If after long hours of sleep you feel rested, then you had a good sleep. You are ready for a new day. But if you had insufficient sleep, you will find yourself lacking in focus, lethargic, and irritable. These are the signs of someone who has sleeplessness or is sleep deprived.

Sleep is important for good health. During sleep, the body repairs and recharges itself. An 8 hour sleep is sufficient, but some people can sleep for 6 hours and feel fully refreshed. There are people who sleep for 8 hours or more but still feel sluggish.

Sleep disruptions can affect the quality of sleep a person is getting. Apnea is a frequent reason for sleeplessness. A person suffering from apnea will wake up gasping for breath. During sleep, he or she may stop breathing-perhaps for seconds or even a minute. When this happens, oxygen does not enter the air passages through the nose and the mouth.

The prolonged lack of air lowers the levels of oxygen in the bloodstream, and the brain sends signals. The person wakes up wheezing and choking. When this happens frequently, he or she is not getting enough sleep. The other symptoms of apnea are dry mouth, heartburn, and splitting headaches in the morning. People who snore are the prime suspects for apnea.

In children under fiver years old, symptoms of sleeplessness are mouth breathing, snoring, sweating, and frequent waking up. Those who are older will wet their beds, snore, and do poorly in school. Their growth is slow compared to other children their age. In very rare cases, apnea in children can induce enlargement of the heart or cor pulmonale.

Waking Up in the Middle of the Night

If your child wakes up frequently during the night, suspect apnea. Monitor your child's snoring or breathing. If there are long pauses in between breathing, the likelihood of apnea is high.

Sleep disruptions that also cause sleeplessness are the sudden body jerks that rouse a person from sleep. This should not be a concern, but is a sign that your body is overly fatigued, and the brain refuses to rest.

Another cause for sleeplessness is the frequent need to urinate, and this may have underlying symptoms related to apnea. Whatever the cause, it is always best to seek medical advice.

In the case of apnea, observe your partner's or child's sleeping pattern. Watch out for loud snoring, tossing and turning, choking and gasping. A child may not exhibit sleepiness during the day like adults suffering from apnea. Instead, they will have less attention span and lack focus; when this happen their school work will suffer.

Who to See?

When these symptoms are exhibited, it is time to call a doctor. Bring your child to the family doctor or pediatrician. For those who have heart problems, bring them to a cardiologist.

When it is necessary to remove excess tissues on the mouth or the bony tissues on the throat, an otolaryngologist or EENT should be consulted at the soonest possible time.