Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are conditions that make people?unable to get good sleep regularly and affect their daily life. They manifest due to health issues and stress, affecting adults, young people, and babies alike.

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Sleep disorders present in different forms and impact the work and life of individuals to varying degrees.?

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While people use the term insomnia interchangeably with a sleep disorder, it is only a type of sleep disorder. We will discuss the various types of disorders in this article.?

Types of Sleep Disorders

Insomnia

Individuals who are suffering from insomnia experience difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Several factors are responsible for insomnia, such as hormonal imbalance, anxiety, work-related stress, or stress due to long journeys.

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Insomnia can be grouped into three classes: chronic, intermittent, and transient insomnia.

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Chronic insomnia occurs consistently for up to a minimum of one month, while intermittent insomnia occurs in periodic episodes. And transient insomnia only persists for a few days to a few months.

Sleep Apnea

In sleep apnea, there is an intermittent cessation of breathing while sleeping. It is a serious issue because the body takes in less oxygen than is required when it occurs. The major risk factors associated with it are obesity and age, and people who experience it tend to snore.

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Sleep apnea can be classified into Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). In OSA, which is more likely to occur, the airway is blocked, while in CSA, the brain does not communicate to the body that it should breathe.

Parasomnias

Here, the individual makes weird movements and carries out abnormal behaviors while sleeping. They include teeth grinding, talking, walking, and bedwetting.?

Waking due to nightmares is also a way that parasomnias manifest.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

There is an uncontrollable urge to move the legs that occur more while the individual is already asleep. It may also happen during the daytime but is more prominent at night.

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It can be triggered by sitting for a long time or lying in bed. The sensation that often comes alongside it is what triggers people to move their legs continually.

Narcolepsy

It is characterized by swiftly falling asleep without any prior warning or sign. The individual suddenly becomes weak or tired and falls asleep, usually in the daytime. It has an early onset—before age 25—in most persons but can occur afterwards.?

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Narcolepsy has been linked with other conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, and can also result in sleep paralysis in some cases.??

Symptoms of Sleep Disorders

• Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
• Weakness or tiredness during the day
• Difficulty staying focused at work or school
• Poor short-term memory
• Delayed or slow response
• The regular urge to sleep
• Making movements while asleep
• Regular anxiety

Causes of Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders can be triggered by a number of factors, both physical and psychological. Despite the wide variation, what they have in common is that they disrupt the body’s natural sleep cycle or exaggerate it.?

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Known causes of sleep disorders include the following:

• Stress and anxiety
• Medical conditions
• Medication
• Chronic pain
• Genetics

Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis is reached following examination by a medical professional who will ask some questions and conduct a physical and medical examination. Your ability to answer these questions will aid the provider in recommending the right course of treatment.

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Some of the procedures that the medical professional may recommend include Polysomnogram (PSG), Electroencephalogram (ECG), and a Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). These tests and examinations will monitor your brain wave, heart rate, blood pressure, and eye movements, among other pointers.?

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Treatment usually depends on the type of sleep disorder and the cause of the disorder. The two main treatment paths utilized are lifestyle changes and the use of medicines or medical interventions.

Outlook

Sleep disorders are inconveniencing and take their toll on patients suffering from them. To resolve them, you must work alongside the medical professional and adhere to the instructions. Remember that changes may not occur immediately, especially for long-term sleep disorders, but will set in in due course.

Summary???????????

Anyone can suffer from sleep disorders regardless of their age, and it can be due to stress or underlying health issues. The most common type is insomnia, but it is not the only type.??

Sleep disorders can interfere with work and school, leading to disruption in output. Their effects can be particularly overwhelming.

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Sleep disorders can be managed if you seek professional help in resolving the cause and not merely the symptoms. Some of the procedures that the medical professional may recommend include Polysomnogram (PSG), Electroencephalogram (ECG), and a Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).?

Sources:

1. Primary sleep disorders: dyssomnias . Johns Hopkins Medicine
2. What are Sleep Disorders? Psychiatry
3. Sleep disorders: in depth . NCCIH.
4. CDC - Key Sleep Disorders - Sleep And Sleep Disorders.
5. What are sleep disorders? (2020). American Psychiatric Association