Disorders
Common sleep disorders like insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy and sleep apnea can affect every aspect of your life including your safety, relationships, school and work performance, thinking, mental health, weight and the development of diabetes and heart disease.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. These episodes usually last 10 seconds or more and occur repeatedly throughout the night. People with sleep apnea will partially awaken as they struggle to breathe, but in the morning they will not be aware of the disturbances in their sleep.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), caused by the relaxation of soft tissue in the back of the throat that blocks the passage of air. Central sleep apnea (CSA) is caused by irregularities in the brain’s normal signals to breathe. Most people with sleep apnea will have a combination of both types. The hallmark symptoms of the disorder are excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, headaches, & high blood pressure
Snore
Snoring is the noise made by turbulent airflow. You don’t snore when you are awake, so what changes in sleep? When you sleep, the muscles in your throat lose tone and relax. Since your lungs stay the same size, you have to get the same volume of air through a smaller space. When air flows past your relaxed throat tissues and vibrates, the harsh, raspy noise that results is known as snoring. It can simply be caused by the anatomy of your mouth, throat, and sinuses. But snoring can also be due to a cold, allergies, alcohol consumption, being overweight, or sleeping on your back. Thirty-seven million people admit they snore regularly. More men (42%) than women (31%) say they are snorers.
Insomnia
nsomnia is a term referring to a sleep disorder involving difficulty to fall asleep or stay asleep. This can lead to a feeling of inadequate rest as well as tiredness. You may also find it difficult to concentrate, experience mood disturbances, low energy or reduced productivity.
There are two main types of insomnia: chronic and acute. Chronic insomnia is sleep disruption that occurs three or more nights in a week for three months or longer, while acute insomnia is short lived and may occur for several nights per week for a few weeks. But what causes insomnia? Following are some of the 10 most common causes of insomnia.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep. People with narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay awake for long periods of time, regardless of the circumstances. Narcolepsy can cause serious disruptions in your daily routine.
Sometimes, narcolepsy can be accompanied by a sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), which can be triggered by strong emotion. Narcolepsy that occurs with cataplexy is called type 1 narcolepsy. Narcolepsy that occurs without cataplexy is known as type 2 narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is a chronic condition for which there's no cure. However, medications and lifestyle changes can help you manage the symptoms. Support from others — family, friends, employers, teachers — can help you cope with narcolepsy.
Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common chronic sensory-motor neurological disorder that remains a clinical diagnosis. Most RLS patients present with sleep complaints in the form of initiation and/or maintenance insomnia as RLS has a circadian rhythmicity. An increased number of periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) is a supportive criterion in the diagnosis of RLS. Abnormalities in the central dopaminergic and iron systems are involved in the physiopathology of RLS. There is a higher prevalence of RLS and PLMS in sleep-disordered breathing patients, particularly those with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the most common sleep disorder in western societies. The complex mechanisms underlying the association between OSA, RLS and PLMS remain unclear. Untreated OSA can lead to adverse cardiovascular consequences due to cardio-metabolic dysfunction. It remains controversial whether RLS could further adversely impact the cardiovascular consequences of OSA. The PLMS do not have an additive effect on the hypersomnia experienced by some sleep-disordered breathing patients.
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the most common sleep-related patient symptoms, and it affects an estimated 20 percent of the population. Persons with excessive daytime sleepiness are at risk of motor vehicle and work-related incidents, and have poorer health than comparable adults. The most common causes of excessive daytime sleepiness are sleep deprivation, obstructive sleep apnea, and sedating medications. Other potential causes of excessive daytime sleepiness include certain medical and psychiatric conditions and sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy. Obstructive sleep apnea is a particularly significant cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. An estimated 26 to 32 percent of adults are at risk of or have obstructive sleep apnea, and the prevalence is expected to increase. The evaluation and management of excessive daytime sleepiness is based on the identification and treatment of underlying conditions (particularly obstructive sleep apnea), and the appropriate use of activating medications
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