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What is Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder?
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder affects the timing of the sleep and characterized by persistent or repeating pattern of sleep disruption due to altered sleep-wake schedule or an inequality in between a person’s natural sleep wake cycle. A person’s internal sleep and wake associated rhythms which occur all through a 24 hour period is known as circadian rhythm. When circadian rhythm is disrupted person’s sleep pattern gets affected. The sleep disruption can lead to sleeplessness at night [insomnia] and excessive sleepiness during daytime [narcolepsy].
The insomnia or narcolepsy leads to impaired functioning in social and occupational environments. Folks with this disorder are unable to sleep and wake at the instances for typical works. If they’re allowed to sleep and wake based on their body clocks, generally they are in a position to get sufficient sleep.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder can be classified into two kinds.
1. Extrinsic Kind 2. Intrinsic Kind.
Extrinsic means, the circadian rhythm sleep disorder caused by external factors. This type includes two disorders such as Jet Lag and Shift Work Sleep Disorder. The jet lag is characterized by sleep disruptions as a result of mismatch between a person’s circadian cycle and the cycle required by a different time zone. If the person travels more time zones, the disruption will be more. The folks with jet lag demonstrate sleepiness through the desired wake portion of the day and difficulty in sleeping throughout desired sleep portion of the day. They may take few days time get adjusted to the new time zone. Shift Work Sleep Syndrome occurs when the person works a shift during the instances when his circadian rhythm shows that he should be asleep. The person demonstrates sleep interference and wake period sleepiness.
Intrinsic refers to something which occurs inside the person’s body causing circadian rhythm sleep disorder. There are four disorders in intrinsic sort which include Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome, Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, Non-24-hour Sleep-Wake Syndrome and Irregular Sleep Wake Disorder. Individuals with advanced sleep phase syndrome experience difficulty in staying awake in the evening and difficulty in being asleep in the morning. This is very rare disorder and the sleep of affected folks is usually typical. Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome is more common, which is characterized by onset of sleep much later than regular timing and waking up late in the morning with a peak alertness at the middle of night. Individuals with this disorder sleep normally for 8 – 9hours, but they will not able to wake up in time for school or job. This disorder is chronic in nature and does not go away.
Non-24-hour Sleep Wake Syndrome is rare and commonly observed in blind individuals. The affected individual’s sleep occurs later and later each day and period of peak alertness moves around the clock every day. Individuals with this disorder go to sleep 1-2 hours later each day and wake up 1-2 hours later than the previous day. They sleep well for 8 to 9 hours but they do not adapt to the light/dark cycle of the day. Irregular Sleep-Wake Disorder presents as sleeping at very irregular occasions. It is very rare and usually noticed in patients with head injury, dementia and mental handicap.
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