Discuss at least two causes of sleep disturbance. What effects have been shown to occur as a result?
Sound sleep is vital for human functioning on a daily basis. Yet some people do not get the required amount. Whether, inadequate sleep might be due to physical, psychological or socioeconomic conditions, sleep disturbance is a common problem. Impaired sleep or sleep disturbance means failure to fall asleep, inability to regain sleep and persistent arousal during the night (Prinz, 1977, as cited in Harrington & Avidan, 2009). The most familiar types of sleep disorders are insomnia; difficulty falling asleep in-spite of sufficient sleep opportunity, and obstructed sleep apnea; difficulty in breathing while asleep that results in frequent awakening (Harrington & Avidan, 2009). The multiple causes of sleep disturbance may include ageing, noise, chronic disease, nocturia, alcoholism, chronic pain, obesity and stress. This essay focuses on three common causes of sleep disturbance: ageing, noise and psychological problems. It also focuses on consequences like memory impairment and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. Ageing may be a common cause of sleep disturbance. Changes in sleep pattern, like increased lighter stages of sleep, increased fragmented sleep, as well as decreased total sleep time and early morning awakenings may all occur with advancing age. The prevalence of obstructed sleep apnea is 13% among older men and 4% among older women (Enright et al., 1996, as cited in Harrington & Avidan, p. 148). Another study in California showed the prevalence of obstructed sleep apnea occurred in 28% of men and 20% of women in people aged 65 years and above (Ancoli-Israel et al., 1991, as cited in Harrington & Avidan, 2009). Disturbed sleep may be due to physiological alterations such as kyphoscoliosis and intercostal calcification that might occur