It is unfortunate that there is currently not any way to cure sleep disorders like sleep apnea or narcolepsy. These are conditions that disrupt the lives of those who have them and the lives of people around them.
Epidemic Sleepiness
There are over 90 distinct types of sleep disorders identified. 50-70 million adults in the US suffer from one of these. That is a lot of sleepy people!
The most common sleep disorders are:
- insomnia
- sleep apnea
- restless leg syndrome
- sleepwalking
- jet lag
Less known and rarer:
- narcolepsy
- Sleep paralysis
- shift work sleep disorder
- “sleeping beauty”, Kleine–Levin Syndrome
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)
The safety risk of drowsy persons operating equipment like cars is one example. According to the Americain Sleep Association, drowsy drivers account for as many as 1,550 deaths and 40,000 injuries each year.
Sleep disorders also impact public health because it leaves people at risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke among other complications.
Considering these numbers it is understandable that the CDC has declared sleep disorders to be a national epidemic
Research Progress
When I was diagnosed with narcolepsy 20 years ago, I had basically no access to information about what was happening. I had a diagnosis and was greatly relieved about it. However, not much was known about exactly what the exact cause was within the brain. It seems that research has only recently begun to identify some factors involved in a narcoleptic brain. With this information comes a bit of hope that a cure is coming. At the very least, finding an effective treatment would bring relief to thousands of individuals.
Narcolepsy is only one of nearly a hundred different sleep disorders needing a cure. It seems like the medical research community has a lot of work to do in this area. I for one, am grateful for the answers that have been found and I applaud the efforts of everyone involved in this research effort.
Helping Ourselves
The first step in treating any physical ailment should logically be self-care. Aside from intervention from the medical field, they are things we can do to alleviate our distress to some degree.
Exercise is certainly the most commonly recommended self-care method. Exercise can help improve every area of our lives including sleep disorders.
Diet and nutrition are also important considerations with regard to self-care. Many studies have found connections between various nutrient deficiencies and some sleep disorders. Being sure we get the proper nutrition is one simple thing we can do to help when we are looking to cure sleep disorders.
Personally, I have found that Vitamin D seems to lessen my daytime sleepiness a significant amount. What types of food I eat also affects my EDS. Thanks to Gina Dennis at Madcap Narcoleptic, I discovered that avoiding gluten improves my alertness drastically. I have read several sources that: suggest that magnesium imbalances affect sleep patterns as well.
Conclusion
Regardless of the type, all sleep disorders have one thing in common. That is the disruption of sleep and sleepiness. The effects of sleep disorders are enormous and finding a cure for sleep disorders would bring relief to millions of people.
In the meantime, we can be proactive in finding the best ways to cope with self-care and advice from our medical providers.
In my country people haven’t really considered sleeping disorders as anything serious and I doubt of anyone even goes for health advice on its symptoms yet it does effect the natural well being if not attended to and monitored. Thank you for this list of ways we can keep things under control when it comes to these. I have a friend with sleeping disorders and he is kinda on the obesity side and it’s considered normal for people in that condition. Sleep walking is a sleep disorder as well? I guess we will never stop learning.
Donny,
Thank you very much for your comments. One of the biggest issues about narcolepsy and other sleep disorders is the fact that people don’t think to been seen for it.It is a very dangerous situation. I would encourage you to guide your friend to be seen for it!
Thanks again and best wishes
Wow, great hit on this article for me. I was researching my Sleep Apnea condition and found your blog posts here very informative. I am currently treating my sleep apnea with a cpap machine for sleeping and was wondering what else was out there. I’ll be sure to keep up with this blogging to see if/when any solutions are out there.
Also like your other posts referencing Restless Leg Syndrome. My wife suffers with that from time to time and we never even knew it was a “thing”. Glad to have found some information on it. Keep the info coming, this is very helpful.
Thx,
Kerry
Your comments are deeply appreciated. CPAP is an amazing life changer!/And yea there are other solutions aavailable. Come back as U will be offering as much information as I can regarding help and solutions for people with sleep disorders. Be sure to share with your circle too. Thank you and I hope to hear from you again.
you really cover the subject very well. As I have grown older it seems like getting a good solid of sleep has become more important. Those staying up late to complete a project or study a test is definitely a thing of the past. I take vitamin D, but, usually at night around dinner time. Do you think that I should switch it to the morning? I have found (as you noted) that exercise plays an important part in how well and how deep I sleep. Your article has encouraged me to at least get to the gym – even if it is for mild exercise. I appreciate this well-written article and a subject that affects millions.
I can’t express enough how exciting it is to think my writing could make an impact on your health. Thank you for your kind comments! Please be sure to revisit as I will be posting some options for help.
Yes Vit D might be best in the morning. Although I am not a nutritionist. I take it in the morning usually. I take quite a bit also because I am diabetic so, deficient.
Again thank you.
Please share this with your “people” beat wishes.