Scientists have classified 88 clinical roadblocks to catching sleep, an estimated 40-70 million men, women, and children in the United States are affected by some kind of sleeping disorder. "Take a look around you on the morning commute bus or train and see all the lolling heads and people dozing off- a hint, they're not getting an adequate amount of sleep at night, due to a self-imposed schedule or a sleep disorder," observed by Dr. Clete Kushida, director of the Stanford Center for Human Sleep Research in Palo Alto, California. It has become increasingly clear that sleep deprivation has become a public health hazard. Not only is this information for adults but a rise in disturbed sleeping behaviors among children has been detected, which has caused sleep disorders such as sleep walking, sleep talking, and waking in the middle of the night frequently. The growing sleep debt among all age groups is a fall out based on our fast paced, hard driven, modern day lifestyles. Many things that affect our sleep schedule can be stress, medications, long shifts at work, including the over night shifts, working multiple jobs, jet lag, and long study sessions. If not all, many sleep disorders include genetic, as well as environmental components. In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 67% of adults ages 55 to 84 report frequent sleep problems, but only one in eight had his/her trouble diagnosed. Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and has been estimated to rob about 72 minutes out of an 8 hour sleep schedule from the individual who faces this problem. Sleep apnea is a life threatening condition that chokes off airways for up to an hour, not allowing the individual to breath properly. Sleep apnea is most common in women as they grow in age. Restless leg syndrome is characterized by intolerable cramps or feelings of crawling, creeping, and tingling in the lower leg, making an individual feel the urge to constantly move the limbs to reduce the sensation. Narcolepsy is an involuntary dozing off, with irrepressible tiredness. Snoring is one of the most common sleep disorders that produces loud breathing through the mouth. Although there is no direct cure for a sleeping disorder many suggest trying relaxation techniques such as meditation or hypnosis, practicing breathing techniques, and use of prescription medication such as Ambien.
Wasowicz, Lidia. "Sleep: Disorders Rob Many of Basic Need." UPI. N.p., 2 Feb. 2004. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
