Are You Tired?

We all get tired but if you consistently experience daytime tiredness than you may suffer from a sleep disorder. Here are 3 sleep disorders that you need to be aware of.

1. Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is when a person actually stops breathing for an abnormal amount of time, several times per night. Each apnea, or pause in breathing, can last from a few seconds to minutes and can happen 5 to 30 times or more in an hour.

There are two kinds of sleep apnea: obstructive apnea and central apnea. In central apnea the breathing is interrupted because the brain fails to tell the muscles to breathe. In obstructive apnea breathing is interrupted by something actually blocking the airway. The windpipe could be blocked by the tongue, tonsils, uvula, fatty tissue or even relaxed throat muscles which makes it impossible to get enough air. Most sleep apnea sufferers have obstructive sleep apnea.

Common symptoms of sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness, restless sleep and loud snoring. Chronic sleep apnea requires treatment to prevent other complications such as sleep deprivation and low blood oxygen.


2. Insomnia

Insomnia is when a person persistently has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep followed by difficulty functioning at a normal level throughout the day.

There are three types of insomnia:

a. Transient insomnia which lasts for less than one week and is caused by things like depression, stress, and changes in the sleep environment.

b. Acute insomnia is when a person is unable to consistently sleep well for less than one month.

c. Chronic insomnia lasts for longer than one month and can be the primary disorder or caused by something else. The effects of chronic insomnia depend on what is causing it.

3. Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and cataplexy (the sudden and transient loss of muscle tone triggered by an emotional event). Narcoleptics experience extreme fatigue and often fall asleep at odd times as well as experiencing disturbed nighttime sleep.

Narcolepsy could occur because of a loss of the chemical hypocretin in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. Narcolepsy may also be caused by rare lesions within the brain from things like tumors or strokes.


What to do if you suspect you have a sleep disorder.

Sleep disorders are diagnosed by doctors and sleep specialists using a variety of methods such as a polysomnogram ( overnight sleep test ) and a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). It is important to get an accurate diagnosis so you know how to treat it. Sleep disorder treatments range from lifestyle changes like avoiding alcohol or losing weight, to medication or oral appliances such as a CPAP machine. With proper treatment your sleep disorder doesn’t have to run your life.