Different Types of Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorder or somnipathy in medical term, is an irregularity of sleep patterns of a person.  Sometimes people are experiencing sleep problems and we know how difficult it is to be alert the next day.  Lack of sleep can cause us irritation, headache, fall asleep during the day, difficulty concentrating, react slowly, look tired, emotional outbursts, and would most of the time requires caffeinated drinks to keep yourself going.  If you are one of those who are experiencing these things, you probably have sleep disorders.  Here are the 4 main types of sleep disorders:

The first one is insomnia which is the most common type of all.  A person with insomnia complains of difficulty initiating sleep therefore he or she could not achieve the optimal time of rest.  People experiencing this might be due to stress, emotional difficulties, caffeine intake, poor sleep habits, medical or psychiatric conditions, medications or drug use.

Second is parasomnia or the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep disorder.  This kind problem makes the sleeping person physically act out his or her dreams.  This includes sleepwalking, sleep talking, bed wetting and sleeping terrors.

Sleep apnea on the other hand is a sleeping disorder wherein it interrupts ones breathing during sleep.  You would easily notice this kind of problem as it produces sound during sleep. This is created by the vibration of soft tissues in the nose, mouth and throat.  This in turn results in loud snoring and blocking the flow of air for 10-60 seconds.  Certain medical conditions that might contribute to sleep apnea include obesity, nasal congestion, misshape of the skull or face, hypothyroidism, acromegaly and tonsil or adenoid enlargement.  People who have this kind of sleep disorder are at risk for heart disease and stroke.

Another type is narcolepsy. It is as sleep disorder wherein a person suddenly falls asleep regardless of the place, time and position. Causes of narcolepsy are still unknown but according to research, people with this kind of sleep disorder lack hypocretin, an amino acid that determines whether you should be asleep or awake.  People with narcolepsy can experience “sleep attacks” even after waking up in the morning making them hard to live and function normally. Affected individuals are said to be at risk with accidents as they might fall asleep when walking, working and driving.