by Bella Cooper

Created on: April 17, 2009

Sleep disorders are some of the most difficult problems to live with. The most common sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy. Here is a guide outlining the symptoms of these sleep disorders to help you determine if you have one.

Insomnia

Insomnia is a very common disorder resulting in the inability to sleep over an extended period of time. In mild cases simply by avoiding jet-lag or caffeine or taking sleep-promoting medications can help with the symptoms. Longer-term insomnia is more serious, however, and is often a side-effect of a more serious disorder like depression. In these cases, the underlying disorder should be the focus of treatment.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea results in pauses of breathing throughout sleep, resulting in the affected individual to wake up many times in the night. This results in less time is spent in REM sleep and loud snoring. In mild cases, lifestyle changes like losing weight, quitting smoking, and limiting caffeine can improve the symptoms, but in more severe cases, it can be treated by a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask that is worn during sleep, oral appliances keeping the throat open in the night, or surgery to remove the diseased throat tissue.

Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless legs syndrome results in an unpleasant tingling sensation in the leg, causing it to "twitch". This often occurs when the person is lying down, leading to interrupted sleep. In mild cases, reducing caffeine intake, or massaging the legs can help alleviate the problem. In serious cases, medications such as benzodiazepines or dopamine agonists may be used.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy causes individuals to enter REM sleep unexpectedly without going through non-REM sleep. Patients with narcolepsy can be treated with stimulants like Ritalin, amphetamines, or modafanil.

Infant Sleep Disorders

Children can the same sleep disorders as adults, but they are more difficult to identify because sleep patterns of children are different than adults. Newborns do not have mature REM sleep patterns, and they typically sleep equal amounts in the day and the night. Consult a doctor to determine whether your child's sleep is normal or a result of a sleep disorder.

If you or your children experience any of the symptoms described above, you should visit a Sleep Disorder Center to identify whether you truly have a disorder and outline a plan as to how to treat it.

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