Sleep Disorders

SLEEP DISORDERS

A sleep disorder is a medical disorder related to sleeping patterns of a person. It is a problem that impedes one from sleep pleasantly at night and produces the necessity to sleep during the day. These disorders interfere with normal mental, physical, and emotional functioning of people. Sleep disorders affect adults and children.

There are different kinds of sleep disorders. For example, there is insomnia, apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy. Insomnia is the most common type of sleep disorder. It is the inability to get to sleep at night. Many people around the world have this problem. Doctors say that emotional issues (for example stress, anxiety, and depression) cause half of all insomnia cases and some common diseases like asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease, cancer, or chronic pain.

Sleep apnea is when people are unable to get enough air through their nose and mouth into their lungs. In general, people who have sleep apnea often snore loudly at night, but doctors say that not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. It is important to get treatment if someone has this problem.

Restless legs syndrome is a prickly and tingling sensation in the legs. This problem causes the legs to feel uncomfortable while people are sleeping. In some cases a disease, such as anemia or pregnancy, causes the restless legs syndrome but in general, the cause is unknown.

To avoid sleep disorders, doctors recommend keeping a regular sleep schedule, sleeping in a bedroom that is quiet, dark and cool, and getting enough time for sleep. They also recommend getting eight hours of sleep each night.

 Adriana Valverde

English 3