Many people who have sleep disorders may be completely unaware of it. Perhaps you think you just are sleeping too much or too little, or are tired due to jet lag. Some sleep behavior may be only noticeable by your bed partner, such as moving your arms or legs, talking, or sleepwalking. You wake up with a sore jaw and don't know why.
Some of the most common disorders are sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome.
Sleep Apnea - back to top
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that can be serious. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. That means you are unable to get enough air through your mouth and nose into your lungs. When that happens, the amount of oxygen in your blood may drop. Normal breaths resume with a snort or choking sound. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.
When your sleep is interrupted throughout the night you can be drowsy during the day. People with sleep apnea are at higher risk for car crashes, work-related accidents and other medical problems including cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. People with obstructive sleep apnea also have a three-fold greater risk of a car accident than the general population. If you have any of the following symptoms, it is important to get an evaluation and treatment:
- Have a hard time falling or staying asleep?
- Snore loudly or wake up gasping for air?
- Wake up feeling tired or feel very sleepy during the day, even though you had
- enough sleep?
- Awaken with headaches?
- Have difficulty with memory?
Insomnia - back to top
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep, remain asleep, or sleep restfully through the night. It may include consistently awakening too early. It can last a few days or a couple of weeks and is considered a chronic problem if it lasts more than 3 weeks. Insomnia is often the symptom of another medical problem or stress. Insomnia is especially common among the elderly and women. Women are twice as likely to suffer from insomnia than men.
Insomnia can cause problems during the day, such as excessive sleepiness, fatigue, trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, or feeling depressed or irritable. It is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. Although the amount of sleep a person needs varies, most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night.
If you think you have insomnia, talk to your doctor. It might be helpful to complete a sleep diary for a week or two, noting your sleep patterns, your daily routine, and how you feel during the day. Discuss the results of your sleep diary with your doctor. He or she may do a physical exam and take a medical history and sleep history. Your doctor may also want to talk to your bed partner to ask how much and how well you are sleeping. In some cases, you may be referred to a sleep center for special tests. Treatment for chronic insomnia includes:
- Finding and treating any medical conditions or mental health problems.
- Looking for routines or behaviors, like drinking alcohol at night, that may lead to the insomnia or make it worse, and stopping (or reducing) them.
- Trying one or more methods to improve sleep, such as relaxation therapy, sleep restriction therapy, and reconditioning.
- Possibly medication. You should consult to your doctor to weigh the risks and benefits.
Narcolepsy - back to top
Narcolepsy (NAR-ko-lep-see) is a disorder that causes a person to have difficulty staying awake. Narcolepsy can cause a person to suddenly fall asleep during the day. These "sleep attacks" occur even after getting enough sleep at night. The unusual and unpredictable sleep pattern that people with narcolepsy have can affect their schooling, work, and social life.
The symptoms of narcolepsy can appear all at once, or they can develop slowly over many years. The four most common symptoms are: excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, which is a sudden, brief loss of muscle control triggered by stress or strong emotion, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations, which are vivid, dream-like experiences that are difficult to distinguish from reality and occur at sleep onset or after awakening.
Narcolepsy is usually diagnosed by a medical history and an overnight sleep study. The next day following a sleep study, a multiple sleep latency test will also be done to determine daytime sleepiness.
Narcolepsy cannot be cured, but its symptoms can usually be controlled so that a person with narcolepsy can lead a normal life. Each treatment plan usually involves medication, life-style changes, and education.
Restless Legs Syndrome - back to top
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes a powerful urge to move your legs. Most who experience restless legs syndrome (RLS) describe a "creeping, crawling, tingling, or burning" sensation in the legs while sitting or lying still, especially at bedtime. For some, RLS causes discomfort or pain, which most often occurs in the calves and unlike other limb movement disorders, may be temporarily relieved by stretching and moving the legs. The constant need to stretch or move the legs to get rid of discomfort or pain often prevents a person from falling asleep. Extreme sleepiness during the day is usually the result.
In most cases, there is no known cause for RLS. In other cases, RLS is caused by a disease or condition, such as anemia or pregnancy. Some medications can also cause temporary RLS. Caffeine, tobacco and alcohol may make symptoms worse.
Lifestyle changes, such as regular sleep habits, relaxation techniques and moderate exercise during the day can help. If those don't work, medicines may reduce the symptoms of RLS.