Guide To Sleeping Disorders

According to the National Institute of Health, up to seventy million Americans toss and turn in their beds at night. Of those who have trouble sleeping, approximately sixty percent of them have a chronic sleeping disorder. When counting sheep at night doesn't help you sleep, it may be worth considering the presence of a sleeping disorder. The first step to a healthier lifestyle and better quality of sleep is understanding precisely what sleeping disorders are and the various types. Start reading for this information now.

What Is A Sleeping Disorder?

First things first, it is paramount to understand 'sleeping disorder' is a broad term, and it actually fits over one hundred types of specific conditions. In an effort to make things easier for everyone, researchers have grouped sleeping disorders into four overarching categories, which are: insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep rhythm problems, and sleep-disruptive behaviors. These conditions are strikingly similar in their causes and health effects on the body, but their symptoms and treatments are often more specific to the actual condition.

Definition Of Main Sleeping Disorders

Excessive daytime sleepiness is a category of disorders causing individuals to sleep often during the day more often than taking the occasional nap. One key example of excessive daytime sleepiness would be narcolepsy, the significant tendency to fall asleep when in relaxing surroundings, regardless of the time. Sleep rhythm problems involve not being able to sleep on a regular, healthy schedule. These can include a delayed sleep pattern (two or more hours delay), advanced sleep pattern (the reverse of delayed, where a person sleeping earlier and wakes earlier than most), and an irregular sleep rhythm (no discernable pattern, in and out of sleep).

Sleep-disruptive behaviors include conditions causing aberrant behaviors while asleep, such as sleepwalking. Insomnia is perhaps what most individuals would first think of when they hear the term 'sleeping disorder.' It is a condition wherein individuals cannot fall or stay asleep.