- Not allowing enough time
for sleep
- Anything that causes
insomnia or poor quality sleep
- Sleep disorders
- Excessive worry,
depression
- Repeated awakenings from
noise
- Working at night, travel
across time zones
- Medical illness causing
pain, difficulty breathing, etc.
Obstructive
sleep apnea: A very common disorder where
there is obstruction of the nose and/or throat by enlarged
tonsils, a deviated nasal septum etc. which results in
pauses in breathing during sleep. Symptoms include snoring,
morning headache and daytime fatigue. Obstructive sleep
apnea can lead to heart failure and is a risk factor for
heart attacks and strokes.
Nocturnal myoclonus: Jerking of legs during sleep which
causes brief awakenings. This causes insomnia and daytime
sleepiness.
Narcolepsy: A relatively rare sleep disorder of dream
sleep. The main symptom is uncontrollable sleepiness during
the day.
Motor
vehicle accidents and work accidents
-
Decreased
productivity
If
this becomes a chronic problem, sleep deprivation can cause
difficulties with social relationships because of
irritability; as well as some significant medical problems.
In the early to mid afternoon and in the very early morning
hours. These are the times when everyone is least alert.
-
Medical
illnesses: heart disease, breathing disorders and a
variety of other problems can cause fatigue and sleepiness.
-
Mental
illness: depression is an important cause of insomnia
troubles during the day.
Getting enough sleep at night or adding naps in the
afternoon when needed can help prevent serious accidents due
to sleepiness. If a person has signs of a sleep disorder or
has their sleep disrupted by symptoms of a medical illness
or depression, they should see their physician.
Source: SleepWeb (Marketdata Enterprises, Inc.) research,
Centers for Disease Control
*page last updated 04/24/2008
