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Some Difficulties That People May Have with Sleep

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Understanding Sleep and Dreaming

Abstract

Not regularly getting sufficient good quality sleep results in an accumulation of sleep debt that causes many negative effects in people’s lives. Yet most people are not aware of just how sleepy they are and the problems this causes for them. They continue to leave insufficient time for their sleep. For others, the problem is with their circadian rhythm of sleep such as the effects of jet lag and shift work. Related to this is sleepiness in the workplace. Other people suffer from events that happen during their sleep such as snoring and a group of problems called parasomnias. These are undesirable and usually unpleasant behavioral occurrences or experiences happening primarily or exclusively during sleep. Common examples are sleep walking, nightmares, sleep terrors, bed wetting, teeth grinding, sleep talking, and feeling paralyzed upon awakening. Also included are violence, eating, and sex that occur while asleep.

Portions of this chapter have been adapted from Moorcroft 1993 with permission of the publisher. Specific references to statements in this chapter that can be found there and in multiple, widely available sources are not included in the text. A selection of these sources is listed below and can also be consulted for verification or more detail (Kryger et al. 2011; Lee-Chiong 2011; Cartwright 2010; Lee-Chiong et al. 2002).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The primary references for this section are Dinges (2002) and Harrison and Horne (2000).

  2. 2.

    Science Daily 2002.

  3. 3.

    Not enough is known about optimal doses, individual differences in sensitivities, interactions with drugs, or long-term effects of melatonin. Additionally, melatonin is not regulated in the United States, and the purity or amount may not be as indicated on the label. In some countries, it is illegal to possess it without a prescription. Also, be aware, since it can produce sleepiness, you should not drive or engage in other potentially dangerous activities that may require your full alertness.

  4. 4.

    The primary source for information in this section is from Lipman 1996.

  5. 5.

    The primary sources of information for this box are Kryger et al. 2000; Shapiro and Smith 1997; Mahowald et al. 2011.

  6. 6.

    The primary source for information in the section if from Howell 2011.

  7. 7.

    The primary source for information in this section is from Buchanan 2011.

  8. 8.

    From Cartwright and Lamburg 1992; Krakow and Neidhardt 1992.

  9. 9.

    The primary source for the information in this section is from Arkin (1981).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Colorado Sleep Consultants, 4443 Vista Drive, Fort Collins, 80526, CO, USA

    William H. Moorcroft

  2. Emeritus Professor Sleep and Dreaming Laboratory and Psychology Department, Luther College Decorah, Decorah, IA, USA

    William H. Moorcroft

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  1. William H. Moorcroft
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Correspondence to William H. Moorcroft .

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Moorcroft, W.H. (2013). Some Difficulties That People May Have with Sleep. In: Understanding Sleep and Dreaming. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6467-9_12

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