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LACK
OF SLEEP IS A HEALTH NIGHTMARE |
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Need
coffee to jump start your day?
Feel tired or grumpy when you wake up? Need coffee to jump start your day or stay alert in the afternoon? Dread going to bed? You may be suffering from a sleep disorder—and you're not alone. According to Keith Wahl, M.D., F.A.C.S., an otolaryngologist affiliated with Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego County, 40 million Americans are suffering from some sort of sleep disorder, and 20,000 to 30,000 seek treatment each year. Sleep disorders range from almost total sleeplessness, or insomnia, to endless somnolence, or narcolepsy. John Hubanks, M.D., F.A.C.S., an otolaryngologist at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center in Los Angeles County, explains that sleep disorders generally fall into three categories: the inability to fall asleep, the inability to stay asleep, and the inability to stay awake. All three can have disastrous consequences on your health—and the well-being of those around you. Sleep deprivation can lower your concentration to the point where you nod off in the middle of an activity. For example, Wahl reports 13 percent of auto accidents are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. INSOMNIA
NOT INEVITABLE Many seniors simply accept insomnia, but contrary to popular belief, seniors do not need less sleep than the younger adults, nor is reduced sleep an inevitable part of the aging process. Dr. Quentin Regestein, director of the Sleep Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, refutes this myth in Sleep Problems and Solutions (Consumer Reports Books, 1980) "Physicians treating sleep disorders in older people often hear the same refrain: "I have trouble sleeping at night, but that's just because I'm old," Regestein noted. "Advanced age by itself, however, does not mean that one is naturally condemned to troubled sleep. This misconception prevents many treatable cases of insomnia from being diagnosed and relieved." Insomnia can be caused by one or more factors, from poor lighting conditions in the bedroom to poor health. Insomniacs need to remove sleep-robbing influences from their lifestyle, such as too much caffeine or other stimulants, uncomfortable beds, and excess weight. Sleep medications may help for occasional bouts of sleeplessness, but should not be relied upon for chronic insomnia. Unfortunately, many seniors are using these medications inappropriately. According to Sleep Problems and Solutions, approximately 15 million Americans use prescription sleep medications, and persons 65 and older, 15 percent of the population, fill one-third of those prescriptions. Many seniors are also using over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids.
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Sleep medications lose their effectiveness over time and can be habit-forming: they may also negatively affect other medications or produce unpleasant side effects. Thus self-prescribing an OTC sleep product or relying on prescription sleep medications is not the best cure for insomnia. Work with your physician to find which factors may be troubling you, and to make sure your insomnia isn't indicative of another medical problem. ROARING
SNORES "As we get older, we have a tendency to snore," noted Hubanks, who explained muscles throughout the body become more relaxed with age, including those controlling the airway. If these muscles become too loose, vibrations created by breathing in and out become more intense and snoring occurs. Various structures may also collapse into the airway, especially if you are overweight or have other muscle control disorders. Rest
is critical to maintaining good health
Occasional snoring, such as when you have a cold or are excessively tired, is generally not cause for alarm; frequent snoring is another story. Some people snore so loudly they "rattle the windows," often driving loved ones away. "These people have a lot of social problems," Hubanks said. But Hubanks, who frequently gives lectures titled Snoring is Definitely NOT Romantic, enjoys treating these patients because their families are so grateful to have the awful noise stopped. "It's the otolaryngologist's dream to get hold of them because it's the spouse's delight," se said with a chuckle. Although snoring is often the subject of ridicule or ignored as a serious problem, it can be a forerunner or indicator of sleep apnea. CONTROLLING
APNEA Air flow must stop for at least 10 seconds to be considered an apnea episode, but episodes may last up to 60 seconds. In extreme cases, apnea patients may stop breathing several hundred times per night. As Wahl notes, "instead of getting good sleep, they're fighting to get their breath." This cycle can lead to many other complications, including irritability from lack of sleep, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, neuropsychatric disease such as depression, cognitive dysfunction and impotence, injury due to accidents, nocturnal irregular heartbeat, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
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