The Different Types of Sleeping Disorders
Sleep disorders are medical conditions that affect the quality and duration of sleep. Their impact on functioning, quality of life, and overall health can be severe. There are many sleeping issues and disorders. By doing some research, you can learn the most common sleeping issues and how to effectively treat them.
Understanding more can help you and your doctor understand what is causing your fatigue and what you can do about it. Anyone who has had trouble sleeping at night knows that it can be frustrating. It can also hurt brain function, mood, and overall health. Here are the different types of sleeping disorders.
Parasomnias
Parasomnias is Latin for “around sleep” and refers to abnormal sleep behavior. During sleep, there are many possible behaviors. Parasomnias can be caused by another sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea. Parasomnias can be stopped by treating the underlying condition. There are other possibilities. Safety measures such as alarms or locking doors and windows to alert people when they are sleepwalking. Supplements or medications, including melatonin or clonazepam.
Sleep Paralysis
Imagine waking up one morning and not being able to move. Sleep paralysis is as frightening as you can imagine. It can occur at any time between sleep and wakefulness, as soon as you fall asleep or when you wake up. People can also experience hallucinations. These can be disturbing and frightening. Other hallucinations may seem trivial, but can still be confusing. They may believe that something has happened, when in fact it has not.
Narcolepsy
This sleep disorder is caused by ineffective neurological control over sleep and wakefulness. Narcolepsy is characterized by fatigue, sleep paralysis (cataplexy), and sensory hallucinations. Patients with narcolepsy may have difficulty falling asleep or lose control of their bodies when experiencing strong emotions. They may feel paralyzed when they transition from sleep to wakefulness. Narcolepsy usually develops between the ages of 20 and 30.
Sleep tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. Sometimes medication is needed for treatment. This potentially dangerous and frightening condition is thought to be caused in part by a deficiency of hypocretin, a brain chemical that promotes wakefulness and maintains muscle tone. The cause may be an autoimmune disease, genetics, brain tumors or injury, or other brain damage.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can occur when breathing stops for 10 seconds or more and even several times per hour. The level of oxygen in your blood decreases. When your body notices this, it pulls you out of deep sleep to restore breathing. Breathing disorders (or apneas) can be caused by an upper airway obstruction, known as obstructive or sleep apnea (OSA). Or by a repeated failure of the brain to keep breathing under control.
CSA is often due to another condition. Sleep apnea is often caused by another condition. Many people do not remember waking up at night, snoring loudly, or waking up during the night. Because of their irregular sleep patterns at night, many people with sleep apnea feel tired and sleepy during the day. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and sudden death.