi, 2000). The good thing about this medication is that there is no evidence of tolerance or