What is a sleep disorder? Get to know about its common symptoms

Sleep disorders (or sleep-wake disorders) involve problems with the quality, timing, and amount of sleep, which result in daytime distress and impairment in functioning. Sleep-wake disorders often occur along with medical conditions or other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety.

What happens in sleep disorder?

People who face sleep disorders will surely get difficulties while sleeping and definitely feels much frustrated while shifting left and right on the bed as it feels like an eternity to pass the nights for people with this problem. A lack of rest can also have detrimental effects on your mood, brain function and overall health. Yet, it is a common problem. According to a survey, 50 to 70 million people in America are suffering from a sleep disorder.

 

Common symptoms of sleep disorder may include

• Difficulty Falling asleep to fight anxiety or depression
• Not well after a nap
• Daytime tiredness or feeling sleepy
• Getting up too early in the morning
•  Continuously headache

 

Sleep Disorders can broadly be classified into

There are different kinds of sleep disorders you must know about. Let us get into it:

• Insomnia
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
• Parasomnias
• Sleep Paralysis
• Restless Legs Syndrome
• Circadian Rhythm Disorders
• Narcolepsy

 

Let us expand the above topics and get into them

Insomnia

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder that makes it hard to fall asleep as it turns to have anxiety in your mind somewhere for not getting sleepy at night other than normal people. A common person should sleep 8 to 9 hours a day for proper hygiene, but people with insomnia are unable to sleep properly, and it feels so frustrated for the person with insomnia.

People with insomnia also often have trouble getting up in the morning, daytime fatigue and other symptoms of sleep deprivation. Some people experience temporary insomnia for a short period, but it can also be a chronic disorder. Everyone knows the frustrating feeling of not being able to sleep at night. But many Americans struggle with chronic sleep deprivation due to insomnia. Patients diagnosed with insomnia have difficulty falling asleep or going back to sleep at least three nights a week for an extended period of time. It is recommended to follow yoga and meditation to get rid of sleep disorders. 

Chronic insomnia is unlikely to go away without treatment. Yet, the long-term effects of sleep deprivation pose serious health risks.

 

Sleep apnea

This sleep disorder is often related to loud snoring. Many people with sleep apnea do not remember snoring loudly or waking up throughout the night. However, they do feel restlessness and fatigued during the day because of the constant interruptions in their nightly sleep patterns. If sleep apnea goes untreated, it can lead to hypertension, heart problems, stroke or sudden death.

Moreover, those who suffer from OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) experience short but continual problems because of which they stop breathing.

 

REM sleep behaviour disorder 

For people who struggle with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, dreaming is also physical activity. They do not experience paralysis during REM sleep but act out intense or violent dreams. Instead of resting while asleep, people with RBD move their arms and legs, get up from bed and even do things they would normally do while awake. 

This may include talking, walking, yelling, hitting and kicking. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder becomes alarming when the sleeping person engages in dangerous behaviour or acts out violence. This sleep disorder can be dangerous. Some people affected by RBD have reported injuring themselves or others while asleep.

 

Parasomnias

A parasomnia is actually a sleep disorder that causes abnormal behaviour while sleeping. The behaviour can occur during any stage of sleep, including the transition from wakefulness to sleeping and vice versa. If you have parasomnia, you might move around, talk, or do unusual things during sleep.

Abnormal movements, talk, emotions and actions happen while you're sleeping, although your bed partner might think you're awake. Examples include sleep terrors, sleepwalking, nightmare disorder, sleep-related eating disorder and sleep paralysis. Sleep talking, sleepwalking, night terrors, nightmares, bedwetting and so on are some of the common sleep disorder; parasomnia.

 

Sleep paralysis

Some people experience temporary paralysis when falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis is a common yet frightening disorder. It is a state during waking up or falling asleep, in which a person is aware but unable to move or speak. 

During an episode, one may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear. Episodes generally last less than a couple of minutes. One of the major causes of sleep paralysis is sleep deprivation or a lack of sleep.

 

 

Restless legs syndrome

RLS is a sleep disorder that is described as a strong, irresistible urge to move the legs while sleeping. It can feel like aching, muscle tension, tingling or crawling along the legs and feet. This discomfort eases when the person moves, stretches or rubs their legs. Restless Legs Syndrome makes it difficult to fall asleep or sleep throughout the night.

 

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

This group of sleep disorders occurs when someone's sleep cycle is unregulated. Circadian rhythm disorders are more common among people who are blind, work shifts, work in the dark or regularly affected by jet lag. These problems occur when your sleep-wake cycle is not properly aligned with your environment and interferes with your daily activities. You have a biological clock that controls the timing of several activities and functions of your body, including when you go to sleep and wake up.

 

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime attacks and sudden attacks of sleep. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time, regardless of the circumstances. Narcolepsy can cause serious disruptions in your daily routine.

People with narcolepsy are very sleepy during the day, yet many have trouble sleeping through the night. Two tests that are considered essential in confirming a diagnosis of narcolepsy are the polysomnogram (PSG) and the multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT). In addition, questionnaires, such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, are often used to measure excessive daytime sleepiness.

 

Conclusion

If you are also facing sleep disorders, don't get tensed. It's quite normal. Let us know about your suggestions on this in the comment section below.