Sleep Disorders
Some of the more common sleep disorders include:
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Sleep related
Breathing Disorders (Sleep Apnea)
Snoring, if light, may be trivial. Heavy snoring may be a symptom of a serious sleep
disorder called sleep apnea. People with sleep apnea stop breathing again and again
during sleep. These periods of no breathing are called apneas and may typically
last 10 - 30 seconds and can occur several hundred times each night. The Most common
symptoms of sleep apnea are loud, disruptive snoring, witnessed apneas and excessive
daytime sleepiness.
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Narcolepsy
People, who are too sleepy during the day and may feel muscular weakness when they
are angry, surprised or amused may have narcolepsy. Sometimes narcoleptics experience
terrifying dreams or hallucinations just as they are falling asleep. Narcolepsy
often emerges in young adulthood and is a lifelong medical disorder.
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Restless
Legs (RLS)
People who have Restless legs syndrome complain of disagreeable ("creepy crawling")
sensations in their legs when they are sitting or lying still, most commonly at
bedtime. These unpleasant feelings occur most often in the calves, the back of the
lower legs and are sometimes temporarily relieved by moving or stretching the legs.
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Periodic limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)
PLMD occurs most often when a person is asleep. Usually in the legs, movement occurs
at regular intervals 30 - 40 seconds apart. The movements may cause your bed partner
to complain of kicking or jerking and the sheets and blankets being twisted or fall
off the bed. People who have PLMD amy not get the proper rest they need and feel
like they can't sleep and/or may feel excessively sleepy during the day.
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Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to maintain sleep. Insomnia may be related
to other conditions, some of which are psychological (chronic depression or temporary
stress), environmental (noise) or physiological (pain or chronic breathing disorder).
Another common cause of insomnia is misuse of sleeping pills.
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