Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Anna Ryan eats a lot. Anna used to eat one meal each night – a normal meal. However, she did not stop there. She started eating seven, eight, or nine times every night. She would walk to the kitchen and eat and eat and eat. Then she would take food back to her bed and eat more there. The strange thing is, Anna does not remember eating, because Anna is sleeping when she eats all this food!
Voice 2
Anna suffers from a Sleep Related Eating Disorder or SRED. She has gained twenty-seven kilos because of her condition. At first, Anna did not know why she was gaining weight. She was also having a hard time staying awake at work and she did not know why. She said:
Voice 3
“Every morning I would wake up and it felt like I had not gone to bed.”
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on conditions called sleep disorders. Sleep-eating is one sleep disorder, but there are others. Some are Insomnia, Snoring, or Sleep Apnea. These conditions can unsettle lives and leave people tired and angry. But there is help.
Voice 2
What is sleep? Why do we need it? These questions are so simple that many people never think about them. We sleep when we are tired. Then we wake up with more energy. But how does that work? And why do some people sleep better than others?
Voice 1
If you watch someone sleep, it may seem like nothing is happening. But a lot of things are happening. Sleep is an active state that affects both your physical and mental health.
Voice 2
There are, in fact, two kinds of sleep. Both are part of a sleep cycle, a series of sleep levels. Someone may go through several sleep cycles each night.
Voice 1
When you begin sleeping you enter into Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or REM sleep. It is called this because the closed eye moves quickly around. This can even be seen by observers. Dreaming happens during REM-sleep. While REM sleep is important, it is the minority part of a good night’s sleep.
Voice 2
The majority kind of sleep is non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or non-REM. This kind of sleep has four levels. In level one the eyes are closed and someone can awake easily. If woken, a person may not feel that they have slept at all. This level lasts from five to ten minutes. During level one, a person may sometimes feel as if they are falling.
Voice 1
Level two is a light sleep. The body is preparing for deeper sleep. The heart rate slows down and body temperature drops.
Voice 2
Levels three and four are deep sleep. If a person wakes out of these levels, for a few minutes they may not know what is happening or where they are. During these levels of deep non-REM sleep, the body re-builds bone and muscle tissue and strengthens the immune system.
Voice 1
Everyone needs sleep. Some people may need less sleep than others, but most people need between six and nine hours of sleep each day. For most people, sleep is welcome and enjoyable. But if someone has a sleep disorder, going to bed can be a big struggle. Here are a few of the many sleep disorders.
Voice 2
Snoring is a common problem. The noise is made when air moves over the softened parts of the throat. Snoring can be a problem just because of the noise it makes. It can keep other people from sleeping. But, it may also be a sign of a more serious sleep problem called Sleep Apnea.
Voice 1
Sleep Apnea is when the air way gets blocked during sleep. This causes a person to stop breathing for a short time. It also causes them to wake up during the night. Someone with Sleep Apnea will be very tired during the day. But, they will not be as tired as someone with Insomnia.
Voice 2
Insomnia is when people have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night. Insomnia can be caused by stress, depression, travelling, medicines, or trying to sleep in bad conditions.
Voice 1
Sleep walking disorders are some of the most frightening kinds of sleep disorders. Sleep eating is a kind of sleep walking disorder. These disorders are frightening because people will do things without knowing what they are doing. They will not remember their actions later. Not only do people eat in their sleep, but they may leave their home, threaten people, or even force others into sexual activity.
Voice 2
Some sleep disorders seem to be passed on from one generation to another, from parents to children. Strangely, more women have sleep disorders than men. Sleep disorders can seem strange and shameful. But they do not need to be. Millions of people have sleep disorders and there are things that can help them.
Voice 1
If you think you may have a sleep disorder it is important to see a doctor or sleep specialist. You may not have a disorder at all. Sleep is influenced by sickness and stress, life pressure. It is affected by alcohol and the drug caffeine, found in drinks like coffee, tea and Coca-Cola. Even medicine for other conditions can cause sleep problems. So, if you change one of these things, you may be able to sleep again.
Voice 2
Even while doctors do not know what causes many sleep disorders, there are several ways to treat sleep disorders. There are a lot of different medicines and it may take your doctor some time to find the right one, so be patient. However, even without a doctor, there is something everyone can do to improve their sleep: have good sleep customs.
Voice 1
Avoid sleeping during the day. Do not drink alcohol or caffeine. Make your bedroom dark and quiet. Take slow deep breaths. Exercise every day, but not right before sleeping. You may find that changing these things will bring you a better night’s sleep.
Voice 2
So what happened with Anna, the woman from the beginning of this program? She worked with her doctor to find the right mix of medicine. She only sleep–eats once a week. She feels much better, and is less tired. And she has also started to lose weight!
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