by Micah Reeves

Created on: July 25, 2007

Dysomnia is a general term for sleep disorder. A person can not fall asleep, or waking up often during the night are signs of a possible Dysomnia. Narcolepsy, Bruxism, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea are just some of the possible sleep disorders a person can have.

The causes of sleep disorders vary. Psychological and physical issues by themselves or together are the culprits. A person with restless leg syndrome will wake up due to his legs chronically moving and the discomfort that causes. Yet, someone with sleep apnea wakes up due to not having enough air in his lungs. Thus he doesn't get enough sleep during the night from waking up so often. Shift work can be another cause, because the body and mind is not resting at the same time each day every day. Too much caffeine and alcohol dependency also inhibits natural sleep that can lead to a sleep disorder.

Psychological causes can stem from mental illness, such as Schizophrenia, Depression, and anxiety. A traumatic event such as loss of a loved one, or post-traumatic stress disorder can cause sleep problems. Many soldiers have suffered post-traumatic stress from fighting in wars for our country. Abuse, whether emotional, sexual, or physical creates post- traumatic stress also, which in turn causes sleep disorders.

Pain is another cause. Back pain, sciatica, neck pain, all can ruin a good nights sleep. Another factor is medication. It can be a catch-22 because depending on the medication for pain, the pain might reside but the drug will still prohibit sleep.

Incontinence and environmental noise are also considered when evaluating a sleep disorder.

It is extremely complicated to specify what exactly can cause Dysomina. A professional who specializes in sleep disorders is needed to get each individuals cause and symptoms, so that the Dysomnia can be treated productively. Once the exact sleep disorder is known, treatment can begin.

Source
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.co m/Sleep+disorder

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