I Can Sleep Better

There are many folks out there that have not yet be diagnosed with a sleep disorder. These people are extremely tired during the day and may even be a danger to themselves or others. They may have trouble falling to sleep or staying asleep. They hear on a daily basis from friends and families just how terrible they look. They experience frequent mood changes, irritability and may become overly emotional. They often they have trouble paying attention,  remembering things that are important or just concentrating.  These are all common symptoms of sleep deprivation, and possibly of a sleep disorder.

When asked the question, “What is the problem with your sleep”, undiagnosed people will usually answer with one of these 5 answers. Those answers will be; “I have trouble falling asleep,” ” I have trouble staying awake,” “I can’t get up in the morning,” “I seem to do strange things in my sleep” or  “I can’t sleep because of my partner.” Each answer chosen helps to narrow down the possibility of a specific type of sleep disorder.

When someone says “I can’t fall asleep” it can mean many things. There might be a problem when first going to bed or a problem returning to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. Many people have the problem of not being able to fall asleep when they go to bed. This is called sleep latency. Sleep latency can be a very serious symptom of certain sleep disorders, including sleep onset insomnia, delayed sleep phase disorder, shift work, restless leg syndrome or paradoxical insomnia. Sleep fragmentation is not being able to stay asleep which is also a problem.  Someone suffering with this complaint can fall asleep easily when they go to bed, but wake up often throughout the night. Sleep disorders may include sleep maintenance insomnia,  or those caused by shift work. If a person wakes up very early in the morning and cannot get back to sleep, it could be a sign of advanced sleep phase disorder or sleep maintenance insomnia

Those that say “I can’t get up in the morning” and take an hour or more to fully wake from their sleep may suffer from excessive sleep inertia. They have difficulty going from sleeping to being awake. Disorders of sleep that may be responsible for excessive sleep inertia are delayed sleep phase disorder and sleep apnea.

If the answer to the question is “I can’t stay awake” and the person falls asleep at inappropriate times there might be suffering form a sleep disorder such as narcolepsy, obstructive or central sleep apnea, periodic limb movements, restless leg syndrome, shift work or advanced sleep phase disorder.

A person that answers the question with “I do strange things in my sleep” may find that their sleep is full of surprises. This group of sleep disorders is known as parasomnias and can include sleepwalking, night terrors, sleep eating, confusional arousals, REM sleep behavior disorder, nightmares, sleep-related eating disorder and bruxism.

If a person answers “I can’t sleep because of my partner. Their partner probable suffers from a sleep disorder such as snoring, sleep apnea, bruxism, restless leg syndrome, or periodic limb movement and their partner’s disorder is to blame.

How do you answer the question of  “What is the problem with your sleep?”

Related posts:

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2. Restless Leg Syndrome
3. Sleep Disorder Can Be Associated with Shift Work
4. Sleep Apnea: Chronic Sleeping Disorder
5. What to Expect at a Sleep Disorder Overnight Sleep Center
6. Sleep Apnea is Both a Common and Potentially Dangerous Sleeping Disorder
7. Menopausal Disorder Information