BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuSleep disordersInsomnia; Narcolepsy; Hypersomnia; Daytime sleepiness; Sleep rhythm; Sleep disruptive behaviors; Jet lagSleep disorders are problems with sleeping. These include trouble falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at the wrong times, too much sleep, and abnormal behaviors during sleep.Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsers Causes There are more than 100 different sleeping and waking disorders. They can be grouped into four main categories:Problems falling or staying asleep (insomnia) Problems staying awake (excessive daytime sleepiness) Problems sticking to a regular sleep schedule (sleep rhythm problem) Unusual behaviors during sleep (sleep-disruptive behaviors) PROBLEMS FALLING AND STAYING ASLEEP Insomnia includes trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Episodes may come and go, last up to 3 weeks (be short-term), or be long-lasting (chronic).InsomniaInsomnia is trouble falling asleep, staying asleep through the night, or waking up too early in the morning. Episodes of insomnia may come and go or ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article PROBLEMS STAYING AWAKE Hypersomnia is a condition in which people have excessive daytime sleepiness. This means they feel tired during the day and are prone to falling asleep. Hypersomnia can also include situations in which a person needs to sleep a lot. This may be due to other medical conditions, but can also be due to a problem in the brain. Causes of this problem include:HypersomniaIdiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a sleep disorder in which a person is excessively sleepy (hypersomnia) during the day and has great difficulty being a...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Medical conditions, such as fibromyalgia and low thyroid function FibromyalgiaFibromyalgia is a condition in which a person has long-term pain that is spread throughout their body. The pain is most often accompanied by fatigue...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Medicines that are sedating Mononucleosis or other viral illnesses MononucleosisMononucleosis, or mono, is a viral infection that causes fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands, most often in the neck.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Narcolepsy and other sleep disorders NarcolepsyNarcolepsy is a nervous system problem that causes extreme sleepiness and attacks of daytime sleep.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Obesity, especially if it causes obstructive sleep apneaObstructive sleep apneaObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a problem in which your breathing pauses during sleep. This occurs because of narrowed or blocked airways.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article When no cause for the sleepiness can be found, it is called idiopathic hypersomnia.Idiopathic hypersomniaIdiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a sleep disorder in which a person is excessively sleepy (hypersomnia) during the day and has great difficulty being a...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article PROBLEMS STICKING TO A REGULAR SLEEP SCHEDULE Problems may also occur when you do not stick to a regular sleep and wake schedule. This occurs when people travel between time zones. It can also occur with shift workers who are on changing schedules, especially nighttime workers.Disorders that involve a disrupted sleep schedule include:Irregular sleep-wake syndrome Irregular sleep-wake syndrome Irregular sleep-wake syndrome is sleeping without any real schedule.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Jet lag syndrome Jet lag syndromeJet lag is a sleep disorder caused by traveling across different time zones. Jet lag occurs when your body's biological clock is not set with the ti...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Shift work sleep disorder Delayed sleep phase, as in teenagers who go to sleep very late at night and then sleep until noon Advanced sleep phase, as in older adults who go to sleep early in the evening and wake up very early Previous imagePlay SlideshowStop SlideshowNext image / SLEEP-DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS Abnormal behaviors during sleep are called parasomnias. They are fairly common in children and include:Sleep terrors Sleep terrors Night terrors (sleep terrors) are a sleep disorder in which a person quickly wakes from sleep in a terrified state.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Sleepwalking SleepwalkingSleepwalking is a disorder that occurs when people walk or do other activity while they are still asleep.Read Article Now Book Mark Article REM sleep-behavior disorder (a person moves during REM sleep and may act out dreams) Open ReferencesReferencesAvidan AY. Sleep and its disorders. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 101.Sateia MJ, Thorpy MJ. Classification of sleep disorders. In: Kryger M, Roth T, Goldstein CA, Dement WC, eds. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 69.AllVideoImagesTogSleep disorders Animation Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersSleep disorders - Animation You tuck yourself under the covers, turn out the light, and look forward to eight hours of blissful slumber. But, after turning for hours you're still exhausted, and no closer to sleep than when you first got into bed. Let's talk today about sleep disorders. Sleep disorders fall into four basic categories. The scenario I described, in which you toss and turn because you can't fall asleep, is called insomnia. Another type of insomnia is when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Sometimes people get insomnia for a night or two because they're stressed out over a big meeting at work, or they're excited about an upcoming trip. Others can't sleep night after night, and that's called chronic insomnia. People with the second category of sleep disorders have a hard time staying awake during the day, even if they slept well the night before. This is called hypersomnia. Sometimes doctors can't find a cause for hypersomnia. But in many cases, a health condition like fibromyalgia, a thyroid problem, a disease like mononucleosis, obesity, or obstructive sleep apnea, can make you sleepy. If you notice a co-worker is nodding off in the middle of meetings, he might have narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that causes people to sleep uncontrollably at inappropriate times during the day. Narcolepsy isn't only embarrassing, it can be dangerous if you nod off behind the wheel of a car. A sleep rhythm problem means that you can't stick to a normal sleep schedule. Maybe you work the night shift at your job, or you're always traveling to different time zones and are constantly battling jet lag. Well, whatever the cause, the lack of a normal sleep pattern is called a sleep rhythm disorder. And finally, there are the types of sleep disorders that wake you up with a jolt in the middle of the night, and, these are called parasomnias, and they can severely interrupt your sleep. You may walk in your sleep, or act out your dreams. Children often have night terrors, in which they wake up from a deep sleep in a terrified state. The good news is that you don't have to live on fewer hours of sleep, because there are decent treatments for sleep disorders. If you're struggling to sleep throughout the night, and dragging through the day as a result, talk to your doctor, who can refer you to a sleep specialist for an evaluation.Irregular sleep - illustration Symptoms of irregular sleep/wake rhythm disorder include irregular periods of sleep and wakefulness which disrupt the normal daily sleep-wake cycle. It may be caused by brain dysfunction or not following a normal sleep schedule, ultimately leading to a pattern of insomnia and frequent daytime napping.Irregular sleepillustrationSleep patterns in the young and aged - illustration Sleep patterns change with age, anxiety levels and many other factors. Normally, younger people have more concentrated periods of deep sleep compared to older people.Sleep patterns in the young and agedillustrationSleep disorders Animation Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsersSleep disorders - Animation You tuck yourself under the covers, turn out the light, and look forward to eight hours of blissful slumber. But, after turning for hours you're still exhausted, and no closer to sleep than when you first got into bed. Let's talk today about sleep disorders. Sleep disorders fall into four basic categories. The scenario I described, in which you toss and turn because you can't fall asleep, is called insomnia. Another type of insomnia is when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Sometimes people get insomnia for a night or two because they're stressed out over a big meeting at work, or they're excited about an upcoming trip. Others can't sleep night after night, and that's called chronic insomnia. People with the second category of sleep disorders have a hard time staying awake during the day, even if they slept well the night before. This is called hypersomnia. Sometimes doctors can't find a cause for hypersomnia. But in many cases, a health condition like fibromyalgia, a thyroid problem, a disease like mononucleosis, obesity, or obstructive sleep apnea, can make you sleepy. If you notice a co-worker is nodding off in the middle of meetings, he might have narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that causes people to sleep uncontrollably at inappropriate times during the day. Narcolepsy isn't only embarrassing, it can be dangerous if you nod off behind the wheel of a car. A sleep rhythm problem means that you can't stick to a normal sleep schedule. Maybe you work the night shift at your job, or you're always traveling to different time zones and are constantly battling jet lag. Well, whatever the cause, the lack of a normal sleep pattern is called a sleep rhythm disorder. And finally, there are the types of sleep disorders that wake you up with a jolt in the middle of the night, and, these are called parasomnias, and they can severely interrupt your sleep. You may walk in your sleep, or act out your dreams. Children often have night terrors, in which they wake up from a deep sleep in a terrified state. The good news is that you don't have to live on fewer hours of sleep, because there are decent treatments for sleep disorders. If you're struggling to sleep throughout the night, and dragging through the day as a result, talk to your doctor, who can refer you to a sleep specialist for an evaluation.Irregular sleep - illustration Symptoms of irregular sleep/wake rhythm disorder include irregular periods of sleep and wakefulness which disrupt the normal daily sleep-wake cycle. It may be caused by brain dysfunction or not following a normal sleep schedule, ultimately leading to a pattern of insomnia and frequent daytime napping.Irregular sleepillustrationSleep patterns in the young and aged - illustration Sleep patterns change with age, anxiety levels and many other factors. Normally, younger people have more concentrated periods of deep sleep compared to older people.Sleep patterns in the young and agedillustrationSelf Care Can't sleep? Try these tipsChanging your sleep habits Tests for Sleep disorders PolysomnographyRelated Information Depression(Symptoms)Stress and your health(Symptoms)Drowsiness(Symptoms)Obstructive sleep apnea - adults(Condition)Narcolepsy(Condition)Restless legs syndrome(Condition)Central sleep apnea(Condition)Night terrors in children(Condition)Sleepwalking(Condition)Psychosis(Condition)Insomnia - InDepth(In-Depth)Depression - InDepth(In-Depth)Anxiety disorders - InDepth(In-Depth) Review Date: 4/20/2023 Reviewed By: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, VA New Jersey Health Care System, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Internal review and update on 02/12/2024 by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. 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Sleep disordersInsomnia; Narcolepsy; Hypersomnia; Daytime sleepiness; Sleep rhythm; Sleep disruptive behaviors; Jet lagSleep disorders are problems with sleeping. These include trouble falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at the wrong times, too much sleep, and abnormal behaviors during sleep.Related video goes here for no-HTML5 browsers Causes There are more than 100 different sleeping and waking disorders. They can be grouped into four main categories:Problems falling or staying asleep (insomnia) Problems staying awake (excessive daytime sleepiness) Problems sticking to a regular sleep schedule (sleep rhythm problem) Unusual behaviors during sleep (sleep-disruptive behaviors) PROBLEMS FALLING AND STAYING ASLEEP Insomnia includes trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Episodes may come and go, last up to 3 weeks (be short-term), or be long-lasting (chronic).InsomniaInsomnia is trouble falling asleep, staying asleep through the night, or waking up too early in the morning. Episodes of insomnia may come and go or ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article PROBLEMS STAYING AWAKE Hypersomnia is a condition in which people have excessive daytime sleepiness. This means they feel tired during the day and are prone to falling asleep. Hypersomnia can also include situations in which a person needs to sleep a lot. This may be due to other medical conditions, but can also be due to a problem in the brain. Causes of this problem include:HypersomniaIdiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a sleep disorder in which a person is excessively sleepy (hypersomnia) during the day and has great difficulty being a...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Medical conditions, such as fibromyalgia and low thyroid function FibromyalgiaFibromyalgia is a condition in which a person has long-term pain that is spread throughout their body. The pain is most often accompanied by fatigue...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Medicines that are sedating Mononucleosis or other viral illnesses MononucleosisMononucleosis, or mono, is a viral infection that causes fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands, most often in the neck.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Narcolepsy and other sleep disorders NarcolepsyNarcolepsy is a nervous system problem that causes extreme sleepiness and attacks of daytime sleep.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Obesity, especially if it causes obstructive sleep apneaObstructive sleep apneaObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a problem in which your breathing pauses during sleep. This occurs because of narrowed or blocked airways.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article When no cause for the sleepiness can be found, it is called idiopathic hypersomnia.Idiopathic hypersomniaIdiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a sleep disorder in which a person is excessively sleepy (hypersomnia) during the day and has great difficulty being a...ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article PROBLEMS STICKING TO A REGULAR SLEEP SCHEDULE Problems may also occur when you do not stick to a regular sleep and wake schedule. This occurs when people travel between time zones. It can also occur with shift workers who are on changing schedules, especially nighttime workers.Disorders that involve a disrupted sleep schedule include:Irregular sleep-wake syndrome Irregular sleep-wake syndrome Irregular sleep-wake syndrome is sleeping without any real schedule.ImageRead Article Now Book Mark Article Jet lag syndrome Jet lag syndromeJet lag is a sleep disorder caused by traveling across different time zones. Jet lag occurs when your body's biological clock is not set with the ti...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Shift work sleep disorder Delayed sleep phase, as in teenagers who go to sleep very late at night and then sleep until noon Advanced sleep phase, as in older adults who go to sleep early in the evening and wake up very early Previous imagePlay SlideshowStop SlideshowNext image / SLEEP-DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS Abnormal behaviors during sleep are called parasomnias. They are fairly common in children and include:Sleep terrors Sleep terrors Night terrors (sleep terrors) are a sleep disorder in which a person quickly wakes from sleep in a terrified state.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Sleepwalking SleepwalkingSleepwalking is a disorder that occurs when people walk or do other activity while they are still asleep.Read Article Now Book Mark Article REM sleep-behavior disorder (a person moves during REM sleep and may act out dreams) Open ReferencesReferencesAvidan AY. Sleep and its disorders. In: Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, Pomeroy SL, Newman NJ, eds. Bradley and Daroff's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 101.Sateia MJ, Thorpy MJ. Classification of sleep disorders. In: Kryger M, Roth T, Goldstein CA, Dement WC, eds. Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 69.