It is quite natural that sleep disorders happen to people of all age. Sometimes they can make you feel exhausted and that is the time when you really need to be alert. Even if you don’t have sleep disorders most of the people are sleep deprived especially the teens.
This is because they stay late night either surfing the net or watching a movie or just tossing with their eyes wide open. Sleep is also very often disrupted during the stressful times such as exams or any other problems. Whenever there is something in mind which disturbs it, the mind goes into overdrive and that makes it impossible and very difficult to relax.
Common Sleep Disorders
Survey tells that on an average teens need about 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night. This cannot be achieved most of the time especially if you have to get up before dawn. Everyone has to maintain an internal clock which influences the changes taking place in hormones, body temperature and sleep cycles. Most of the teens face the challenge when they attain puberty. Their internal clock shifts and they are deprived of sleep.
Sleep disorder can be of different forms like Sleep apnea and Insomnia. Sleep apnea is a very serious sleep disorder which makes the person to stop breathing for few minutes during sleep. It is usually caused due to blockage in throat, nose and mouth. Enlarged tonsil is also another major cause for sleep apnea. People who suffer from this usually snore and have difficulty in breathing and they also sweat during the night. Such disruptions make them feel exhausted during the day. Teens who are overweight experience the risk of facing this disorder more frequently. It is advisable that anyone who is suffering from sleep apnea should consult the doctor at the earliest.
Insomnia is yet another common sleep disorder among teens and they are unable to sleep. The inability to sleep is a very serious issue and can lead to some serious problem. The symptoms of this common sleep disorder can include the following:
- Taking long time to fall asleep. This may exceed 45 minutes.
- Getting up very early in the morning.
- Feeling exhausted and tired even after a night of sleep.
- Awakenings during sleep with the inability to fall back to sleep.
If it is occasional insomnia, then it is not a serious problem as it might have occurred due to illness or change in sleeping pattern or even because of stress. Short term insomnia lasts for a week or so and usually resolves by itself. Long term insomnia on the other hand lasts for months and even years. This is caused due to depression, chronic illness, medications and asthma.
Though sleep apnea and insomnia are the common disorders faced by teens, there are also other sleep problems like the following:
Narcolepsy:
It is a sleep disorder by which a person suffers from uncontrollable attacks of deep sleep. It is very risky because such person may even fall asleep while driving.
Parasomnia:
It is any type of disorder which is characterized by muscle activity that occurs during sleep. It affects the skeletal muscle and nervous system. Night terrors and sleep walking come under this category.
Restless Leg Syndrome:
This makes the person’s legs to ache and feel uncomfortable. It normally occurs when a person is dozing off thus making him feel difficult to sleep.
As sleep is necessary for teens to make them feel fresh and active, care should be taken whenever any sort of sleep disorder is identified. Avoiding alcohol and beverages after lunch also helps in preventing sleep disorder. It is also very good to practice certain relaxation techniques before going to bed to have a peaceful and undisturbed sleep.
Tags: sleep, sleep disorders, sleep disorders in teens, teen sleep disorders