Wondering if You Suffer From a Sleep Disorder?

Sleep disorders are more common today than every before. Many people don’t even realize they have a sleep disorder. If you have trouble falling asleep at night or if you wake up numerous times throughout the night, then you might have a sleep disorder. Do your family members comment on how exhausted you look? Or perhaps you get irritated more easily than you should and find that you easily become emotional? All of these factors could indicate that you suffer from a sleep disorder.

Sleep disorders can be identified by paying attention to the problem itself. Some people have trouble falling asleep while others have difficulty waking up in the morning. Others can’t seem to stay awake throughout the day. Many people discover that they do odd things while they sleep. Still other people have trouble sleeping because their partner or spouse keeps them up at night.

If it is falling asleep that you have trouble with then you ought to identify if it is falling asleep at night that’s the problem or is it falling asleep after waking in the middle of the night or in the early morning that is the problem? Difficulty with falling asleep at bedtime is quite common. It is called sleep latency and could indicate that you are suffering from sleep onset insomnia or restless leg syndrome. Those that find it hard to stay asleep all night are experiencing sleep fragmentation. There are several sleep disorders that could cause this. You might be suffering from sleep maintenance insomnia or advanced sleep phase disorder. All of these sleep problems could be compounded if your sleep patterns change because of a changing work schedule.

For those that have no trouble sleeping through the night but do have problems staying awake throughout the day there are other possible causes. One sleep disorder of this type is called narcolepsy and causes a person to fall asleep almost instantly at random times during the day. Other possibilities are obstructive sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder. This can also be a result of shift work.

Some people just can’t seem to get up in the morning. If it takes you more than an hour to fully wake up in the morning then this might be you. Sleep disorders that might cause this are: excessive sleep inertia, sleep apnea, or delayed sleep phase disorder.

Other people have been told or somehow discovered that they do strange things in their sleep. They might be sleepwalkers or suffer from sleep terrors. There are other REM sleep behavior disorders that could be the cause. Most of these sleep disorders fall under the category of parasomnia.

Others stay up all night because they have trouble sleeping next to their partner. Perhaps your partners snores incessantly or makes loud gasping or coughing sounds. Your partner could suffer from sleep apnea or snoring. Restless leg syndrome can be difficult to sleep with, too.

By identifying the type of sleep problem a person suffers from, it becomes easier to identify one of the many sleep disorders that could be responsible. This makes treatment possible.

You can find plenty of information about sleep online. For additional information checkout this site on sleep disorders.