Sleep Disorders

by Christine Buske | More from this Blogger

24 Aug 2006 06:56 AM

Trying to get to sleep every night? But just not getting the rest you feel you need? There may be a medical reason why you cannot get enough sleep. Most sleep disorders can be diagnosed fairly easily and treated, so the faster you get medical help the sooner you can get back to sleep!

The most common sleep disorders are:

• Sleep Apnea. This is a disorder where people stop breathing for 10 seconds or more, many times a night. When they stop breathing they wake up, resume breathing, fall back asleep and the cycle repeats itself. By continuously waking up your sleep is severely disrupted.
• Insomnia includes symptoms like difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently throughout the night or waking up early.
• Narcolepsy is a chronic brain disorder which causes you to fall asleep suddenly at inappropriate times. People with narcolepsy fall asleep while eating, walking, driving or talking.
• Restless leg syndrome is a condition where uncomfortable leg sensations are experienced and you feel the urge to move your leg whenever your body is resting.
• Periodic limb movements occur throughout the night and include moving legs, feet or toes repeatedly. This can cause interruptions in your sleep.

To facilitate the diagnostic procedure it may be a good idea to keep a sleep diary for a few weeks before you go see your doctor. This may make it easier for you to detect a pattern in your sleeping habits, and make it easier to explain the problem to your doctor. Write down how many hours your sleep every night, when you go to bed and get up, days you had difficulty falling sleep or woke up throughout the night. Observe whether you wake up gasping for breath or snoring, whether you feel tired or rested the following day and the number of alcoholic beverages you consumed the day before and around what time you had them. Stress can also cause sleep disruptions, so if your sleep problems started around a time when you were exposed to a lot of stress, make sure to mention this. In that case it may not be a medical problem, but rather stress related sleep loss.

The sooner you get some clarity concerning your sleep problems, the sooner you can get treatment and go back to getting the rest you need to live your day to the fullest. Don't put seeking treatment off thinking the problem will go away, they rarely do!

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