7 Common Sleep Disorders You Should Be Aware Of

Ever had trouble falling asleep at night but brushed it off due to one reason or another? Or snoring so loudly that your partner complains? It could be a sleep disorder that you could be suffering from.  Check out this list and see if you are suffering from any of these. Get the condition treated and you could be well on your way to a good night’s sleep.

1. Insomnia

Finding it hard to get to sleep or stay asleep? You could be suffering from insomnia. General causes include discomfort from an illness. Other times, it can be due to just feeling upset, sad or stressed.  Identifying and resolving the cause might help. Adopting good sleep habits might help but if this does not work, you can explore complex treatments like cognitive behaviour therapy, which should be done under the guidance of a qualified health professional. 

2. Snoring

Snoring is a common problem which can affect people of all ages. It is significantly more serious with age and weight gain. In addition, many regular snorers also have obstructive sleep apnoea.

3. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Caused by a throat condition, this condition is one where the person sleeping has trouble breathing which culminates in them waking up. This period of being awake if often brief with little or no memory of it but can be very disruptive as it causes excessive tiredness during the day. Possible treatments include weight loss, cutting down on alcohol, dental devices and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

4. Restless Legs Syndrome

Ever experienced an uncomfortable feeling in your leg and the only way to relieve that would be by moving it? It may be due to the restless legs syndrome and its severity depends on the timing of the day. The worst time is from the evening through to the early hours of the morning. This can affect the sleep patterns for some people. There are several medications that can help with this.

5. Bruxism

This condition involves involuntary grinding of the teeth during sleep and it is quite a common affliction. If untreated, it can cause permanent damage to the teeth or jaw discomfort. However, sufferers are usually unaware of their condition. Dental guards can be used to protect their teeth.

6. Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy refers to the unstable switching between the condition of being awake and asleep. Sufferers usually feel sleepier more often than they would like, but may have disrupted sleep as well or also hallucinate. This happens when they fall asleep or wake up. Possible related conditions include sleep paralysis, where they are unable to move or cataplexy, which are sudden feelings of muscle weakness. However, not everyone with Narcolepsy has all these problems. Drug therapies can work very well.

7. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder

The state of sleep can be differentiated by phases and the phase called REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is the one in which dreams most often occur. During this time, all muscles are usually relaxed. However, with REM sleep behaviour disorder, the muscles remain active. People who have this will act out their dreams, which can involve violent movement and lashing out, possibly injuring themselves or their partner. There are treatments that work well for this.

If you can identify with one or more conditions, do see a doctor about this early to explore possible treatment options for a better night’s rest.