What are the Most Common Sleep Disorders?

• Insomnia - difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep
• Sleep Apnea - sufferers repeatedly quit breathing while sleeping
• Rest Leg Syndrome(RLS)- tingling, pulling, creeping, or painful sensations in the legs at night
• Narcolepsy - excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep
• Bruxism - involuntarily grinding or clenching of the teeth while sleeping
• Night terrors - abrupt awakening from sleep with behavior consistent with terror
• Rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD) - acting out violent or dramatic dreams while in REM sleep
• Sleepwalking - engaging in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness (such as eating or dressing), which may include walking, without conscious knowledge

Know the Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Disorders...

Daytime sleepiness is one of the most common signs of a sleep related disorder. People often attribute daytime sleepiness to aging, lack of exercise or being overworked. For these and many other reasons, people live with persistent daytime sleepiness without realizing that it may be a symptom of a sleep disorder. Other signs and symptoms of sleep-related disorders include:

• Snoring that is accompanied by pauses in breathing
• Loud or disruptive snoring
• Difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep
• Awakening from sleep and feeling unrefreshed or with a headache
• Forgetfulness and/or irritability
• Creepy crawling sensations in the legs or arms during evening hours
• Physically acting out dreams during sleep

A sleep disorder can exist for weeks to years before a person recognizes it. It's not normal to always feel sleepy during the daytime or have problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or awakening unrefreshed. These are signs to as talk about with your doctor.

Be prepared with information about your sleep patterns and provide your doctor with as much supporting information as possible. You may need to ask your bed partner to find out if you snore or kick during the night. Tell your doctor if you're waking up with a dry mouth, snore, experience morning headaches, can't sleep or awaken night from in the middle of the night, or experience a tingling in your legs during the evening.

Many people are predisposed to developing sleep disorders. Sleep disorders also exist in children. A parent with a sleep disorder often passes along those genes or traits that increase the likelihood that their children may also develop the same disorder.