PSYC 370 Lecture 19: Sleep Disorders

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 370
• Professor: Janet L Menard

Document Summary

Insomnia- all disorders of initiation and maintaining sleep. Hypersomnia- disorders of excessive sleep or sleepiness. Many cases of insomnia are iatrogenic (physician-created) due to sleeping pills and tolerance effects: as tolerance to sleep pills increases, more is required to produce hypnotic effect, cessation of pills = withdrawal = insomnia. Stop breathing many times/ night; each time person wakes, begins to breath again & falls back asleep: lasts 20-30 secs, 20-30 times/ hr. Blood oxygen levels drop with breathing interruptions. Increased risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, accidents. Results from obstruction of respiratory passages by muscle spasms or atonia and occurs in snorers: large tonsils and adenoids obstruct airway, obesity, bone structure (head & neck) Results from failure of cns to stimulate respiration- cns does(cid:374)"t se(cid:374)d (cid:272)orre(cid:272)t sig(cid:374)als to (cid:271)reathi(cid:374)g (cid:373)us(cid:272)les. Moderate to severe sleep apnea: change in daily activities, avoid alcohol, smoking, sleeping on side, weight loss.