Types of Sleep Disorders
Different types of sleep disorders keep people awake and prevent proper sleep. Sleep disorders range from the common, self-correcting issues to physical and neurological disorders. Sleep disorders prevent people from resting properly whether it's getting to sleep, staying asleep or cycling through the stages of sleep. Sleep is vital to the body's ability to heal, to process information, to digest, to relax and to function. While a person can stay awake for days on end, they will begin to suffer the debilitating effects of sleep deprivation such as a breakdown in cognitive functions, weight gain and a weakened immune system. Sleep disorders are about more than missing one night of sleep here or there, sleep disorders indicate a persistent inability to rest.
Apnea Sleep Disorders
Apnea sleep disorders are related directly to respiratory issues. Hypopnea syndrome indicates very shallow or slow breathing while sleeping. The shallow breathing can sound like wheezing or mild gasping and reduces the level of oxygen saturation in the blood. The heart must pump harder to get enough oxygen. Obstructive sleep apnea is typically caused by a physical defect or weakness in the soft tissue of the throat. While sleeping, a person with OSA will periodically cease breathing due to the soft tissue collapsing and blocking the airway. They will experience an arousal to waking, gasping and choking for air. The arousal episodes occur several times during the night although the patient may only remember one in five of the waking episodes. Obstructive sleep apnea may be corrected by surgery. Central sleep apnea is caused by a neurological problem. The brain fails to send the right messages to the muscles controlling your breathing. Causes of central sleep apnea are related to neurological diseases, stroke, surgery and spinal damage. Primary snoring differs from the snoring associated with apnea disorders. Most people snore at one point or another. Physical causes of snoring include a deviated septum, hypertrophy of the adenoids, swollen tonsils, tongue enlargement and a small oropharynx. Colds and allergies also cause snoring. Snoring alone is not indicative of a sleep disorder, but snoring can keep other people awake. Visit sleep study here.
Movement Disorders
Movement disorders interrupt sleep patterns and the ability of the body to achieve the different stages sleep because physically they are moving or acting. The physical action may wake them up or prevent them from sleeping. The most well known movement sleep disorder is restless legs syndrome (RLS). RLS causes an irresistible urge to shift or move the legs. People who experience RLS complain of a creepy, crawly or pins and needles sensation. RLS patients often suffer from periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) which causes sudden jerking of the arms or legs while sleeping. Occasionally a person's leg or arm will twitch as their muscles relax, but PLMD causes persistent and involuntary motions that can jerk them awake. Bruxism is the grinding or clenching of the teeth while a person is sleeping. The disorder can cause dental problems, headaches and general soreness of the jaw. Somnambulism is another movement disorder that is neurological in nature. Sleepwalking can cause a person to get up and engage in day to day activities without any knowledge of what they are doing. Sleepwalkers experience unexplained injuries and physical tiredness related to not resting properly. The last sleep movement disorder involves a lack of movement or sleep paralysis. The paralysis affects the physical body temporarily just before falling asleep or upon waking. A person with sleep paralysis usually experiences visual, tactile or auditory hallucinations and are usually suffering from narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a disorder where a person falls asleep suddenly and inexplicable, during normal waking hours.