Types of Sleep Disorders
Sleep Apnea
Persons with sleep apnea stop breathing several times during each night’s sleep. Each episode ends with a sudden snore. The cause may be a central nervous system problem or an upper airway obstruction. In rare cases, both causes may exist. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness and complaints of poor sleep. In some people, this can be life-threatening and may require a respiratory aid or surgery.
Narcolepsy
This disorder of excessive sleepiness has four main characteristic symptoms: cataplexy, excessive daytime sleepiness, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Symptoms do not appear in any typical order, sometimes appear years apart, and may vary widely in severity. There is a genetic predisposition to inheriting the disorder.
Myoclonus – Periodic Limb Movements (PLM)
This disorder is diagnosed when highly stereotyped leg twitches repeat every 20 to 40 seconds. Episodes generally last from five minutes to two hours and alternate with periods of normal sleep. It is not the same as “hypnic jerks” which startle many of us as we fall asleep. The victim of myoclonus is usually unaware of leg movements, but complains of fragmented and unrefreshing sleep.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a disorder of initiating and maintaining sleep. The insomniac may be totally relaxed and still sleep poorly because of a weakness in the sleep system. This can be manifested as difficulties falling asleep, frequent nocturnal arousals, or earl morning awakenings. Transient insomnia lasts less than three weeks and usually has an emotional cause. Persistent psychophysiological insomnia usually starts with a prolonged episode of stress in a person who slept adequately, but not well, before the stress. Insomnia is often caused by drugs and alcohol. It may also accompany myoclonus (periodic limb movements).
Parasomnias
These are dysfunctions associated with sleep or partial arousals and may be associated with a specific stage of sleep or related to the transition between sleeping and waking. Patients may not know if they are awake or asleep and thus confuse activities, demonstrating such symptoms as sleepwalking, bedwetting, etc., or suffering sleep-relatyed headaches, abnormal swallowing, painful erection, or head-banging.
Disorders of the Sleep/Wake Schedule
people whose sleep time is shifted every few weeks may find their daily rhythms cannot adapt and may experience disrupted sleep. Even when circumstances later permit a regular schedule, it may be difficult to re-establish a good sleep schedule. Such people may develop mood changes, cognitive difficulties, and a tendency for peptic ulcers. Insomnia is common.
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