By Denise Winterman BBC News Magazine
Increasing numbers of people are asking for help with sleep disorders and some of them are doing rather strange things during the night.
Specialist sleep clinics are treating more people with sleep disorders than ever before.
It's not surprising. More than 30% of the UK population currently suffers from insomnia or another sleep disorder, according to the Mental Health Foundation. This can have serious mental and physical consequences.
Clinics say they are getting up to 50 new referrals a week. It's a fivefold increase in just a decade for some. This big rise has been put down to raised awareness of sleep disorders and more people reporting them.
The clinics are also dealing with some strange new sleep behaviour, while other rather odd sleep disorders are becoming more common. So what are the weird things people do?
Technology now plays a huge part in our lives so it's no shock that sleep experts are seeing new kinds of sleep behaviour related to it.
More people are reporting sending text messages during their sleep, says Dr Kirstie Anderson, who runs the Neurology Sleep Service for the Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust. Considering the number of Britons who now own a mobile phone - 92% according to Ofcom - it's not surprising. Many people also take them to bed.
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The impact of sleep deprivation
- Four times as likely to have relationship problems than those who sleep
- Three times as likely to experience low mood
- Three times as likely to lack concentration during the day
- Over twice as likely to suffer from energy deficiency
Source: Mental Health Foundation
"It is very common for people to do things in their sleep that they do repeatedly during the day," says Anderson.
This is largely down to sleep disorders called parasomnias. These are unwanted behaviours that occur during sleep.
They can be as small as opening your eyes while asleep or, at the very extreme end, driving a car while sleeping. Anderson has even treated someone who carefully dismantled grandfather clocks while asleep.
What happens in our brains during such episodes is still something of a mystery. Not much research has been done, largely due to the fact that gathering data is very difficult.
"The problem is people rarely do such acts under controlled conditions at a sleep clinic," says sleep specialist Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Clinic. "But this area of research is going to really move forward in the next few years because we now have the necessary equipment to record people in their own homes."
Reassuringly, the texts people send when asleep often make no sense. While it is common for people to do things in their sleep that they do during the day, they do them more clumsily or inaccurately, says Anderson.
Unexplained empty food wrappers and a messy kitchen are what some sleepwalkers face when they wake up. Often snacking in your sleep is not a big problem, but in more extreme cases it is classed as Nocturnal Eating Syndrome (NES). Again, increased awareness of the sleep disorder means more people are being referred to sleep clinics with it.
Sufferers can raid the kitchen several times a night but have no recollection when they wake up. Not only do they lose sleep but they can put on an excessive amount of weight, causing a whole range of problems mentally and physically. Other concerns include choking in their sleep.
Like other strange nocturnal behaviour, sleep eating often happens when people experience parasomnias, which half a million Britons regularly do, according to Anderson. When it comes to eating in your sleep often it is related to what happens before bedtime.
"Sleepwalkers will often do simple things that make some kind of sense, like eat when having gone to bed hungry or dieting during the day," says Anderson.
In more complicated cases, where someone might cook a meal, the person is actually awake but will have no memory of what they have done. It's a type of amnesia, says Prof Jim Horne, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University.
"They are basically in a confused awake state. In these more extreme cases you can't attribute the problem to sleep itself. Often it's a case of stress, for example, affecting sleep."
Sexsomnia, a condition where people have sex in their sleep, has only really been brought to the public's attention in recent years. As yet very little research has been done into it, say sleep experts, but more cases are being reported.
It can become more frequent during times of stress or under the influence of alcohol or drugs and ranges from minor behaviour to full sexual intercourse, in some cases with serious consequences.
Idzikowski gives expert evidence at trials that involve serious sexual assaults and rape.
He says sexsomnia is a parasomnia. It is most likely to occur in the "deep sleep" stage when the thinking and awareness part of the brain is switched off but not the part of the brain responsible for basic urges like having sex.
"It is instinctive behaviour, people are not conscious at the time," says Idzikowski.
"When you are in a deep sleep moral and rational decision-making do not occur.
"It constantly surprises me the type of sleep problems people live with for years. Often they don't realise they can get help ."
When sleepers stop breathing this is often caused by a sleep disorder known as Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). While it is not a new sleep disorder, an increasing number of people are being referred to sleep clinics with it. As obesity is a contributing factor, experts expect numbers to keep on rising.
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How much sleep is needed?
- People - between 5 and 11 hours
- Python - 18 hours
- Cat - 12.1 hours
- Sheep - 3.8 hours
- Giraffe - 1.9 hours
Source: BBC Science and Nature
Usually accompanied with very loud snoring, OSA occurs when the throat muscles collapse and block the airways and stop people from breathing - the apnoea. After recently undergoing tests as part of the new BBC One series Goodnight Britain Paul Asbury, from King's Lynn, found out that he regularly stopped breathing in his sleep for up to 26 seconds at a time.
"I was really scared when I was told," he says. "It made me panic to think I regularly stopped breathing and for that long. I thought I had a snoring problem but it was much more serious."
These breaks in breathing woke the 47-year-old lorry driver up to 50 times an hour during the night. In extreme cases it can be up 80 times, says Idzikowski.
"The sufferer will often not remember waking up. This is because the brain does not quite connect with the body, so the person is awake but doesn't know it. It can take up to a minute for the brain to connect with the body causing people to be conscious of waking up.
"The result is that sufferers get very little deep sleep which is one of the restorative phases of the sleep cycle. In the morning they usually feel incredibly tired," says Idzikowski.
This can have serious consequences if people are doing things like operating machinery. Asbury's disorder is being treated using a special face mask, which is working so far.
You're peacefully falling asleep and suddenly it's like a bomb has gone off in your head. It's exploding head syndrome, when a sudden and incredibly loud noise comes from within your head.
It's another parasomnia event. Sufferers have described the loud noise as sounding like a bomb explosion, a thunderclap and lightning or a gunshot. It is painless but can leave the person distressed. There are reports of people running to their windows to look out as they think a bomb has gone off nearby.
Some sleep experts say it is very rare but Anderson says cases have been referred to her in recent years. It is really the sensory equivalent of the motor start [the hypnic or sudden jerk accompanied by a falling feeling] we all sometimes get as we are going off to sleep, she says.
"People hear a really loud bang or explosion as they are drifting off to sleep, and then work out that it can't be external as no-one else heard it. Sometimes people get bright flashes of light.
"It is entirely benign, but can be alarming and mostly we simply reassure sufferers. Sometimes medication is used if people are very bothered and therefore worry about falling asleep and make it worse."
Often there is no pattern to episodes, but they can go on for years and be a significant disruption to quality of life.
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●Which sleep position is healthiest?
By Mindy Berry Walker, Health.com
April 19, 2011 -- Updated 1229 GMT (2029 HKT)
Back-sleeping helps prevent wrinkles, because nothing is pushing against your face
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head and spine to maintain a neutral position
- Sleeping on your side can cause you to get wrinkles
- Outside of your mother's uterus, resting in a tight fetal pose isn't a great idea
- Stomach-sleeping puts pressure on joints and muscles
(Health.com) -- Your preferred p.m. pose could be giving you back and neck pain, tummy troubles, even premature wrinkles. Here are the best positions for your body -- plus the one you may want to avoid.
Health.com: 7 tips for the best sleep ever
The Best: Back position
Good for: Preventing neck and back pain, reducing acid reflux, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts.
Bad for: Snoring
The scoop: Sleeping on your back makes it easy for your head, neck, and spine to maintain a neutral position. You're not forcing any extra curves into your back, says Steven Diamant, a chiropractor in New York City. It's also ideal for fighting acid reflux, says Eric Olson, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota: "If the head is elevated, your stomach will be below your esophagus so acid or food can't come back up."
Back-sleeping also helps prevent wrinkles, because nothing is pushing against your face, notes Dee Anna Glaser, M.D., a professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University. And the weight of your breasts is fully supported, reducing sagginess.
Consider this: "Snoring is usually most frequent and severe when sleeping on the back," Olson says.
Perfect pillow: One puffy one. The goal is to keep your head and neck supported without propping your head up too much.
Health.com: Celebrity sleep secrets, and what you can learn from them
Next Best: Side position
Good for: Preventing neck and back pain, reducing acid reflux, snoring less, sleeping during pregnancy
Bad for: Your skin and your breasts
The scoop: Side-sleeping is great for overall health -- it reduces snoring and keeps your spine elongated. If you suffer from acid reflux, this is the next best thing to sleeping on your back.
Now for the downside: "Sleeping on your side can cause you to get wrinkles," Glaser says. Blame all that smushing of one side of your face into the pillow. This pose also contributes to breast sag, since your girls are dangling downward, stretching the ligaments, says Health magazine's Medical Editor Roshini Rajapaksa, M.D.
Consider this: If you're pregnant, sleep on your left side. It's ideal for blood flow.
Perfect pillow: A thick one. "You need to fill the space above your shoulder so your head and neck are supported in a neutral position," says Ken Shannon, a physical therapist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Health.com: 10 household tools for people in pain
Not Ideal: Fetal position
Good for: Snoring less, sleeping during pregnancy
Bad for: Preventing neck and back pain, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts
The scoop: Outside of your mother's uterus, resting in a tight fetal pose isn't a great idea. When you snooze with your knees pulled up high and chin tucked into your chest, you may feel it in the morning, especially if you have an arthritic back or joints, Olson says.
"This curved position also restricts diaphragmatic breathing," adds Dody Chang, a licensed acupuncturist with the Center for Integrative Medicine at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut. And if you make this your nightly pose, you may bring on premature facial wrinkles and breast sag.
Consider this: Just straighten out a bit -- try not to tuck your body into an extreme curl.
Perfect pillow: One plump pillow -- the same as side position, to give your head and neck support.
Health.com: 11 surprising health benefits of sleep
The Worst: Stomach position
Good for: Easing snoring
Bad for: Avoiding neck and back pain, minimizing wrinkles, maintaining perky breasts
The scoop: "Stomach-sleeping makes it difficult to maintain a neutral position with your spine," Shannon explains. What's more, the pose puts pressure on joints and muscles, which can irritate nerves and lead to pain, numbness, and tingling.
"Think about the soreness you'd feel if you kept your neck turned to one side for 15 minutes during the day," Diamant explains. In this position you have your head to one side for hours at a time. You won't necessarily feel it the next day, but you may soon start to ache.
Consider this: Do you snore? "Stomach-sleeping may even be good for you," Olson says. Facedown keeps your upper airways more open. So if you snore and aren't suffering from neck or back pain, it's fine to try sleeping on your belly.
Perfect pillow: Just one (and make it a thin one) or none at all.
Copyright Health Magazine 2011
by cnn
October 22, 2012
What might you be revealing in your sleep without saying a word?
What bites harder than a great white shark?
And what’s fanning the flames in space exploration?
We’re on fire on today’s Daily Orbit!
Here’s a new question for you ask on your next date: So….what position do you sleep in? A new study found that sleeping positions affect personality by determining how we feel when we wake up. People who sleep on their backs with arms stretched out in front typically wake up feeling refreshed and eager to start their day. Sleeping face down with arms outstretched indicates a feeling of being “out of control” and leaves these people feeling tired with no energy. Those who sleep with a straight body are stubborn, and will feel stiff in the morning. And the most popular sleeping style? The fetal position. 58 percent of people sleep on their side with their knees up and head down– which is no surprise considering it is associated with stress. These people can expect to awake refreshed, having dealt with the previous days issues. I’m pretty sure I hit all of those positions at some point throughout the night. What does that say about me?
As if we haven’t given you enough reasons to exercise and eat healthy, here’s another one! A new study says that a high BMI increases a person’s risk of being hospitalized. The study found that for every six to seven pounds of extra “baggage” a middle-aged person carries, their chance of being hospitalized goes up 4%. These findings mean that even those who are not technically considered to be “obese” are still at risk. But, the researchers suggest that if you are overweight or obese, even gradual decreases in weight are likely to lower your risk and will make a positive impact on your health.
Shark!!! Oh it’s just a hammerhead, no biggie. After studying 13 shark species, scientists discovered that it’s not the Great White or the Hammerhead that has the most powerful bite but the Bull shark. They found that a 9 foot long Bull shark had a bite force of 478 pounds and a Great White of the same size “bit in” at 360 pounds in force. Why? Scientists aren’t sure but say it may have to do with the bull sharks’ wide heads. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be bitten by either…
And if it wasn’t bad enough to have to worry about a bull shark bite at the beach, now you have to worry about bursting into flames! The popular sunscreen line, Banana Boat, announced that its sunscreen sprays may potentially ignite on the user’s skin if they come into contact with a flame before the spray is completely dry. The company received four complaints of “adverse effects” caused by the sprays. They say the problem stems from the fact that the spray nozzles deliver more product than others, meaning it takes longer to dry. They have ordered retailers not to sell the sprays and have also notified the Food and Drug Administration. So if you still have some Banana Boat spray left from the summer, don’t use it! Well, next to a fire anyway.
And speaking of fire, the recent discoveries of new planets are reigniting the fire for the search for alien life. Recently, we’ve brought you news of two new planet discoveries — PH1 and the still to be named exoplanet found in the Alpha Centauri system. As our telescopes become more powerful, discussions about the existence of alien life forms is becoming more mainstream. Over 800 exoplanets have been discovered since the early ‘90s with many of them having Earth-like traits. The high number of discoveries is making scientists believe that it is more likely extraterrestrial life will be found.
That’s it for the Daily Orbit! Don’t play with fire you might get burned!
by time
●Disease and sleep
One in five U.S. adults shows signs of chronic sleep deprivation, and a shortage of sleep has been linked to health problems as different as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Recent studies have found some interesting connections between illness and what is happening in our brains as we snooze.
Sources: Neurologist Clifford Saper of Harvard Medical School, BrainFacts.org, Massachusetts General Hospital, Weizmann Institute of Science, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, National Sleep Foundation, Journal of Experimental Biology, University of Wisconsin, Harvard Medical School, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, American Academy of Pediatrics, University of Barcelona, St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University, Mayo Clinic. Bonnie Berkowitz and Alberto Cuadra - The Washington Post. Published on December 3, 2012, 6:07 p.m.
by wp
What strange things have you done in your sleep?
BY BBC