Health Care

Hypersomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by sleeping too much, experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness or a combination of the two. Hypersomnia is not the same as feeling tired due to poor quality sleep or not getting enough sleep. Often, people with hypersomnia fall asleep suddenly throughout the day, a symptom the condition shares with narcolepsy. Symptoms of Hypersomnia Symptoms of hypersomnia often develop in adolescence or early adulthood. People with hypersomnia may sleep for up to 12 hours at a time, but still wake up feeling tired. Individuals may struggle to wake up after deep sleep and seem disoriented and confused. Hypersomnia often develops gradually, making it difficult for people to realize they are sleeping too much. Signs associated with hypersomnia include: Anxiety Headaches Irritation Loss of appetite Low energy levels Memory problems "Nap attacks" during the day Restlessness Sleeping too much Slow speech Slow thought proce

The human body runs on an internal clock. The entire cycle--transitioning from wakefulness to sleep and back to wakefulness--is known as the circadian rhythm and lasts approximately 24 hours. During this cycle, people experience daily hormonal and body temperature fluctuations. The circadian rhythm helps most people achieve normal sleep patterns. Individuals who experience normal sleep patterns generally feel energetic during the day. Disrupted sleep cycle stages cause people to operate slower than normal, reducing work or academic productivity. Normal sleeping patterns also encourage healthy immune responses, helping the body stave off disease and infection. Adequate sleep is also essential for children's mental and physical growth. People who experience sleep disorders may not have normal sleep patterns. Normal sleeping patterns can be disrupted by many factors, including mental and physical health, lifestyle and age. Treatment for sleep disorders may focus on ways to enc

Separation anxiety in infants and young toddlers is a natural part of development that stems from the child's increasing ability to distinguish parents and other loves ones from unfamiliar strangers. Feelings of anxiety may be expressed through crying and pouting when the child must be separated from a parent or caregiver. In children between the age of eight months and two years, these symptoms are normal. Parents can help alleviate symptoms of separation anxiety in young children by making them aware of upcoming periods of separation in advance and introducing temporary caregivers while the parent is present and providing comfort. Normal separation anxiety becomes a disorder when it persists beyond the toddler years and begins to interfere with the child's healthy development. A doctor may diagnosis separation anxiety disorder in a child older than five who displays strong symptoms of separation anxiety for longer than four weeks. If left untreated, the disorder could l

Phobias are a kind of anxiety disorder that involves an intense or irrational fear that is directed towards a certain object, situation or place. Some phobias or relatively common and familiar, such as the fear of heights (acrophobia) or the fear of small, enclosed spaces (claustrophobia). However, many rare phobias exist as well, ranging from fear of beautiful women (caligynephobia) to fear of poetry (metrophobia). Almost 20 million American adults suffer from some sort of specific phobia, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (2010). Phobia Symptoms Symptoms of a phobia can include: Anxiety just when thinking about the fear An inability to function normally because of the fear or anxiety Doing anything possible to avoid the source of the fear Feeling powerless to control fears, even when you realize they are irrational Uncontrollable anxiety when confronted with the fear Sweating, rapid heartbeat and other physical symptoms. Unusual and Rare Phobias U

Phobias are a class of anxiety disorders that cause the affected individual to feel an intense, irrational fear of a particular object, place or situation. About 8.7 percent of American adults suffer from a specific phobia (avoidance of a particular object or situation) in any given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (2010). Millions more have more generalized phobias, like social phobia or agoraphobia. The 10 most common phobias, according to Adelphi University (n.d.), are: Acrophobia:  This phobia is the fear of heights. Situations that might evoke fear in a person with acrophobia include standing on ladder or looking down from the window of a tall building. Aerophobia:  Aerophobia, or aviophobia, is the fear of flying. People with aerophobia may go to great lengths and inconvenience to avoid having to fly in an airplane. Agoraphobia:  Agoraphobia often manifests as a fear of leaving the house, but the root source is a fear of being in a situation in w

The agoraphobia definition has progressed in recent years as the disorder has become better understood. Once thought of as simply the fear of leaving the house or the fear of open spaces, researchers now believe that the primary fears involved in agoraphobia are more complicated. Agoraphobia is rooted in a fear of vulnerability, exposure and humiliation. Consequently, not only do sufferers of agoraphobia feel anxious in open spaces, they may also find crowded, confined spaces just as troublesome. Any place or situation in which they feel they cannot easily escape to somewhere they consider safe can induce great anxiety for sufferers of this phobia. Many doctors believe that agoraphobia is a complication of panic disorder. Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated panic attacks. For people with panic disorder and agoraphobia, the fear of exposure is often related to a fear of having a panic attack in an unfamiliar place or in front of a group of strangers.

Social anxiety disorder, also known as "social phobia," is a disorder characterized by intense self-consciousness and nervousness in certain public situations. For some sufferers of social anxiety disorder, the situations that trigger symptoms may be fairly specific, such as having to initiate conversation with strangers or being the center of attention in a public place. For others, even the most mundane interactions — like ordering food in a restaurant or purchasing items from a store clerk — can evoke strong anxiety symptoms. In these severe cases, the fear of being faced with a provoking situation keeps people with social anxiety disorder in a state of chronic stress whenever they're out in public. Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms The behavioral symptoms of social anxiety disorder often center around avoidance. The person may avoid speaking with strangers or avoid participating in a group discussion. Any situation that is likely to trigger anxiety and fear is