Excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty inducing or sustaining sleep and irregular events arising during sleep are symptoms related to sleep disorders. It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 70 million Americans chronically contain some form of sleep disorder that is affecting their day-to-day living (Altevoga et al., 2006). According to The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey (2015), among 74,571 adult in 12 states, 37.9% reported accidentally falling asleep during the day within the past month, 35.3% informed having less than 7 hours of sleep in a given day, and 4.7% conveyed falling asleep at least once within the past month while driving. In 2011, The Department of Transportation counted 1,550 fatalities and 40,000
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Two of the major categories pertaining to sleep loss are lifestyle/occupation and sleep disorders. Over the past 30 years, the numbers of people who sleep less than 6 hours a night have increased. An increase in sleep loss is largely due to societal changes, such as greater dependence on longer work hours, shift work and easier access to the Internet (Altevogt, 2006). Numbers of individuals working night shifts and suffering from chronic sleep loss have also increased, as well as people who leave work between midnight and 5:30 am, which has increased by 24% (Altevogt, 2006). A lot more adults are sleeping less in order to get more done, which is why insomnia has a higher …show more content…
Everyone has an internal clock that is regulated mostly by light. Light hits the “light sensitive” cells in the retina of our eyes which lets the brain know whether it is daytime or nighttime and a sleep patter is set appropriately. In the case of a shift work, an individual’s exposure to light can change. When a person is working a night shift, they have two symptoms. The first symptom is insomnia because they are trying to sleep outside their internal phase. The second symptom is excessive sleepiness during the time their internal clock is telling them that they should be asleep, which is crucial for individuals such as nurses, physicians, police personnel and air pilots who’s peak functioning is often required at night. Pain and anxiety can make it very difficult for an individual to have a good night sleep. People who experience pain, stress, anxiety and depression have far more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. This is largely due to the fact that our bodies are programmed to respond to stress and potential dangers by waking up. Even the smallest of daily stresses can trigger this body response. Caffeine and alcohol, due to the amount of chemicals inside the body, affect both the quantity and quality of sleep. Caffeine increases the number of times a person wakes up at night, while alcohol has been shown to cause insomnia (Sleep Health,
Two of the major categories pertaining to sleep loss are lifestyle/occupation and sleep disorders. Over the past 30 years, the numbers of people who sleep less than 6 hours a night have increased. An increase in sleep loss is largely due to societal changes, such as greater dependence on longer work hours, shift work and easier access to the Internet (Altevogt, 2006). Numbers of individuals working night shifts and suffering from chronic sleep loss have also increased, as well as people who leave work between midnight and 5:30 am, which has increased by 24% (Altevogt, 2006). A lot more adults are sleeping less in order to get more done, which is why insomnia has a higher …show more content…
Everyone has an internal clock that is regulated mostly by light. Light hits the “light sensitive” cells in the retina of our eyes which lets the brain know whether it is daytime or nighttime and a sleep patter is set appropriately. In the case of a shift work, an individual’s exposure to light can change. When a person is working a night shift, they have two symptoms. The first symptom is insomnia because they are trying to sleep outside their internal phase. The second symptom is excessive sleepiness during the time their internal clock is telling them that they should be asleep, which is crucial for individuals such as nurses, physicians, police personnel and air pilots who’s peak functioning is often required at night. Pain and anxiety can make it very difficult for an individual to have a good night sleep. People who experience pain, stress, anxiety and depression have far more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. This is largely due to the fact that our bodies are programmed to respond to stress and potential dangers by waking up. Even the smallest of daily stresses can trigger this body response. Caffeine and alcohol, due to the amount of chemicals inside the body, affect both the quantity and quality of sleep. Caffeine increases the number of times a person wakes up at night, while alcohol has been shown to cause insomnia (Sleep Health,