The Different Types of Sleeping Disordershttp://www.cantfalltosleep.com/sleepingdisorders.

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Sleep is as essential to us as food, air and water. Good sleep each night increases our ability to concentrate, strengthens our immune system, and decreases our risk of being killed in accidents. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to have a good nights sleep. Sleep disorders are among the most common clinical problems encountered in all of medicine. Primary sleep disorders are chronic disturbances in the quantity or quality of sleep that interfere with a person's ability to function normally. Sleep disorders are classified into two kinds. Dyssomnias are primary sleep disorders in which the patient suffers from changes in the amount, restfulness, and timing of sleep. Some examples of ailments in this category are primary insomnia, hypersomnia, narcolepsy, breathing-related sleep disorder and circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Parasomnias, which is the second category of sleep disorders, include those in which people experience physical events while they are sleeping. They are typically characterized by abnormal behavior in association with sleep, sleep stages or sleep-wake transitions. Disorders in this category include nightmare disorders, sleep terror disorders, sleepwalking disorders and parasomnia NOS. Hypersomnia is a condition marked by excessive sleepiness during normal waking hours. The patient has either lengthy episodes of daytime sleep or episodes of daytime sleep on a daily basis even though he or she is sleeping normally at night. People who have hypersomnia can fall asleep at any time: for instance, at work or while they are driving. An adult is considered to have hypersomnia if he or she sleeps for more than 10 hours a day on a regular basis In some cases, patients with primary hypersomnia have difficulty waking up in the morning and may appear confused or angry. This condition is sometimes called sleep drunkenness and is more common in males. The number of people with primary hypersomnia is unknown, although 5-10% of patients in sleep disorder clinics have the disorder. Primary hypersomnia usually affects young adults between the ages of 15 and 30. Being overweight, excessive drug and alcohol abuse, genetics, a physical problem such as a tumor or head trauma, fibromyalgia and clinical depression are considered to cause hypersomnia in people.

Sleep apnea is considered to be a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. People with sleep apnea stop breathing for 10 to 30 seconds at a time while they are sleeping. These short stops in breathing can happen up to 400 times every night. These periods of not breathing may make them wake up from deep sleep. Sleep apnea can increase a persons risk of heart disease and stroke. People with this disorder are more likely to have traffic accidents if they drive while theyre sleepy. There are two basic forms of sleep apnea -- central and obstructive. The central form of sleep apnea occurs when breathing is interrupted by the lack of effort, whereas the obstructive form of sleep apnea occurs when there is an actual physical blockage to the airflow. Loud snoring or gasping is often noted with this type of sleep problem. The primary recommended treatment for people suffering from sleep apnea is that of a lifestyle change, including avoiding alcohol and any medications that relax the central nervous system. Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is another incredibly common sleep disorder, and is especially seen in the elderly. It is a genetic disorder that results in a prickly, crawly, aching or tingly sensation in the leg, one that often causes patients to want to move their limbs ceaselessly. RLS often prevents the patient from falling asleep until the early hours of the morning, when the condition is less intense. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes overwhelming and severe daytime sleepiness that often occurs at inappropriate times and places, even after adequate nighttime sleep. Periods of sleep can last for less than a minute to more than a half an hour. Many narcoleptics experience additional symptoms including cataplexy (a sudden loss of muscle tone while in a conscious state), hallucinations and other unusual perceptual phenomena, and sleep paralysis, an inability to move for several minutes upon awakening. Narcolepsy is typically a genetic disorder, and is considered to also be associated with brain damage or neurological disease or disorder. Some people who suffer from narcolepsy report experiencing an increased number of attacks during pregnancy, illness, fever, or stressful periods, and patients who suffer from narcolepsy complain of being tired all the time

Types of Sleep Disorders

Everyone has suffered from a lack of sleep at one time or another. But some people have medical disorders that cause poor sleep on a regular basis. There are many types of sleep disorders and, in many cases, a combination of factors may cause sleep problems.

Primary Sleep Disorders

Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. Short-term (situational) insomnia may be related to stressful situations such as illness, work/school demands or emotionally upsetting events in a persons life. Situational insomnia is the most common reason for poor sleep. Chronic insomnia at least three months of poor sleep most nights may be related to another unrecognized sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. In many cases, more than one factor may cause insomnia.

Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea is a temporary suspension of breathing (10 or more seconds) that occurs repeatedly during sleep. Sleep apnea causes a person to wake up or to come out of a deep level of sleep into a more shallow level of sleep. Symptoms include loud snoring, gasping, restless sleep, and daytime sleepiness/fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, fatigue, leg swelling, droopy eyelids, shortness of breath, irritability, and memory problems. Excessive weight may play a role. Sleep apnea is twice as common in men as in women, and women often have different symptoms from men. There are two main types of sleep apnea:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea, in which the airway becomes obstructed and prevents the flow of air 2. Central sleep apnea, in which the brain does not send the signal to the muscles to take a breath

A person also may have mixed sleep apnea (both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea). The breathing obstruction in obstructive sleep apnea occurs in the throat (pharynx) and other soft tissues of the upper airway. Obstructive sleep apnea results from collapse and obstruction of the airway. This is caused by a structurally small upper airway and a loss of muscle tone. The level of airway closure varies with changes in body and head position, sleep state, and muscular tone (the relationship between the muscles and the nerves).

Although a diagnosis of sleep apnea often will be suspected on the basis of a persons history, tests can be done to confirm the diagnosis. In addition, a physical exam may reveal a long and wide soft palate, a large swollen uvula, large tonsils and excess tissue in airway walls. In the lower throat, the tongue and tonsils may be larger than normal.

Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is unexplained sleepiness at inappropriate times despite adequate nighttime sleep. Narcolepsy is a syndrome that involves vivid dreams, sleep paralysis and cataplexy (a condition in which a person suddenly feels weak and collapses at moments of strong emotion). Symptoms may occur all at once or gradually over many years.

Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless Legs Syndrome is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs and an irrepressible urge to move the legs when resting to relieve these feelings. Symptoms worsen in the evening and at rest, preventing sleep. Symptoms are relieved by moving the legs. Suffers describe the sensation as energy, creepy-crawly, electric shock, or pain. One-third of people with this disorder have had symptoms since childhood. The symptoms tend to become more severe with aging.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) is a disorder characterized by periodic, involuntary leg twitching or jerking movements that occur during sleep. More than 80 percent of people with restless legs syndrome also experience PLMD. The movements caused by PLMD are involuntary, unlike RLS. Although most people with RLS develop PLMD, most people with PLMD do not experience RLS.

Inadequate Sleep Hygiene

Inadequate Sleep Hygiene bad sleep habits is a sleep disorder caused by the performance of daily living activities that are inconsistent with the maintenance of good quality sleep and full daytime alertness. This may involve lifestyle practices that keep a person awake and/or practices that bring disorder to a persons sleep schedule.

Jet Lag
Jet Lag is a temporary disorder that causes fatigue, insomnia and other symptoms as a result of air travel across time zones.

Shift Work
People who work second or third shifts may have difficulty sleeping during the day and trouble staying awake during their shift at night. Workers who are most affected work between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am and those who do rotating shifts. Night shift workers are likely working during the time in their circadian rhythm (the bodys internal regulator of sleep and wake) when their brain is most sleepy.

Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking is a disorder characterized by walking or other activity while seemingly still asleep. Sleep walking may occur at any age, but most often occurs in children ages 6 to 12.

Night Terror (Sleep Terror)

Night Terror or Sleep Terror is a common sleep disorder among children involving abrupt awakening from sleep in a terrified state. A child may scream and shake, and the child is difficult to wake. Night terrors may be associated with emotional tension, stress or conflict. Night terror is similar to nightmares except that nightmares usually occur during REM sleep. The disorder usually ends around the time a child reaches grade school age.

Secondary Sleep Disorders

In addition to primary sleep disorders, more than 50 secondary sleep disorders have been identified, including snoring, eating disorders, bedwetting, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, hypersomnia, environmental sleep disorder, teeth grinding, delayed sleep phase and many other conditions.