Customer Reviews

Sleep Disorders For Dummies

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The book "Sleep Disorders for Dummies" is like the other Dummies books in that it takes a rather difficult subject and makes it a easy for a normal person to understand. It fairly completely (at least for non medical professionals) covers the range of sleep problems from Insomnia to Narcolepsy with stops at other problems like Sleep Apnea.

I was acquainted with some of the material before, but found this book to be easy to read and understand. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to know about sleep problems.

Very helpful. Very simple. Helps patients quickly identify the problems they're having. The simple steps recommended for finding the appropriate sleep lab are helpful. For those who haven't been through it before, not all sleep labs are created equal! Neither are all CPAPs! Take a look at this book to get background information on how to make THE RIGHT decisions!

Excellent book, often times sleep disorders are mistaken for "mental illness" ... Schizophrenia, ADHD, OCD, Bi-Polar Disorder, Depression ... you name it.

An often overlooked point is the pre-mature babies of the world, they may tend to have a more sensitive nervous system then "normal" babies. And also "Big Babies" regardless to whether they are premature can have rather serious medical issues.

BIG BABY SYNDROME - Is sometimes used synonymously with Large For Gestational Age, or is otherwise defined as a fetus that weighs above 4000 grams (8 lb 13 oz) or 4500 grams (9 lb 15 oz) regardless of gestational age.

Also some biological problems such as a deviated septum may be responsible for some sleep disorders. Sleep apnea and other breathing problems can create havoc on daytime energy levels.

Some of the topics covered in the book:

JACTATIO CAPITIS NOCTURNA - Swinging or banging of the head before or during sleep, or in the phase between these two states.

PAVOR NOCTURNUS (Night Terror) - A night terror, also known as pavor nocturnus, is a parasomnia sleep disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The subject wakes abruptly from the fourth stage of sleep, with waking usually accompanied by gasping, moaning, or screaming. It is often impossible to fully awaken the person, and after the episode the subject normally settles back to sleep without waking. A night terror can occasionally be recalled by the subject. They typically occur during non-REM sleep. ... a person can always stick a voice activated tape recorder near their bed to see if any bizarre "conversations" occur at nighttime.

- Extreme sleepwalking (including moving furniture), bruxism (teeth grinding) and other behaviors can result from night terrors.

Unlike nightmares, which are frequently a scary event dream (e.g. a monster under the bed, falling to one's death, etc.), night terrors are not dreams. Usually there is no situation or event (scary or otherwise) that is dreamt, but rather the emotion of fear itself is felt. Often, this is coupled with tension and apprehension without any distinct sounds or visual imagery, although sometimes a vague object of fear is identified by the sufferer. These emotions, generally without a focusing event or scenario, increase emotions in a cumulative effect. The lack of a dream itself leaves those awakened from a night terror in a state of disorientation much more severe than that caused by a normal nightmare. This can include a short period of amnesia during which the subject may be unable to recall his name, location, age, or any other identifying features of himself. This state generally passes after only one or two minutes.

PARASOMNIAS - Is any sleep disorder such as sleepwalking, sleepeating, sleep sex, teeth grinding, night terrors, rhythmic movement disorder, REM behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome, and somniloquy (or sleep talking), characterized by partial arousals during sleep or during transitions between wakefulness and sleep. Parasomnias are often associated with stress and depression, and biological factors may also be involved. Many parasomnias are more common in children than in adults.

SOMNILOQUY (Sleep-talking) - A parasomnia that refers to talking aloud in one's sleep. It can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can occur many times during sleep. Listeners may or may not be able to understand what the person is saying.

... Of course some of the more incompetent medical doctors have near zero knowledge about true sleep disorders. Horror stories of people with severe sleep disorders mistakenly being given "psychotropic" drugs abound. My advice is to try one of the newer generation sleep aids such as Ambien.

Well ... I will admit that the so-what factor is at an all-time high.

Give this book a chance, see beyond the title.

I'm sure that the fully illustrated and annotated ¨Cultivating and Harvesting Mind-Altering Plants for Dummies¨ would get a lot more hits.

However, this book lists the sleep disorders that are common today, and describes them in adequate detail. This book made me aware of the symptoms and the potential danger of Sleep Apnea. He also goes into more benign problems, such as insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, narcolepsy and hypersomnia.

He presents ideas on what habits and lifestyles lead to sleep problems like insomnia; he also offers reasonable solutions to them.

This book would be helpful to anybody who takes care of themself or anyone else, like a child, a spouse or an older relative. He presents a series of symptoms that are tell-tale signs of a parasomnia, such as sleep-walking, talking, or even sleep-eating. (He calls that syndrome the 'midnight raider'.) He also includes pediatric sleep disorders.

He lists sleep disrupters, that is, bad habits that interfear with sleep. He also gives advice on how to turn your room into a sleepie-paradise. No sleep disorder mentioned is incurable.

In general good book, my only complaint is his implication that the night-owl or the night-shift worker has a sleep disorder. This isn't an ideal world.

The book was informative and easy to understand. The author seemed sensitive to the suffering of patients with sleep disorders. He seemed like the answer to long suffering. The information from the book filled in the gaps for question I've had for many years. I was so excited I decided to look up Dr.Hirshkowitz for consultation. After two over night sleep studies, Dr. Hirshkowitz is nowhere to be found,no consultation. The clinic's push is to purchase a sleep machine.

The book is very informative on sleep disorders. I purchased this book because my wife has sleep apnea. It contains much information on the causes and problems associated with sleep disorders. It has helped my wife understand the condition alot better than she did before reading it. I would recommend it to those who have this condition and who don't understand what it is.