Sleep Disorders

Is it hard for you to fall asleep or stay asleep though the night? Do you wake up feeling tired or feel very sleepy during the day, even if you have had enough sleep? You might have a sleep disorder.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 40 million people in the United States suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders each year and an additional 20 million people suffer occasional sleep problems.

In fact there are more than 70 different sleep disorders that are generally classified into one of three categories:

excessive sleep (e.g. narcolepsy)

disturbed sleep (e.g. obstructive sleep apnea)

lack of sleep (e.g. insomnia)

Sleep disorders are a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning. A test commonly ordered for some sleep disorders is the polysomnogram.

Nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking, head banging, wetting the bed and grinding your teeth are kinds of sleep problems called parasomnias.

Dyssomnias are a broad category of sleep disorders characterized by either hypersomnolence or insomnia. The three major subcategories include intrinsic (i.e., arising from within the body), extrinsic (secondary to environmental conditions or various pathologic conditions), and disturbances of circadian rhythm.

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder and it occurs more often in women and in the elderly. Medications and somatic treatments may provide the most rapid symptomatic relief from some sleep disturbances. Some disorders, such as narcolepsy, are best treated pharmacologically. Others, such as chronic and primary insomnia, may be more amenable to behavioral interventions, with more durable results.

The amount of sleep that a person needs to function normally depends on several factors (e.g., age). Infants sleep most of the day (about 16 hours); teenagers usually need about 9 hours a day; and adults need an average of 7 to 8 hours a day.

The most common sleep disorders include:

Bruxism: Involuntarily grinding or clenching of the teeth while sleeping

Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS): inability to awaken and fall asleep at socially acceptable times but no problem with sleep maintenance, a disorder of circadian rhythms. Other such disorders are advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS) and Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome (Non-24), both much less common than DSPS.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS): An irresistible urge to move legs. RLS sufferers often also have PLMD.

Situational circadian rhythm sleep disorders: shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) and jet lag

Hypopnea syndrome: Abnormally shallow breathing or slow respiratory rate while sleeping

Narcolepsy: Excessive daytime sleepiness, often culminating in falling asleep spontaneously and unwillingly at inappropriate times. Cataplexy, a sudden weakness in the motor muscles that could result in collapse to the floor is also common.

Night terror, Pavor nocturnus, sleep terror disorder: abrupt awakening from sleep with behavior consistent with terror

Obstructive sleep apnea: Obstruction of the airway during sleep, causing lack of sufficient deep sleep; often accompanied by snoring. Central sleep apnea is less common.

Sleep paralysis is characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly before or after sleep. Sleep paralysis may be accompanied by visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations. Not a disorder unless severe. Often seen as part of Narcolepsy.

Sleepwalking or somnambulism: Engaging in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness (such as eating or dressing), which may include walking, without the conscious knowledge of the subject

Parasomnias: Disruptive sleep-related events involving inappropriate actions during sleep stages - sleep walking and night-terrors are examples.

Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD): Sudden involuntary movement of arms and/or legs during sleep, for example kicking the legs. Also known as nocturnal myoclonus. See also Hypnic jerk, which is not a disorder.

Rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD): Acting out violent or dramatic dreams while in REM sleep.

Sleep Disorders

Further Information Regarding Sleep Disorders

Night Sweats Information and Facts
There are several different forms of night sweats. In order to determine the cause of night sweats in a particular person, doctors need to obtain details regarding their medical history, as well as perform tests to determine any underlying conditions that may exist that could be causing them. There are some known conditions that may cause night sweats...

Lack of Sleep More Dangerous for Women than Men
Women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns. Research by the University of Warwick and University College London has found that levels of inflammatory markers vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.

Evening Chronotype in High School Students Linked with Lower College Gpa
Students who consider themselves to be evening types (that is someone who feels more alert and does their best work later in the day) have poorer sleep hygiene scores than morning and intermediate types. Sleep hygiene is the group of behaviors linked to good sleep and alertness.

Sleep Disorders Affect Majority of Seniors
At the 2009 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Seattle on April 28, the researchers report that 59 percent of 892 people age 70-89 had signs of at least one recognized sleep disorder other than insomnia. The most common disorder, reported by 32 percent of study participants, was sleep-related leg cramps.

New Way to Analyze Sleep Disorders
Diagnosing sleep disorders is not necessarily easy. In standard "sleep studies," people spend one or more nights at hospitals or other inpatient centers, sleeping while sensors and electrodes attached to the head and torso record breathing, brain waves, heart rate, and other vital signs.

Types of Sleep Disorders
There are innumerable sleep disorders ranging from the most trivial ones to the ones we might never have heard before. New born babies, young and old adults and even our favorite pets can suffer from sleep disorders.