Sleep Disorders: Types, Causes and Treatments
Sleep disorders can significantly disrupt your life, affecting your health, safety, and quality of life. They have serious consequences, including impaired driving and health risks. It's important to note that everyone can have trouble sleeping occasionally.
Signs of sleep disorder:
- Difficulty sleeping regularly
- Daytime tiredness despite 7 hours of sleep
- Impaired daily activities
- Sleep crucial for health and well-being
- Lack of sleep, untreated disorders affect life: work, relationships, health, safety
Types of Sleep Disorders
- Insomnia, in which you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep through the night.
- Sleep apnea, in which you experience abnormal breathing patterns while you sleep.
- Restless legs syndrome(RLS), a kind of disorder of sleep activity. Restless legs syndrome, also called Willis-Ekbom disease, causes a feeling of discomfort and the need to move your legs while trying to fall asleep.
- Narcolepsy, a condition characterized by extreme drowsiness during the day and falling asleep suddenly during the day.
Symptoms of Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders manifest in various ways, with symptoms that can vary depending on the specific type of disorder. Common symptoms include:
- Difficulty Falling Asleep: Struggling to initiate sleep despite feeling tired.
- Frequent Waking: Waking up multiple times during the night and having trouble returning to sleep.
- Daytime Sleepiness: Persistent drowsiness or fatigue during the day, even after a full night's sleep.
- Restless Sleep: Frequent tossing and turning, or experiencing an uncomfortable or disturbed sleep.
- Snoring or Sleep Apnea: Loud snoring or episodes of breathing cessation during sleep.
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Get A Second OpinionCauses of Sleep Disorders
Trouble sleeping can be due to several factors. Although the causes may differ, the result of all sleep disorders is that the body's natural cycle of daytime sleep and wake is disrupted or exaggerated. Eight factors include:
- Physical (such as ulcers)
- Medical (such as asthma)
- Psychiatric medicine (such as depression and anxiety disorders)
- Environmental (like alcohol)
- Working the night shift (this work schedule messes up "biological clocks")
- Genetics (narcolepsy is genetic)
- Medications (some interfere with sleep)
- Aging (about half of all adults over 65 have a sleep disorder. It is not clear if this is a normal part of aging or the result of medications that older people commonly use)
Diagnosis of Sleep Disorders
To determine the cause of the sleep issue, a doctor might conduct a physical examination and take a medical and sleep history.
- Further testing may be needed
- Exam considers factors contributing to insomnia
- Questions about snoring, weight gain, anxiety, depression
Tests Used to Diagnose
- Sleep Diary: Tracks sleep patterns for diagnosis
- Epworth Sleepiness Scale: Assesses daytime sleepiness
- Polysomnogram: Measures sleep activity
- Actigraphy: Evaluates sleep-wake patterns with wrist device
- Mental Health Exam: Screens for depression, anxiety, other disorders
Treatment of Sleep Disorders
There are a variety of treatments recommended by healthcare providers:
- Counseling: Some sleep specialists recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy to recognize, challenge, and change stressful thoughts disrupting sleep.
- Medications and supplements
- Practice sleep hygiene, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule
- Exercise regularly
- Minimize noise
- Minimize the light
- Control the temperature so you feel comfortable
Your healthcare provider will recommend treatments based on your particular situation and may recommend the following medications and supplements:
- Sleep aids can be helpful sometimes for insomnia, such as melatonin, zolpidem, zaleplon, eszopiclone, ramelteon, suvorexant, lemborexant, or doxepin.
- Restless legs syndrome can be treated with gabapentin, gabapentin enacarbil, or pregabalin.
- Narcolepsy can be treated with various stimulants or medications that promote wakefulness, such as Modafinil, Armodafinil, Pitolisant, and Solriamfetol.
When to visit a Doctor?
Recognizing the signs of a sleep disorder early on is crucial. If you experience any of these signs, it's important to consult your physician immediately:
- Heavy snoring
- Your partner complains of your apnoeic spells during sleep.
- Falling asleep while driving
- Struggle to stay awake when inactive, such as when watching TV or reading
- Has difficulty paying attention or concentrating at work, school, or home
- You have performance problems at work or school
- Others often tell you that you seem tired
- You have difficulty with your memory
- They have slow responses
- You have difficulty controlling your emotions
- You feel the need to take naps almost every day
Medical attention is necessary if you experience one or more of these characteristics.
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Book an AppointmentPrevention of Sleep Disorders
In some situations, sleep issues are attributed to preventable health conditions. Weight loss can alleviate obstructive sleep apnea
- Dietary changes
- Regular exercise can prevent sleep problems.
- Good sleep hygiene
- Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and avoid caffeine before bedtime to prevent sleep issues. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
Try not to nap during the day because naps can make you less sleepy at night.
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol:
- Stimulants hinder sleep
- Alcohol disrupts sleep quality
Exercise regularly:
- Avoid close to bedtime
- Don't exercise 3 hours before bed
- Don't eat heavy meals before bed
Create comfortable sleep environment:
- Dark, quiet, moderate temperature
- Use sleep mask if needed
Relaxing routine before bed:
- Read, listen to music, take a bath
- Reserve bed for sleep or sex only
- If can't sleep, get up and do something calming
- Make to-do list to ease worries before bed
Conclusion of Sleep Disorder
Addressing sleep disorders involves understanding the symptoms, identifying the type of disorder, and exploring both lifestyle and medical treatment options. Timely intervention can significantly improve quality of life and overall health. If you suspect you have a sleep disorder, consult a healthcare professional for a comprehensive evaluation and personalized treatment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why am I having trouble sleeping at night?
The inability to fall asleep or get a good night's sleep can be caused by stress, jet lag, a health problem, the medications you take, or even the amount of coffee you drink. Other sleep or mood disorders can also cause insomnia, such as anxiety and depression.
2. Can insomnia go away?
While acute insomnia often goes away on its own, it can still have dangerous effects. If you have chronic insomnia, there are steps you can take to try to lessen your symptoms.
3. Is insomnia a mental illness?
Insomnia is rarely an isolated medical or mental illness, but a symptom of another illness that results from a person's lifestyle or work schedule.
4. What is the side effect of insomnia?
Complications of insomnia can include a lower performance at work or school. Slower reaction time while driving and a higher risk of accidents. Mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder, or substance abuse.
5. What if you can't sleep?
Not having enough sleep will damage the immune system, cause issues with thought, and lead to gaining weight. It may even increase the chances for some illnesses, asthma, and even car crashes because you don't get enough sleep.
