Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are changes in sleeping patterns or habits. There are more than 80 different sleep disorders that include difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting restful sleep. Insomnia is the difficulty falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep and it is one of the most common sleep disorders. Other common sleep disorders include:

• sleep apnea (breathing interruptions during sleep)
• restless legs syndrome (a tingling or prickly sensation in the legs)
• narcolepsy (daytime "sleep attacks")
• parasomnia (disruptive sleep disorders such as night terrors, sleep paralysis, and bedwetting)
• jet-lag syndrome
• disturbed biological and circadian rhythms
• sleepwalking
• sleep talking
• teeth grinding

Signs and symptoms of sleep disorders include excessive daytime sleepiness, irregular breathing or increased movement during sleep, difficulty sleeping, and abnormal sleep behaviors.

A sleep disorder can affect your overall health, safety, and quality of life. Sleep is a basic human need, like eating, drinking, and breathing, and is vital to good health and well-being. Sleep needs vary from person to person, and they change throughout your life. Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Children have different sleep needs, depending on how old they are. Sleep disorders and the sleep deprivation they cause can interfere with work, driving, social activities, and overall quality of life, and can have serious health implications. Not getting enough sleep slows your thinking and reaction time, makes you irritable, and increases your risk of injury. It may even decrease your resistance to infections, increase your risk of obesity, and increase your risk of heart disease. Sleep disorders account for an estimated $16 billion in medical costs each year, plus indirect costs due to missed days of work, decreased productivity, and other factors.

Sleep disorders may be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) disorders. They may be due to identifiable causes such as stress or a medical condition or medicines you are taking, but the cause may also be more difficult to identify. With accurate diagnosis, doctors can treat most sleep disorders effectively with combinations of behavior changes, relaxation techniques, and medicines.

Sleep disorders are common and can results from many different causes, including:

• stress
• illness
• diet (caffeine and alcohol intake)
• medications
• genetics
• night shift work
• blindness
• mental illness

Talk with your doctor if poor sleep, loud snoring with pauses in breathing, or daytime sleepiness affects your life or safety. A pharmacist can also review whether medications are disrupting your sleep.