A sleep disorder causes disruptions in nighttime sleep cycles. When someone can’t seem to get a good night’s sleep, or consistently wakes up in the night, a sleep disorder may be to blame. Getting the right amount of sleep is crucial for a healthy lifestyle. Not getting enough can lead to increased irritability, anxiety, depression, diabetes, and memory loss.
Sleep disorders are often interconnected with other mental illnesses. Lack of sleep can lead to depression or anxiety, while symptoms of these disorders often lead to difficulties sleeping. Oftentimes, clinicians will work with sleep specialists in treating these disorders, in order to ease the overall symptoms caused by these conditions.
Though people generally think of insomnia as the only sleep disorder, there are seven main kinds. These are insomnia, sleep-related breathing disorders, central disorders of hypersomnolence*, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, parasomnias*, and sleep-related movement disorders, among others that don’t fall into the previous categories. To learn more about the specifics of each disorder, consult this article.
*Hypersomnolence is a term that refers to drowsiness despite getting adequate sleep. Parasomnias are defined as unusual behaviors exhibited during sleeping or waking up.