Sleep Disorders

Sleep has big and significant effects on health in general; sleep deprivation for a day could extremely affect our performance during this day. Sleep disturbances might occur occasionally, and this is normal, but when these disturbances become frequent, then they lead to serious effects on health.

Sleep disorders

Sleep disorders are the conditions that affect the sleep quality, time, and amount during nighttime and therefore affect the body’s ability to stay awake during the daytime.

The amount of sleep differs between people, but in general, the experts recommend that adults have 7-9 hours of sleep, while children and teens might need more sleep hours.

Types of sleep disorders

Sleep disorders are categorized into the following:

• Insomnia: difficulty falling and staying asleep, and insomnia is considered chronic when it lasts most of the night for at least 3 months.
• Hypersomnolence: difficulty feeling awake during the daytime.
• Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea.
• Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders: the patient here can’t regulate sleeping and waking times, such as in narcolepsy.
• Sleep-related movement disorders: unintentional desire to move during sleep, such as restless leg syndrome.
• Parasomnia: it means doing physical activities or verbal expressions during sleep, such as walking and talking.

Causes and risk factors leading to sleep disorders

There isn’t a specific cause for sleep problems, and causes differ depending on the type of the sleep disorder. Some factors that increase the risk of the lack of sleep are:

• Physical conditions, such as pain, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, heart conditions, lung conditions, diabetes, and cancer.
• Psychological conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and stress.
• Genetics.
• Aging.
• Some drugs, alcohol, and caffeine.
• Working at night.

Symptoms of sleep disorders

• Extreme sleepiness during the daytime.
• Difficulty concentrating and paying attention.
• Inability to study or work effectively.
• Mood swings, irritability, and difficulty controlling emotions.
• Being more susceptible to accidents and falls.
• Chronic sleep disturbances lead to a higher risk of heart conditions, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, and dementia, and they can also be life-threatening in some rare cases.

Diagnosis of sleep disorders

• Diagnosis is done by performing a physical exam in addition to tests related to the sleep nature.

Treatment of sleep disorders

Treatment differs depending on the type of the sleep disorder, and in general it includes the following:

• Following a healthy lifestyle.
• Regulating the sleep time as much as possible.
• Medications.
• Some devices and surgeries.
• Managing stress and other health conditions.
• The risk of sleep disturbances can be reduced by building a sleep-suitable environment, not using mobile phones before bedtime, not having stimulants several hours before bedtime, and exercising regularly.