Considering all of the amazing things the human body can accomplish, the need for proper rest is often overlooked. For many people, sleep is a necessity that they must plan the rest of their daily activities around. Obviously, because we are unconscious during sleep, it is often uneventful and a commonly neglected part of our lives. On the contrary, high quality sleep in adequate amounts is critical not only to our performance, but to our health.
Sleep disorders affect hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people around the world every night. They range from commonplace ailments like restless legs syndrome to debilitating illnesses like somniphobia (fear of sleep), narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness), and insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.) In recent years, sleep disorders have become increasingly prevalent and are a legitimate concern throughout the medical community.
In general, sleep disorders are typically reported when a friend or family member notices unusual activity during a person’s sleep. After visiting a doctor, most affected individuals will undergo a sleep study. They will spend a night in a room at a sleep center, where medical professionals use monitors and diagnostic instruments to observe the individual’s sleep patterns. Based on this analysis, the physician will recommend a disease-specific treatment plan, which may include lifestyle/behavioral changes, rehabilitation and disease management, the use of specialized equipment, or prescribed medications.
The prospect of imperfect sleep may seem to be a minor concern to some. However, when you consider that the time we spend asleep is the only period when the human body can recharge and repair itself, it becomes more apparent that the duration and quality of that rest is paramount to our well-being.
For example, let us assume that it is possible to keep an automobile constantly running 24 hours a day. With no downtime, the car may be able to run for 2-3 years straight if provided fuel without having to stop. However, by using cars as most of us do today, shutting them off for substantial amounts of time each day and providing them with regular maintenance, we are able to extend that life to possibly ten times as long. While this in an imperfect analogy, our bodies need rest much like the mechanical parts of our cars need periods of inactivity. When sleep disorders prevent us from getting proper sleep, it can have a profoundly negative effect on our health, possibly even to the point of shortening our lifespan.