Sleep disorders involve any difficulties related to sleeping, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
More than 100 different disorders of sleeping and waking have been identified. They can be grouped in four main categories:
Problems with falling and staying asleep (insomnia)
Problems with staying awake (excessive daytime sleepiness)
Problems with sticking to a regular sleep schedule (sleep rhythm problem)
Unusual behavoirs during sleep (sleep-disruptive behaviors)
PROBLEMS WITH FALLING AND STAYING ASLEEP
Insomnia includes any combination of difficulty with falling asleep, staying asleep, intermittent wakefulness and early-morning awakening. Episodes may come and go (be transient), last as long as 2 to 3 weeks (be short-term), or be long-lasting (chronic).
Psychophysiological insomnia: a condition in which stress caused by the insomnia makes it even harder to fall asleep
Delayed sleep phase syndrome: your internal clock is constantly out of synch with the "accepted" day / night phases; for example, patients feel best if they can sleep from 4AM to noon
Hypnotic-dependent sleep disorder: insomnia that occurs when you stop or become tolerant to certain types of sleep medications
Stimulant-dependent sleep disorder: insomnia that occurs when you stop or become dependent on certain types of stimulants
Problems may also occur when you do not maintain a consistent sleep and wake schedule. This occurs when traveling between times zones and with shift workers on rotating schedules, particularly nighttime workers.
Sleep disorders in the elderly (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Sleep disorders in the elderly involve any disruptive pattern of sleep such as problems with falling or staying asleep, excessive sleep, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Date: 01/23/2009
Obstructive sleep apnea (1 image)
Average Rating:
(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which a person has episodes of blocked breathing during sleep. This article discusses obstructive sleep apnea in adults. See also: Central sleep apnea; Sleep disorders.Reviewer: Andrew Schriber, MD, FCCP, Specialist in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Virtua Memorial Hospital, Mount Holly, New Jersey. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 08/21/2009
Irregular sleep-wake syndrome (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Irregular sleep-wake syndrome involves different and disorganized periods of sleeping and wakeful behavior.Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 04/25/2008
Insomnia concerns (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep. In many cases, it can be relieved with a few simple behavioral changes or medication. Talk with your health care provider if you have any of the following symptoms: Difficulty falling asleep; Exces...Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 04/25/2008
Sleeping difficulty (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Sleeping difficulty, called insomnia, can involve difficulty falling asleep when you first go to bed at night, waking up too early in the morning, and waking up often during the night.Reviewer: Christos Ballas, M.D., Attending Psychiatrist, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed byDavid Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/06/2008
Aging changes in sleep (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Sleep occurs in multiple stages. The sleep cycle includes dreamless periods of light and deep sleep, with occasional periods of active dreaming (REM sleep. The sleep cycle is repeated several times during the night. AGING CHANGES With aging, sleep...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine.Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 08/10/2008
Insomnia concerns (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Insomnia is difficulty falling or staying asleep. In many cases, it can be relieved with a few simple behavioral changes or medication. Talk with your health care provider if you have any of the following symptoms: Difficulty falling asleep; Exces...Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA System, East Orange, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 04/25/2008
Sleepwalking(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Sleepwalking is a disorder that occurs when a person walks or does another activity while they are still asleep.Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 06/20/2009
Central sleep apnea(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Central sleep apnea is when you repeatedly stop breathing during sleep because the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing. See also: Obstructive sleep apnea; Sleep disorders.Reviewer: Allen J. Blaivas, DO, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA New Jersey Health Care System, East Orange , NJ . Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/21/2009
Narcolepsy (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks.Reviewer: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/02/2009
Isolated sleep paralysis (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Isolated sleep paralysis is a type of paralysis associated with a sleep disorder. Sleep paralysis is the inability to perform voluntary muscle movements during sleep. See also: NarcolepsyReviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 06/12/2009
Night terror(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Night terrors are a sleep disorder in which a person quickly awakens from sleep in a terrified state.Reviewer: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 06/02/2009
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