Learn everything there is to know about the various sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, insomnia, and sleep apnea.

1. Sleep Disorders: Everything
You Need to Know
NOVEMBER 28, 2022 SHARE 1
Sleep, a basic need of every living being, faces a hindrance in the form of
sleep disorders. Sleep disorders often cause several issues, from impaired
daily functioning to health problems.

2. Getting rid of sleep disorders is not as easy as buying a mattress online. To
cure sleep disorders and their side effects, you need to learn everything
about them.
What are sleep disorders?
Sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical illness that affects a person’s
sleeping habits. Sleep Disorders interfere with the individual’s physical,
social, emotional, and mental functioning. A study shows significant
impairment in life quality in insomnia patients.
Sleep disorders are common in children and adults. However, children may
show different signs than adults, such as inattentiveness, motor overactivity,
oppositional behavior, or irritability.
All sleep disorders may have more or less similar causes, such as Stress,
unhealthy lifestyle, health issues, mental illness, physiological and
psychological effects, traumatic brain injuries ( TBI ), etc.
Below is the common sleep disorders list:
1. Insomnia
2. Sleep apnea
3. Restless leg syndrome
4. Hypersomnia
5. Circadian rhythm disorders
6. Parasomnia
7. Narcolepsy
Types of Sleep Disorders, symptoms, and
causes
Understanding various sleep disorders, their particular symptoms, and their
fundamental causes is essential to find appropriate treatment.
Let’s look in more detail at different sleep disorders and their symptoms
and causes.

3. Insomnia
What is Insomnia?
An Insomniac person finds it difficult to fall or remain asleep for the
minimum number of hours. Transient, acute, and chronic Insomnia are the
three forms of Insomnia.
Transient Insomnia may last for less than a week, and it’s mostly a sleep
deprivation for various reasons. Acute Insomnia may last for a few days or
weeks, while chronic Insomnia is a severe stage of Insomnia and lasts for
months with at least three sleepless nights a week.
What are the symptoms of Insomnia?
Symptoms of Insomnia may include one or more reasons mentioned below:
 Not being able to fall asleep despite being tired

4.  Difficulty staying asleep for long at night
 Waking up several times at night
 Daytime weariness and exhaustion
 Depression, irritability, anxiety
 Issues with focusing, memorizing, and paying attention
 Frequent mistakes in daily chores
What are the causes behind Insomnia?
Reasons behind Insomnia may include one or more reasons mentioned
below:
 An unhealthy lifestyle like lack of exercise, wrong eating timings, etc
 Wrong sleeping habits like late night sleeping, napping during the day for
hours, etc
 Excessive blue screen usage such as mobile, laptop, etc
 Bad eating habits such as eating heavy meals near bedtime, eating junk
food or unhealthy food, excessive usage of caffeine or alcohol, etc
 Working overtime, rotational shifts, constant meetings without appropriate
breaks in between,
 constant traveling within different time zones, jet lags,
 Chronic health issues like cancer, or Neurological disorders, such as
Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease
 Anxiety, depression, or other mental or emotional issues
 Side effects of medications for other health issues
 Chronic back pains, arthritis, or Gastrointestinal disorders
Sleep apnea

5. What is Sleep apnea?
A person suffering from sleep apnea often goes through phases where their
breathing stops for a short period or finds breathing difficult due to lack of
oxygen.
Obstructive, central, and complicated sleep apnea are the three forms of
apnea.
 Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder. Obstructive
sleep apnea occurs when a person’s airways become completely or partially
clogged due to soft tissue failure at the back of the throat.
 In Central sleep apnea, a person’s brain fails to send signals to breathing
muscles due to the respiratory control system’s issue.
 Complex sleep apnea is the result of a mix of obstructive and central sleep
apnea.

6. What are the symptoms of Sleep apnea?
A person with sleep apnea may find one or more symptoms mentioned
below:
 Breathing issues that are detectable by a third person, such as stopped
breathing or loud snoring.
 A constant need to pee at night or night sweats
 Fatigue, tiredness, or tired feeling all-day
 Dry mouth, continuous feeling of thirst, and headaches
 Issues with concentration, memorizing, or focusing on the daily task
 Depression, Stress, anxiety, irritability
What are the causes behind Sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea occurs more in men compared to women and can impact
everyone despite gender or age factor.
There could be one or more reasons behind sleep apnea;
 A person with certain physical aspects, such as obesity or a large neck
 Structural abnormalities such as low-hanging soft palate, nasal obstruction,
or enlarged tonsils can reduce the upper airway’s diameter.
 Physical, psychological, neurological, or hormonal medical conditions such
as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure, stroke,
Parkinson’s disease, hormonal disorder, polycystic ovary syndrome, chronic
lung diseases like asthma
 Age, genetic disorders,
 excessive usage of medicines, alcohol, or nicotine
Restless leg syndrome or RLS

7. What is Restless leg syndrome?
Restless leg syndrome, or Willis-Ekbom disease, is a sleeping disorder in
which a person has a desperate urge to move their leg or arm. Sometimes
people might get the same desire to move their legs or arms while sitting
for long hours in one place.
Restless leg syndrome can occur in anyone contrary to age or gender. Also,
in some cases, it could be genetic.
What are the symptoms of Restless leg syndrome?
A person with Restless leg syndrome may have any of below symptoms:
 Legs or arm discomfort, such as itching, burning, pulling, throbbing, or
gnawing.
 Intense urge to move limbs, legs, arms, or whole body

8.  Struggle while sleeping or feeling like going out for a walk instead of
sleeping
 Daytime sleepiness or drowsy and lazy feeling
 Performance issues at work, school, or other
 Mood swings, anxiety, Stress, or depression
What are the causes behind the Restless leg syndrome?
There could be several causes behind restless leg syndrome:
 Iron deficiency
 Kidney problems like Uremia, dialysis, or kidney failure
 Hyperthyroidism, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid arthritis, or diabetes
 Neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease or peripheral neuropathy
 Pregnancy
 Side effects of medicines
 Caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine consumption
Hypersomnia

9. What is Hypersomnia?
People who suffer from Hypersomnia or excessive sleepiness feel like
sleeping throughout the day despite sleeping for extensive periods at
night.
Hypersomnia has two types based on the cause: primary and secondary.
The primary condition is not related to any health problem, and the
secondary condition results from another medical problem.
What are the symptoms of Hypersomnia?
There are several symptoms of Hypersomnia:
 Feeling exhausted all-day
 Lack of energy
 Anxiety

10.  No appetite
 Restlessness
 Problems with remembering
 Issues with focusing on daily tasks
 Irritation
 Inability to think properly or form coherent speech
What are the causes behind Hypersomnia?
There are one or more causes behind Hypersomnia mentioned below:
 Neurological problems,
 Issues with brain functioning related to the sleep-wake schedule.
 Other medical conditions
 Other sleep disorders
 Excessive consumption of alcohol or drugs
 Head injury or low thyroid functioning
Circadian rhythm disorders

11. What are Circadian rhythm disorders?
The circadian rhythm is a natural cycle that governs our body’s sleep-wake
timings daily and repeats itself every 24 hours. Thus, circadian rhythm
disorders are a type of sleep disorder in which our normal sleep-wake cycle
is disrupted, making it difficult to sleep and get up on time.
Circadian rhythm disorders have two sub-categories based on the causes
behind them: intrinsic and extrinsic.
Intrinsic-type diseases, in which the internal cycle changes, and includes
sleep disorders such as Insomnia, Narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea
syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, and restless legs. Extrinsic
diseases develop when the internal circadian clock and the external
environment are out of sync and include shift work disorder or jet lag.
What are the symptoms of Circadian rhythm disorders?

12. Symptoms of Circadian rhythm disorders are:
 Excessive daytime sleepiness,
 Issues with waking up in the morning
 Other sleep disorders like Insomnia, Narcolepsy
 Disturbed sleep pattern
 Anxiety, irritability, Stress, and depression
 Performance problems at the workplace, school, or other social gatherings
What are the causes behind Circadian rhythm disorders?
There could be one or more reasons behind circadian rhythm disorder:
 Poor sleep hygiene
 Age factor
 Genetic factors
 Lack of exposure to sunlight
 Brain injury due to medical conditions like stroke, dementia, or other
intellectual disabilities
 Frequently changing work shifts,
 irregular sleep-wake time
 Jet lag or constant traveling irrespective of time or time zones.
Parasomnia

13. What is Parasomnia?
Parasomnia is a sleep condition in which a person exhibits abnormal
behavior during any stage of sleep that he is likely to forget the next day.
Parasomniacs may move, talk, or perform strange activities while sleeping,
resulting in disturbed sleep or sleep deprivation.
Some parasomnia disorders include sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares,
groaning, night terrors, bedwetting, teeth grinding, confusional arousal,
and REM sleep behavior.
What are the symptoms of Parasomnia?
Parasomniacs may face one or more symptoms mentioned below:
 Forgetfulness of activities done during sleep
 Waking up with confusion
 Not realizing the place after waking

14.  Unfamiliar cuts or injuries on the body
 Struggling to sleep all night
 Daytime fatigue, sleepiness
What are the causes behind Parasomnia?
There could be one or more triggers that can cause Parasomnia:
 Stress, anxiety, or depression
 Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD
 Side effects of medicines
 Other sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea
 Irregular sleep-wake time
 Neurological issues like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s
Narcolepsy
What is Narcolepsy?

15. Narcolepsy is a severe sleep condition that significantly impacts the sleep-
wake cycle, causing daytime tiredness and unpredictable sleep episodes.
Narcolepsy has three types: Narcolepsy with cataplexy (sudden loss of
muscular tone), Narcolepsy without cataplexy, and secondary Narcolepsy.
What are the symptoms of Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy shows various symptoms, such as:
 Excessive daytime sleepiness or random sleep episodes
 Cataplexy or sudden loss of muscular tone
 Sleep paralysis
 Other sleep disorders like Insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome
 Hallucinations, fragmented sleep,
 Changes in rapid eye movement sleep ( REM sleep)
What are the causes behind Narcolepsy?
There could be many causes behind Narcolepsy.
 Brain injury due to tumor, trauma, or other illnesses
 Less hypocretin, a brain chemical
 Hormonal changes
 Genetic disorders
 Infections
 External toxins like pesticides, heavy metals, or passive smoking.
How to diagnose sleep disorders?
If you struggle to sleep on the best Mattress regularly or find it hard to
remain active at work despite sleeping all night, then a sleep disorder may
be the reason.
To diagnose sleep disorders, you must find out whether you have any of
the characteristics mentioned below:
 Not being able to fall asleep for a long time
 Frequent episodes of waking up at midnight and tossing and turning
continually
 Snoring, gasping, choking, or stopping breathing for a short while asleep

16.  Feeling drowsy while doing important tasks like driving, working, or in a
meeting.
 Inability to concentrate or pay attention at work, school, or at home
 Performance issues at school, work
 headaches
 Tiredness
 Fatigue
 Failure to recollect memories
 Slower responses
 Mood swings or inability to control emotions
 An uncontrollable desire for napping during the day
You can self-analyze your sleep disorder symptoms or can take the help of
a health expert. Health experts may ask you to perform several tests:
 Polysomnography or PSG: This lab sleep study examines oxygen
concentration, eye and body movements, and brain waves to see their
effect on sleep.
 Actigraphy: This test uses wearable monitoring devices to observe and
evaluate your sleep patterns and average motor activity for days or weeks.
 Titration Study: A CPAP Titration study is done by calibrating continuous
positive airway pressure equipment to determine your ideal air pressure
setting while sleeping.
 Multiple Sleep Latency Testing (MSLT): This sleep study aims to evaluate
how rapidly a person falls asleep throughout the day when they should be
awake.
Also, doctors may suggest you maintain a sleep diary and do a home study
to learn more about your issues. The sleep study data include eye
movements, brain wave changes, breathing rate, blood pressure,
heartbeats, and other muscle activities.
How do sleep disorders affect health?
Sleep and health are co-related, and issues with one affect the other if left
untreated. During sleep, the brain works on renewing cells, repairing
muscles, healing wounds, regaining memories, increasing cognition, saving

17. energy, and so on. Inadequate sleep impacts brain functioning and
aggravates health problems by lowering recovery rates and other body
functions.
Sleep deprivation raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
hypertension, psychiatric disorder, and obesity. Poor sleep impairs a
person’s social appearance by making them grumpy, frustrated, less
attentive, and inactive.
Similarly, physical disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and mental
ailments can create sleep problems. Respiratory problems, heart diseases,
or failure of any vital organs result in sleepless nights. According to
research, patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) suffer from sleep disorders
such as REM sleep behavior disorder, Insomnia, and Hypersomnia.
Alzheimer’s patients have more sleep problems than Parkinson’s patients.
Individuals suffering from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar
disorder may exhibit signs of sleep disorders such as excessive daytime
drowsiness, difficulties falling asleep, nightmares, sleepwalking, atypical
sleep conditions, and so on.
Can sleep disorders be genetic?
Due to personal, social, medical, or economic reasons, one-third of the
population in the world suffers from sleep deprivation and disorders.
Another reason that you might suffer from sleep disorders is your genes.
Modern genetic breakthroughs have confirmed the significance of many
genes in sleep disorders.
According to Monozygotic twins case studies and other references, four
rare sleep disorders have an established genetic basis: fatal familial
Insomnia, familial advanced sleep-phase syndrome, chronic primary
Insomnia, and Narcolepsy with cataplexy.
How can sleep disorders be cured?
Treatment for sleep disorders varies depending on the severity of the
condition, underlying causes, symptoms, medical and psychiatric history,
age, and other factors.

18. Medicines
Doctors may recommend one or more therapeutic options:
 sleeping pills,
 melatonin tablets,
 cold or allergy treatments,
 medications for chronic health concerns.
 breathing equipment or surgery to restore breathing in sleep apnea,
 and a dental guard to stop teeth grinding
Lifestyle optimization
Making changes in lifestyle along with medical treatment helps you get
better results and improves sleep quality.
Maintain routine
Create a sleep-wake schedule and follow it thoroughly without breaks. Use
alarms to set reminders to sleep and wake up on time. Keep the alarm clock
away from your bed to make you get up in the morning to turn it off.
Limit nap time
Refrain from napping during the day to avoid staying awake all night,
especially post-evening. However, if you need to take naps for certain
reasons, ensure that you take at most 2 or 3 naps of 30 to 40 minutes
maximum.
No Technology
Blue light from electronic devices keeps your brain active and fails to create
melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. Avoid using mobiles, laptops, or
televisions at least 1 hour before sleeping.
Make darkness
Turn lights off before sleeping as dark induces the brain to release
melatonin, a sleep hormone. If you can’t sleep in complete darkness, use a
night lamp. Use thick curtains to block outside lights to create darkness in
the bedroom.

19. Eat nutritional food
Dry fruits, dairy products, white rice, fatty fish, and other food items contain
sleep-inducing nutrients. Add them to your regular diet for better results.
For example, drinking warm milk before bed helps your nerves relax, keeps
you full, and provides you with tryptophan, which helps your body produce
serotonin and melatonin.
Avoid energy boosters and alcohol
Avoid food or drinks which contain caffeine or alcohol, which keeps you
from sleeping. Eating spicy, fast, and fatty food before going to bed is a
bad idea for several reasons. These foods are heavy and difficult to digest
also. Too much spice and fats create acid reflux and keep you tossing and
turning all night. Do not eat food rich with High glycemic index foods or
added sugar to avoid sleep disorders or sleep-related issues.
Do exercise
Exercise is essential for a healthy life, fitness, and better sleep. Regular 30 to
60 minutes of exercise improves your blood circulation and burns calories.
It exhausts your body, causing it to send messages to your brain to produce
sleep-inducing hormones and sleep better to restore energy.
Meditation, Yoga, Running, Walking, Aerobics, or Crossfit, any exercise is
helpful based on your preferences and health.
Create pre-bed routine
A pre-bedtime routine is equally helpful as a sleep-wake schedule. Our
brain generally follows its own pattern based on several facts like daylight,
physical exhaustion, or activities done by you. Following a pre-bed routine
signals your brain to prepare your body for sleep. Activities like listening to
music, reading books, meditation, or relaxing before bed help you fall
asleep better than anything else.
Pay attention to the bedroom
Creating a sleep-worthy environment in your bedroom is vital for better
results. Ensure you use your bedroom only for sleep and keep work, studies,

20. or electronic devices out of it. Keep the temperature between 16 to 18
degrees with the help of a ceiling fan, air cons, or windows open. Turn off
all lights, block sounds and create a relaxed atmosphere to help you sleep
faster.
Prepare your bed
The most important object for sleeping is your bed. Use a bed that has a
strong and sturdy frame and can support your weight without breaking
down. You can use adjustable beds with different features like a massager,
zero gravity mode, and other positions to help you sleep peacefully.
Use clean bed sheets or mattress protectors and select material which will
keep your body cool and allergy free. Buy comforters that will keep you
warm during winter and keep you cozy.
Use pillows that will provide enough support for your head, neck, and
shoulders and do not create any pressure despite any sleeping position.
Another thing that you must pay attention to is Mattress. Whether you use
a bed frame or sleep on the floor, the Mattress plays a crucial part.
How to choose a sleeping mattress if you
have sleep disorders?
Selecting a mattress to help ease the struggle and pain caused by sleep
disorders requires some study and research. Whether you buy Mattress
online or from retail stores, pay attention to their size, firmness,
comfortness, material, and cost.
For better results, use mattresses that will provide comfort and support
equally and prevent you from night sweats by maintaining air circulation
within mattress fibers. The Sleep Company’s SmartGRID mattresses are the
best solution for people who suffer from sleep disorders.
Bottom Line:

21. Sleep disorders may or may not be life-threatening. However, lack of
knowledge, negligence towards symptoms, and ignorant behavior may turn
them into deadly weapons that can spoil your life.
If you are facing any sleep-related issues or symptoms, then visit your
doctor before it’s too late and get treatment to prevent further
complications.