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Common Sleep Disorders: (National Heart Lung Blood
Institute)
· Insomnia
· Narcolepsy
· Restless Legs Syndrome
· Sleep
Apnea
· Certain medical conditions have been linked to sleep
disorders. These include heart failure, coronary artery disease, obesity, diabetes,
high blood pressure,
and stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA, or "mini-stroke").
Common
signs of sleep disorders: (NHLBI)
· If you often feel very tired during the day—even though
you spent enough time in bed to be well rested.
· It takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night.
· You awaken often during the night and then have trouble falling back to sleep, or you awaken too early
in the morning.
· You feel sleepy during the day and fall asleep within 5 minutes if you have an opportunity
to nap, or you fall asleep at inappropriate times
during the day.
· Your bed partner
claims you snore loudly, snort, gasp, or make choking sounds while you sleep, or your partner notices your breathing
stops for short periods.
· You have creeping, tingling, or crawling feelings in your legs that are
relieved by moving or massaging them, especially in the evening and
when you try to fall asleep.
· You
have vivid, dreamlike experiences while falling asleep or dozing.
· You have episodes of sudden muscle weakness
when you're angry, fearful, or when you laugh.
· You feel as though you can't move when you first
wake up.
· Your bed partner notes that your legs or arms jerk often during sleep.
· You
regularly feel the need to use stimulants to stay awake during the day.
What
is “sleep-disordered breathing” (SBD)?
SDB is a group of conditions characterized by frequent
and repeated interruptions to breathing. SDB includes obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), snoring, gasping for breath, hypopnea
(not enough ventilation), upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), and Cheyne-Stokes breathing. These conditions cause
oxygen levels in the body to drop significantly while at the same time, carbon dioxide concentration increases.
Why do I snore?
You snore when something blocks the flow of air through
your mouth and nose. The sound is caused by tissues at the top of your airway that strike each other and vibrate. (MedlinePlus)
· Insomnia is a condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. It is a common condition that can cause daytime sleepiness and
lack of energy.
· There are two types of insomnia: secondary and primary. Secondary insomnia is the most common type. Secondary means that the
insomnia is a symptom or a side-effect of some other problem. Primary insomnia is not a side-effect of another problem, and it generally
persists for 1 month or longer.
· Insomnia that lasts for more than 1 month and is present at least 3 nights a week is called chronic insomnia. Insomnia that lasts for less
than 1 month is called short-term or acute insomnia.
· Chronic insomnia is a serious problem that can affect your mood, safety, and performance at work or school.
· Secondary insomnia often goes away or improves without treatment if you can eliminate its cause.
What is “narcolepsy”? (NHLBI)
· Narcolepsy is a lifelong condition that causes you to fall asleep suddenly during the day.
· Narcolepsy may cause sudden loss of muscle tone and control while awake (cataplexy), the inability to move or speak while falling asleep
or waking up (sleep paralysis), and/or vivid dreams while falling asleep or waking up (hallucinations).
· The symptoms of narcolepsy can cause accidents; injuries; and problems with learning, working, or connecting with others.
· Narcolepsy tends to develop first between the ages of 15 and 30.
· The exact causes of narcolepsy are not known. Many factors probably work together to cause a lack of the brain chemical hypocretin,
which promotes wakefulness.
What is “Restless Legs Syndrome”? (NHLBI)
· Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensory disorder causing an almost irresistible urge to move the legs. The urge to move the legs is
usually due to unpleasant feelings in the legs that occur when at rest. Movement eases the feelings but only for a while.
· Symptoms of RLS can range from mild to severe. Symptoms tend to get worse over time. They sometimes begin during childhood.
· People with RLS may describe the unpleasant feelings in their legs as creeping, crawling, tingling, burning, or painful. Often, the
feelings are hard to describe.
· Many people with RLS also have periodic limb movement disorder. This is a condition in which a person’s legs twitch or jerk uncontrollably
every 10 to 60 seconds. This usually happens during sleep.
· RLS can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. People with RLS often don’t get enough sleep and may feel tired and sleepy during
the day.
· Sleep apnea is a common breathing disorder that can be very serious.
· In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or becomes very shallow for periods of 10 to 20 seconds or longer many times during the night.
· The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea.
· It is estimated that more than 12 million Americans have sleep apnea.
· The most common signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring and choking or gasping during sleep and being sleepy during the day.
· Treatment is aimed at restoring regular nighttime breathing and relieving symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness.
Treatment will also help associated medical problems, such as high blood pressure, and reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke.
· Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for sleep apnea.
· Some people with sleep apnea may benefit from surgery.
· Family members can help a person who snores loudly or stops breathing while sleeping by encouraging him or her to get medical help.
· Treatment for sleep apnea may improve a person’s overall health and happiness as well as the quality of sleep for both the person and
the entire family.
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