Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments of the Seven Common Sleep Disorders

Most people would agree that sleep is one essential activity in a person’s daily routine. Without adequate sleep, you will probably feel tired, have less energy, and even lack motivation. What if all these were a symptom of a severe sleep disorder? Roughly half of the adult population suffers from a sleep disorder, and the consequences can be dangerous to their health. 

If you feel like something is wrong with your sleep, don’t wait until things get better on their own. Take these seven common sleeping disorders seriously, and understand the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments available.

• Insomnia
• Narcolepsy
• Sleep apnea
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Restless leg syndrome
• Circadian rhythm disorders
• Night terrors and sleep paralysis

Insomnia

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Stress, anxiety, depression, or other medical conditions can cause insomnia. 

The symptoms of insomnia, such as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), irritability, anxiety, and depression, can be managed with medication or therapy.

To prevent insomnia, make sure you avoid caffeine, liquor, and nicotine before bedtime and try going to bed at the same time every night.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes people to fall asleep at inappropriate times and places. Stress and fatigue can exacerbate sudden bouts of sleepiness during the day.

Symptoms of narcolepsy include:

• Episodes of sudden sleepiness during the day, often brought on by emotions or fatigue
• Cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness)
• Hallucinations while falling asleep (hypnagogic hallucinations) or upon waking up (hypnopompic hallucinations)
• Sleep paralysis (being unable to move your body while falling asleep or waking up)

Blood tests, sleep studies, and questionnaires about symptoms can diagnose narcolepsy. Treatment for narcolepsy includes medications for daytime sleepiness and cataplexy.

Related: 11 ways to combat sleep at work

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes the body to stop breathing for short periods of sleep. It can happen hundreds of times a night, leading to severe cardiovascular problems and other health issues.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s essential to get tested:

• Snoring that’s loud enough to disturb your sleep or others in your home
• Waking up with a sore throat or headache in the morning
• Feeling tired most days even after getting adequate sleep
• Having trouble concentrating or remembering things
• Having trouble falling asleep at night or staying asleep

Diagnosis involves an overnight sleep study that monitors your breathing patterns throughout the night. Treatment includes lifestyle changes like losing weight or stopping smoking and a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which ensures you breathe properly by blowing pressurized air into your nose.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disorder

If you have this disorder, you may know that it causes your body to act out your dreams. Your arms and legs twitch, and you may make sounds or cry out loudly. You might even wake up with bruises from hitting yourself or others.

Your doctor can diagnose REM sleep behavior disorder by ruling out other ‌causes of abnormal movements in sleep (such as seizures) and observing how you move during a night’s sleep.

If you’re diagnosed with REM sleep behavior disorder, treatment will help reduce its severity and frequency by controlling the underlying conditions that cause it. They might prescribe antidepressants with medications for Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy.

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Restless leg syndrome

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition that causes unpleasant feelings of discomfort in the legs and feet. Besides an urgent need to move the legs, causing discomfort or pain.

Symptoms vary from person to person but can include:

• A crawling sensation in your legs or feet.
• Tingling or burning in your legs or feet.
• In some people, sitting still is difficult because of the pulling sensation in their legs or feet.

Restless legs syndrome can be tough to diagnose because it’s like other conditions, such as peripheral neuropathy or fibromyalgia. Your doctor may ask you questions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam before making an official diagnosis. Additional testing may be required if your doctor suspects another condition is causing your symptoms.

Circadian rhythm disorders

Circadian rhythm disorders are a group of conditions that affect your sleep cycle and the timing of your body’s internal clock. They can cause you to feel tired during the day or night, or they may prevent you from falling asleep at night.

Symptoms include: feeling tired during the day, having trouble falling asleep at night, being unable to wake up in the morning and being unable to go back to sleep after waking up early, having problems remembering things that happened recently, getting irritable, and experiencing low energy levels.

There are three common causes of circadian rhythm disorders: jet lag (changing time zones), shift work disorder (working overnight shifts), and delayed sleep phase syndrome (sleeping too late). Treatment for delayed sleep phase syndrome includes resetting your internal clock by going to bed later than usual for several days.

Sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon where you are conscious but unable to move or speak. The condition is most common during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, occurring when you dream.

You may experience sleep paralysis if you wake up from REM sleep before your body has woken up. It can happen during sleep, so even if you don’t experience nightmares, you can have an episode of sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis can present many symptoms, such as feeling as if someone is holding down your body or sitting on top of it; seeing bright lights or shadows in the room; feeling pressure around your chest, and hearing strange sounds such as buzzing or ringing.

The primary treatment is sleep hygiene; This includes avoiding liquor, nicotine, caffeine, and other stimulants before bedtime. Also, avoid napping during the day and try to wake up at the same time every morning.

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Conclusion

You should consult your doctor if you have sleep disorders. The doctor will advise you on the best treatment options and how to manage your condition. The following tips will help you improve your sleep quality:

• Improve Your Sleep Environment
• Get a Regular Exercise
• Stay Away from Stimulants Later in the Day
• Don’t Smoke or Consume Alcohol (or do so in moderation)
• Maintain a Healthy Diet and Control Your Weight (if necessary)
• Try to reduce stress in your life as much as possible
• Go To Bed Earlier