Sleeping Disorders That May Affect College Students

By Cayle Suntken

While it is unknown why we sleep, it is essential that a person should get between six and eight hours of sleep at night. However, some individuals may have trouble sleeping at night due to these various sleeping disorders.
Sleep Paralysis
Sleep paralysis is a sleeping disorder in which a person is fully conscious but is unable to move or speak. This lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. It usually occurs when the afflicted person transitions between wakefulness and sleeping. There are two types of sleep paralysis: hypnagogic and hypnopompic. Hypnagogic sleep paralysis occurs while you’re falling asleep while hypnopompic occurs while you’re trying to wake up. Although most sleep researchers agree that sleep paralysis is simply a disruption of the stages of sleep that one goes through each night, it rarely leads to much bigger psychiatric problems.

Insomnia
Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that either consists of having trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep. Although it can exist alongside other pre-existing mental conditions such as depression, anxiety and stress, it also can occur in individuals who have no prior history of mental health problems. Severe insomnia, also known as chronic insomnia, can lead to serious side effects such as fatigue, mood impairments, and a decrease in performance at either school or work.
There are many ways to combat insomnia. The first step is to set up a strict sleep schedule. Second, try to create a calming environment in the area that you sleep in and use your bed only for sleeping only. Third, try to avoid drinking either caffeinated beverages or alcohol before going to sleep. Eating heavy meals before bed time is also discouraged. Even though exercise helps one sleep, doing it before bedtime is highly discouraged. If insomnia continues to persist, calling a physician is highly encouraged.
Exploding Head Syndrome
A person with this particular sleeping disorder might hear a loud noise similar to a gunshot, a pair of cymbals clashing, or a bomb explosion while they’re trying to either fall asleep or wake up. Although it doesn’t cause, it may cause the individual to be fearful or anxious.
Although the condition was first described 150 years ago, the term “exploding head syndrome” was coined by a Welsh psychiatrist named Robert Armstrong-Jones back in 1920. According to a Washington State University study that was conducted by Brian Sharpless, it is estimated that the sleeping disorder affects about one out of five college students. Although the average age of the EHS sufferer is 58, it can occur as early at the age of 10. It occurs more frequently in women. It is unknown what causes EHS. One theory that EHS is caused by minor temporal lobe seizures while another theory says it’s caused by sudden shifts of middle ear components. Other causes may include stress, impairments in calcium signaling and brainstem neuronal dysfunction amongst others.
EHS does not normally require medical treatment and can be treated by simple remedies such as relaxation and counselling. However, treatments in extreme cases of EHS may include tricyclic antidepressants such as clomipramine and calcium channel blockers.

http://www.iowastatedaily.com/app_content/article_de7642ce-f5ee-11e5-8ddc-f7e65b00e426.html