Sleep disorders
Insomnia; 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.
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).
Insomnia
Insomnia is trouble falling asleep, staying asleep (usually through the night), or waking up too early in the morning. Episodes of insomnia may come ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticlePROBLEMS 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:
Hypersomnia
Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a sleep disorder in which a person is excessively sleepy (hypersomnia) during the day and has great difficulty being a...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article- Medical conditions, such as fibromyalgia and low thyroid function
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia 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...
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- Mononucleosis or other viral illnesses
Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis, or mono, is a viral infection that causes fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands, most often in the neck.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Narcolepsy and other sleep disorders
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a nervous system problem that causes extreme sleepiness and attacks of daytime sleep.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Obesity, especially if it causes obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a problem in which your breathing pauses during sleep. This occurs because of narrowed or blocked airways.
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When no cause for the sleepiness can be found, it is called idiopathic hypersomnia.
Idiopathic hypersomnia
Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a sleep disorder in which a person is excessively sleepy (hypersomnia) during the day and has great difficulty being a...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticlePROBLEMS 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.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Jet lag syndrome
Jet lag syndrome
Jet 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
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
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking 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)
References
Avidan 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.
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 sleep
illustration
Sleep 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 aged
illustration
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 sleep
illustration
Sleep 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 aged
illustration
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.