Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Do You Have a Sleep Disorder?

By Jason McDrarren

Sleep disorders are more common today than every before. Many people don't even realize they have a sleep disorder. If you have trouble falling asleep at night or if you wake up numerous times throughout the night, then you might have a sleep disorder. Do your family members comment on how exhausted you look? Or perhaps you get irritated more easily than you should and find that you easily become emotional? All of these factors could indicate that you suffer from a sleep disorder.

The best way to identify your particular sleep disorder is to pay attention to what problem you have with sleep. For instance, do you have trouble falling asleep or do you have trouble waking up in the morning? Do you have a difficult time staying awake throughout the day? Maybe you find yourself doing strange things in your sleep or perhaps it is the loud sleeping of your spouse that keeps up at night. You might be able to fall asleep but then wake up in the middle of the night, perhaps several times. These are all signs you suffer from a sleep disorder.

If the sleep disorder has to do with falling asleep then there are several possibilities. For some people it is falling asleep when trying to go to bed that is difficult. This is referred to as sleep latency and is a common symptom of many serious sleep disorders. Some of the sleep disorders that could cause this are: delayed sleep phase disorder, paradoxical insomnia, and other types of insomnia. Others might wake up in the middle of the night but then be unable to fall asleep again. This symptom is called sleep fragmentation. Sleep fragmentation might indicate the person suffers from sleep maintenance insomnia. It is also common to wake up too early in the morning and then stay awake until the sun comes up. This symptom characterizes advanced sleep phase disorder and could also be a result of sleep maintenance insomnia.

For those that have no trouble sleeping through the night but do have problems staying awake throughout the day there are other possible causes. One sleep disorder of this type is called narcolepsy and causes a person to fall asleep almost instantly at random times during the day. Other possibilities are obstructive sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder. This can also be a result of shift work.

Getting up in the morning is difficult for some people. This is because they have trouble making the transition from sleeping to becoming awake. This is called excessive sleep inertia. It might be caused by sleep apnea.

For those that suspect they do strange things in their sleep the cause could be one of many parasomnias. Perhaps you sleepwalk or have vivid nightmares that disturb your sleep.

If it is your partner that keeps you up, then they might be suffering from sleep apnea or snoring. It could also be restless leg syndrome that makes it difficult for you to sleep.

Identifying the symptoms of your sleep disorder will make it easier to pinpoint the cause. Once you discover what sleep disorder you have then you can work on treating it. Hopefully, it won't be long before you are sleeping soundly and no longer suffering from a sleep disorder.

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