Types of Sleep Disorders

Many different types of sleep disorders can keep you awake at night or at least prevent you from getting a decent night’s sleep. Sleep disorders are not easily diagnosed, although they share a number of common symptoms.

Sleep disorders reduce the quality of sleep.

Different types of sleep disorders affect sleep differently. Fox News speculates that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep shortages. The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with sleep apnea while another 10 million go undiagnosed.

Other sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia
• Hypersomnia
• Narcolepsy
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Somnabulism
• Snoring

Each of these sleep disorders affects not only the quantity and quality of your sleep, but the sleep of your partner. Because lack of sleep can also affect cognitive function, sleep disorders can affect all parts of your waking and sleeping hours.

The National Institute of Health and scientists cannot explain why exactly people need sleep nor how much sleep is necessary. Studies of animals indicate that lack of sleep has a debilitating effect on the immune system, cognitive function and digestion.

Daytime fatigue is often associated with sleep disorders and can be particularly frustrating when a person is sleeping eight to ten hours a night (or so they think), but awaking exhausted in the morning. The lack of sleep can also have a deleterious effect on the body’s ability to recuperate from exercise, injury, surgery or illness.

Patients with sleep apnea, for example, can take as much as two to three times longer to heal from an injury or recover from an illness as someone without sleep apnea. Part of the problem is related to the quantity and quality of sleep. Many sleep apnea patients also suffer from chronic headaches due to oxygen deprivation. This deprivation also affects cognitive function, learning and focusing issues.

Diagnosis is the most difficult part of treating a sleep disorder. If you or someone you love suspect they have a sleep disorder, discuss it with your physician. The physician will be able to ask the right questions and look at your medical history. If they agree that you might be suffering from a sleep disorder, they will send you to participate in a sleep study.

The sleep study is conducted at a clinic where you can sleep in a comfortable room overnight. Technicians hook up sensors to monitor your vitals, including brain waves, heart rate and respiration. The room temperature is set to what you think is comfortable. There is no light and minimal noise in order to create the ideal atmosphere for sleeping. A trained technician will hook you up and monitor your vitals throughout the night.

The next day, your results are sent to a sleep doctor specialist who can make a diagnosis or order further tests as needed. If the problem is physiological, such as obstructive sleep apnea, then you can undergo treatment to help improve the quality of your sleep. Neurological problems are far more difficult to treat. Narcolepsy, for example, is a neurological sleep disorder that must be managed but cannot be cured or treated to remove.

No matter which type of sleep disorder you suffer from, you should see your physician for regular checkups not only for the sleep disorder but also for associated conditions. Depression and anxiety can contribute to sleep problems such as hypersomnia or insomnia. While regular treatments can help improve the quality of sleep, it is important to update your physician for any changes in your status as well as changes and new discoveries in the medical community.

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