What Are the Most Common Types of Sleep Disorders?

Are you one of those people who spend the night tossing and turning to greet the upside-down sun with a high feeling of running a marathon? You are not alone! While for most of us a bad night can come and go, for millions of people across the UK, poor sleep can be anything but an inconvenience; it is a chronic health concern. 

Sleep disturbances are real medical problems that prevent the body and mind from getting the rest they critically need. In this blog, you'll learn about common disorders that may cause your exhaustion and how to finally achieve restful sleep.

Insomnia

When we talk about sleep disorders, Insomnia is the most common problem people face. Meaning it is not merely an incident or two of difficult nights, but a continuous and frustrating inability to get proper sleep.

What is it?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that either keeps one from falling asleep-called sleep-onset insomnia or waking up during the night and being actively unable to resume sleep, or causes one to wake up very early and not be able to go back to rest. You will probably feel very drained during the day and totally unrefreshed because of this.

What are the symptoms?

The core symptoms are obvious- lying awake for an hour before finally falling asleep, waking several times during the night, waking far too early. But the symptoms bleed over into real life. You may find yourself:

• Feeling tired or low in energy.
• Being irritable or anxious.
• Finding it hard to concentrate or memorize.
• Constant worrying about sleep does tend to worsen the problem!

Why does it happen?

Usually, insomnia has a whole array of causes; it can be acute (lasting days to weeks, usually as a result of stress or life events) or chronic (lasting three months or longer). The main culprits would be:

• Stress and anxiety: Worrying thoughts create a massive barrier to letting go.
• Sleep hygiene: These include things like an inconsistent schedule, taking caffeine past the afternoon, or gazing at the phone in bed.
• Other medical conditions or psychiatric disorders: Pain, certain medications, or depression can very well be agents causing chronic insomnia.

Sleep Apnoea

Sleep apnea is a serious condition, which is way beyond loud snoring. It is a sleep disorder that is related to respiration, in which your breathing may be stopped and started over and over during sleep.

What is it?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form. Here, during sleep, due to excess relaxation, the muscles of the throat cause a collapse or obstruction of the airway. When the blockage sets in, the brain senses an oxygen drop and arouses the person very briefly to take a breath-you may never even realize it, yet your rest is broken innumerable times throughout the night.

What are the signs?

The most obvious clues of sleep apnea are those that a partner or family member would notice:

• Very loud snoring interrupted by spells of silence (when breathing stops), gasping, or choking.
• Waking with a dry mouth or sore throat.
• Waking gasping for air or choking.
• Falling asleep during the day and feeling tired enough to need a nap, no matter how much time one spends in bed.

Why does it occur?

The risk factors can include the following:

• Obesity: Extra weight around the neck can exert pressure on the airway.
• Anatomy: Having a narrow throat, large tonsils, or a large tongue.
• Age and Gender: It is mostly seen in older men, though any one can be affected.

If you suspect that you may have Sleep Apnoea, it is imperative that you see your GP, for untreated OSA is associated with high blood pressure, heart problems, and accidents caused by daytime sleepiness.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

Imagine trying to relax or go to bed while the overwhelming and sometimes painful urge to move one's legs dominates. That is exactly the everyday reality of people with RLS or Willis-Ekbom Disease.

What is it?

A neurological disorder where an irresistible urge to move the legs sets in and is commonly accompanied by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations, such as creeping, crawling, tingling, or aching. These sensations tend to begin or worsen when one is resting or inactive and are at their worst in the evening or night.

What are the signs?

An intense urge to move the legs that may be hard to describe.

Uncomfortable feelings in the legs that go away, even if just temporarily, once the affected person moves, walks, or stretches.

Typical triggers for the symptoms are sitting or lying down. The sensations usually get worse during the evening or night, making falling asleep exceptionally difficult.

When a person has RLS, it is very common to have PLMD in which the legs twitch, jerk, or move with some degrees of repetition while the person is asleep.

What causes it?

In most cases, the actual cause is unknown, but there seem to be genetic links. It can be due to:

Iron deficiency: Low iron levels in the brain with iron levels at good standing somewhere else in the body can commonly be associated.

Certain medical conditions: Sometimes, kidney disease, pregnancy, and neuropathy can act as triggers for RLS or aggravate the condition even further.

Dopamine imbalance: Classically, RLS is caused by some dysfunction of the brain chemical, dopamine, that helps control muscle movement.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is classified as one of the uncommon but still the most tremendously disruptive sleep disorders. Moreover, it is a chronic long-lasting condition that influences the ability of the brain to manage the sleep-wake cycles.

What is it?

To put it simply, Narcolepsy sufferers have a hard time staying awake and calm. They may fall asleep suddenly and without prior notice, sometimes mid-conversation or activity which is referred to as 'sleep attack'. The brain of such individuals cannot accurately control when it should be awake and when it should be asleep.

What are the signs?

The primary symptom of Narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness, but the disorder is usually characterized by four key symptoms:

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS): A strong urge to sleep during the day, even if you got enough sleep at night.

Cataplexy: A sudden, brief loss of muscle control or weakness, usually triggered by strong emotions like laughter, surprise, or anger.

Sleep paralysis: A short period of inability to move or talk during the process of falling asleep or just waking up. This can be quite scary.

Hypnagogic hallucinations: Very clear, dream-like experiences that happen as you fall asleep or wake up.

Why does it happen?

Narcolepsy is mostly believed to be due to the absence of hypocretin (or orexin), a brain chemical that is responsible for sleep-wake cycle regulation and keeping a person awake. In most cases, it causes an autoimmune problem, where the body's immune defences erroneously take on the cells that secrete hypocretin.

When to See Your GP

A single sleepless night or a few days of feeling tired isn't usually a sign of a sleep disorder; that's just life! However, if you are facing any of these concerns on a regular basis like three or more times a week for several weeks or even months, and it is really affecting your productivity, mood or health, then it is time to consult a doctor.

Never just accept that "you are a bad sleeper." Sleep contributes a lot to human health and functioning like immune system, mental health, etc. Your GP can assist you in diagnosing the problem and, if necessary, refer you to a sleep expert for tests such as a sleep study (polysomnography). 

Getting a proper diagnosis and receiving the right treatment in the form of therapy like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), lifestyle changes or medication can lead to a huge difference and the person waking up refreshed and feeling like their old self again.