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How to Diagnose and Treat the 5 Most Common Sleep Disorders

Do you frequently struggle to fall and stay asleep? Do you find it difficult to return to sleep when you wake up at night? Do you wake up in the morning feeling tired and doubt whether you slept at night? Do you feel tired with low energy almost every day? Or have your family or friends told you that you’ve weird behaviors when you are sleeping? If yes, then you might have been struggling with a sleep disorder.

Sleep disorder is a ubiquitous group of conditions, which affect your ability to have enough quality sleep regularly. Health problems and too much stress are some of the most common causes of sleep disorders. According to the report, these disorders are becoming more and more common with more than 75% of Americans between 20 – 59 years report struggling with sleep problems quite regularly.

 

The five most common sleep disorders

  1. Insomnia

It is the most common type of sleep disorder with about half of people have experienced its symptoms occasionally. Almost 10% of people in the US report struggling with chronic insomnia.

The leading causes of insomnia are certain medications, depression/stress, high levels of stress, drug/alcohol abuse. Its main symptoms include problems in falling asleep and difficulty staying asleep.

Other symptoms of insomnia are waking up too early and dealing with one daytime issue like sleepiness, problems with mood or concentration, accidents while driving or at work, and experiencing tiredness.

Your doctor will perform a physical exam, sleep, and medical history to find out the cause of your insomnia. Tests like sleep diary, polysomnogram, Epworth sleep scale, mental health exam, and actigraphy can also help diagnose insomnia.

Regardless of what causes insomnia, learning to relax, revising your usual daytime habits, and enhancing your sleep hygiene will help combat the most causes of insomnia. Your doctor can prescribe medication or cognitive behavioral therapy.

Also, sleeping pills like Zopiclone can help fight insomnia by correcting your sleep and overcoming disorders in your cycle of sleep. What’s more, is that the drug can influence your central nervous system to calm it down within a short period for you to relax and fall asleep.

2. Parasomnias

They are different types of sleep disorders that cause abnormal behaviors, perceptions, emotions, dreams, and movements when you are sleeping. It might lead to bedwetting, sleepwalking, nightmares, sleep talking, and teeth grinding/jaw clenching.

A doctor can diagnose parasomnia through use of questionnaires, where the questions target detailed examinations of clinical history. Also, the doctor can use a sleep diary, video polysomnographic documentation, and actigraphy to diagnose it.

Parents with children who are suffering parasomnia will receive education on sleep hygiene so that they reduce and eliminate underlying factors in their children. Psychoeducation for adults suffering from parasomnias is also a treatment for the condition. A study revealed that it is vital for clinicians to comprehend the traits of different parasomnias and their association with medical and sleep-related disorders for a complete evaluation.

3. Narcolepsy

It is a neurological disorder where your brain is unable to control wakefulness cycle. About 1 in 2,000 individuals suffer from this condition and 2,000+ Americans are struggling with it. Its main cause is abnormalities in parts of your brain that controls REM sleep.

The most common symptom is falling asleep suddenly during the most inconvenient times. Also, it causes cataplexy.

A doctor can diagnose this sleeping problem by taking your medical history, a physical exam, and conduct sleep studies.  A combination of behavioral and medications treatments may help improve the symptoms of this sleep disorder. Also, counseling through support groups and networks may help control this problem.

4. Sleep apnea

It is a condition that can stop you from breathing in a short time while you are asleep. Therefore,  it wakes you frequently throughout the night. If you are suffering from this condition, you might not remember those awakenings. However, you will feel depressed and irritable, tired throughout the day with reduced productivity.

Its leading cause is partial or complete blockage of your throat. Your doctor can evaluate sleep apnea from sleep history. Also, you can diagnose it by taking home sleep tests and nocturnal Polysomnography.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is a common treatment for this sleep disorder. It keeps your throat open via its constant stream of air.

5. Restless leg syndrome

Many experts do not know its causes, but theoretically, it is hereditary. Also, it may occur due to medications.

Its symptom is irresistible urge to move your limbs, mainly when sleeping or in the evening. A study suggests that physicians can consider using RDS Diagnostic Index to diagnose this sleep disorder.

Regular exercises and reducing consumption of alcohol or caffeine may help treat this sleep condition. In severe cases, a doctor will prescribe medication.

Conclusion

The effects of different sleep disorders may affect the quality of your life. Therefore, it is prudent to seek intervention from a doctor if you are struggling with sleep. Alternatively, studies suggest that cannabis can also be used to cure sleeping disorders like insomnia. One can visit online dispensary canada and buy various strains for therapeutic use.

 

1 Comment on How to Diagnose and Treat the 5 Most Common Sleep Disorders

  1. Jocelyn DeGuzman // February 21, 2020 at 5:57 pm //

    My mother have sleeping disorder, she can not sleep even a minute,she take different kind of medicine but it does not work, she already took doctor advice but still her sleeping become worst, she told us she is not stress, there’s nothing to think about that might affect her sleep, please help my mother what to do.

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