101 Questions and answers about sleep for 12-20 year olds

[Pages:196]Teenage Sleep:

Understanding and helping the sleep of 12-20 year olds

By Dorothy Bruck1

1 Please address all correspondence to:

Professor Dorothy Bruck

PO Box 14428

School of Psychology

MCMC

Victoria University

Melbourne 8001

Ph: 03 9919 2336 Fax: 03 9919 2218 dorothy.bruck@vu.edu.au

Teenage sleep

? Dorothy Bruck 2006 No part of this e-book may be reproduced without explicit acknowledgement of the source. E-published by the Wellness Promotion Unit, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia ISBN 1 86272667 1

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................... 9

SOME STRANGE SLEEP FACTS ................................................................10

ABOUT THIS E-BOOK..................................................................................11

CHAPTER 1: ALL ABOUT SLEEP .....................................................................15

1.1 How does the need for sleep change across the lifespan?............. 15 1.2 Does the timing of sleep change with puberty? .............................. 16 1.3 Why do teenagers often sleep in on weekends? ............................ 18 1.4 What is a `morning' or `evening' type person? ................................ 20 1.5 Can some people survive on little or no sleep? .............................. 21 1.6 What happens if you don't sleep at all? .......................................... 21 1.7 How does lack of sleep affect the ability to concentrate, think and learn?.............................................................................................. 23 1.8 What are the consequences of being sleepy for driving?................ 25 1.9 How does lack of sleep affect physical health?............................... 28 1.10 How does lack of sleep affect emotional wellbeing?..................... 28 1.11 Do we only dream during part of our sleep? ................................. 29 1.12 What happens in REM sleep compared to non-REM sleep? ........ 31 1.13 Has our understanding of sleep changed over the centuries? .............................................................................................. 33 1.14 How do we measure sleep?.......................................................... 33 1.15 How do sleep stages change across the night?............................ 35 1.16 How do sleep stages change with age?........................................ 37 1.17 Are some people deeper sleepers than others? ........................... 37 1.18 Why do we need deep sleep?....................................................... 38

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1.19 Can we successfully wake up at a particular time without an alarm clock?...................................................................................... 38 1.20 Why are we sometimes sleepy after lunch?.................................. 39

CHAPTER 2: PROBLEMS OF TEENAGE SLEEP AND SLEEP MEDICINE...........40

2.1 How common are sleep problems in teenagers?............................ 40 2.2 Do teenage boys and girls have different sleep experiences?........ 43 2.3 Are some teenagers more at risk than others? ............................... 43 2.4 How is sleep affected by physical illnesses? .................................. 46 2.5 Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a sleep disorder? ............................. 47 2.6 Do mental illnesses affect sleep? ................................................... 49 2.7 What is sleep medicine? ................................................................. 51 2.8 What are the main types of sleep disorders?.................................. 52

CHAPTER 3: TROUBLE GETTING TO SLEEP OR STAYING ASLEEP ? WHY? ...............................................................................................................53

3.1 What is insomnia and how do we know when it's present? ............ 53 3.2 Are we good at judging the difference between sleep and wake? .................................................................................................... 54 3.3 What does caffeine do to sleep?..................................................... 55 3.4 What does alcohol do to sleep?...................................................... 56 3.5 What does tobacco do to sleep?..................................................... 58 3.6 How do illegal drugs affect our sleep? ............................................ 58 3.7 What are the effects of erratic sleep-wake times? .......................... 59 3.8 Can the problem just be with the timing of sleep, rather than sleep itself?............................................................................................ 60 3.9 Is being a noisy breather or snorer a problem for good sleep? .................................................................................................... 66 3.10 What are the causes and consequences of sleep apnoea?.......... 67 3.11 What if your limbs feel restless before sleep?............................... 68

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3.12 Do many teenagers have night time fears that prevent sleep? .................................................................................................... 69 3.13 How can emotional problems affect sleep? .................................. 70 3.14 What effect does stress have on your body and on sleep?........... 72 3.15 How does stress relate to the development of emotional problems for teenagers? ........................................................................ 74 3.16 How can depression affect sleep? ................................................ 75 3.17 Is panic disorder related to sleep? ................................................ 78 3.18 Can poor sleep become a habit? .................................................. 79

CHAPTER 4: TROUBLE GETTING TO SLEEP OR STAYING ASLEEP ? WHAT HELPS? ..................................................................................................81

4.1 How can the time needed to fall asleep be shortened? .................. 81 4.2 What helps overcome awakenings during the night?...................... 85 4.3 How can emotions that stop sleep be dealt with? ........................... 85 4.4 Can non-prescription tablets help sleep?........................................ 89 4.5 Can other alternative therapies help? ............................................. 90 4.6 Why do people suggest counting sheep? ....................................... 91 4.7 Can sleeping tablets help and are they a good idea? ..................... 91 4.8 How are sleep apnoea and snoring treated? .................................. 95 4.9 What might help night time fears? .................................................. 96 4.10 How can body rhythm problems be overcome?............................ 97 4.11 What should be expected from a doctor's visit about inability to sleep? ................................................................................... 98

CHAPTER 5: SLEEPING TOO MUCH AND DAYTIME SLEEPINESS....................101

5.1 How can you tell how tired or sleepy a person is? ........................ 101 5.2 When is a tendency to fall asleep anywhere abnormal? ............... 102 5.3 What can cause ongoing sleepiness?........................................... 103 5.4 Why are some people very groggy in the morning?...................... 105

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5.5 Can puberty affect sleepiness?..................................................... 106 5.6 What is a microsleep?................................................................... 107 5.7 Are behaviours on remote control related to sleep? ..................... 108 5.8 Can a sleep problem relate to it being winter?............................... 108 5.9 What if increased sleepiness only happens every now and then?.................................................................................................... 109 5.10 What is narcolepsy?.................................................................... 110 5.11 How widespread is narcolepsy and what causes it?................... 114 5.12 How is narcolepsy diagnosed? ................................................... 115 5.13 How are the symptoms of narcolepsy controlled? ...................... 116 5.14 Can non-prescription `wake up' substances help alertness? ...... 117 5.15 Is napping a good idea?.............................................................. 117

CHAPTER 6: UNUSUAL BEHAVIOURS DURING SLEEP ...................................119

6.1 What unusual behaviours can happen during teenage sleep? .................................................................................................. 119 6.2 Why do we sometimes get sleep jerks, or starts, when going to sleep? .............................................................................................. 119 6.3 What if these jerks also happen during sleep? ............................. 121 6.4 What is sleep drunkenness and why does it happen? .................. 122 6.5 Why do some young people wake up terrified during the night? ................................................................................................... 123 6.6 What is the significance of nightmares?........................................ 124 6.7 Can we have hallucinations and still be normal? .......................... 127 6.8 Why do some people feel completely paralysed sometimes?....... 127 6.9 Is teeth grinding during sleep something to worry about?............. 128 6.10 Do some people get violent while being sleepy or asleep?......... 129 6.11 Why does sleep talking happen? ................................................ 130 6.12 What causes sleep walking and what should be done about it?......................................................................................................... 131

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6.13 What if bed wetting persists? ...................................................... 133 6.14 Is middle of the night snacking a sleep disorder? ....................... 133 6.15 Can epileptic attacks occur while asleep? .................................. 134

CHAPTER 7: ALL ABOUT DREAMS................................................................136

7.1 How do dreams change from infancy to adulthood? ..................... 136 7.2 How many dreams do we have each night and when do they happen?............................................................................................... 137 7.3 Are dreams of falling down suddenly normal? .............................. 138 7.4 What are wet dreams?.................................................................. 138 7.5 Are dreams showing us our wishes and fantasies? ...................... 139 7.6 What other meanings may our dreams have? .............................. 140 7.7 Can dreams reveal the future? ..................................................... 142 7.8 Can dreams tell us things that are important? .............................. 142 7.9 What do we know about our senses during dreams? ................... 143 7.10 Are all dreams emotional? .......................................................... 144 7.11 What if you die in your dreams? ................................................. 145 7.12 Can dreams help you work through problems? .......................... 146 7.13 Where do the things we dream about come from? ..................... 147 7.14 Are all dreams related to our waking lives? ................................ 148 7.15 Can things from the environment enter dreams during sleep? .................................................................................................. 149 7.16 Why are our vivid dreams so bizarre?......................................... 149 7.17 Can dreams help solve problems? ............................................. 150 7.18 Why do some dreams happen repeatedly? ................................ 151 7.19 Why don't we always remember our dreams? ............................ 152 7.20 What about dreaming in animals? .............................................. 154 7.21 Will dreams help the memory of schoolwork?............................. 155 7.22 Can the events in dreams be manipulated?................................ 155

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BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................158 USEFUL INTERNET SITES.......................................................................164

General Sleep Information ................................................................... 164 Sleep Apnoea ...................................................................................... 165 Dreams ................................................................................................ 166 Nightmares and Night Terrors.............................................................. 167 Narcolepsy........................................................................................... 168 Sleep Walking...................................................................................... 168 Mental Health....................................................................................... 169 Panic Attacks ....................................................................................... 170 Relationships and Sexual Health ......................................................... 171

APPENDICES ..............................................................................................172

Appendix A: Scale assessing level of morningness or eveningness......................................................................................... 172 Appendix B: Sleep Quality Index ........................................................ 176 Appendix C: Muscle relaxation ........................................................... 181 Appendix D: Sleep Diary..................................................................... 194

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