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Lack of sleep can be life-threatening! For example, car accidents, personal problems, poor job performance, injuries, memory problems, and mood disorders have been linked to poor sleep. In addition, researchers have concluded sleep disorders likely contribute to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Symptoms of sleep disorders vary depending on the type of sleep disorder. The symptoms may range from mild to severe and usually include one or more of the following: hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness), insomnia (decreased sleep efficiency with unrestful sleep with frequent waking up in the night), loud snoring and/or brief pauses in breathing (short periods of apnea), leg movements or an urge to move the legs at night, sleepwalking, or night terrors (nightmares).
A normal sleep cycle has two major categories termed REM and non-REM. REM stands for rapid eye movement. REM sleep is characterized by muscle relaxation, dreaming, episodic rapid eye movements, and low amplitude waves on an EEG (encephalograph). Non-REM sleep is divided into four stages from light sleep (stage 1) to stage IV (Delta or deep sleep). Non-REM sleep occupies about 75% of normal sleeping time while REM occupies the remaining 25% and usually occurs more toward morning. Sleep disorders disrupt these sleep cycles.
The sleeping time needs of individuals are variable, and sleep times vary between kids and adults.
Adults
Some adults can vary in their sleep requirements from about 5 to as many as 10 hours per night. However, several studies have suggested the majority of normal adults average about 7 to 8 hours per night.
Younger People
In general, the younger the person, the more sleep they need. For example, teenagers require about nine hours of sleep while infants require about 16 hours per night.
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