Sleep Disorders: Not Everything is Insomnia

A sleep disorder, as the name suggests, is any type of disorder that affects a person?s sleep and does not allow them to get all the benefit of good, deep sleep. While a lot of people would not consider this too serious, sleep conditions can in fact have a very important effect on your life, since lack of good, restful sleep can affect your mood, your emotions and even your physical capacity to do such dangerous things as driving a car.

Classifications

There are actually quite a few different sleep disorder conditions, including: bruxism, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and snoring. All of these disorders do have certain similarities, but on the other hand they also have many differences that make each one unique. And because each one is unique, the causes of each one are different, as are the treatments needed.

Bruxism

This particular sleep disorder is one of the most common of all, and which involves an incessant grinding and clenching of the teeth. Persons with this condition are usually not even aware that they have developed this habit, and it usually takes someone sleeping near them at some point to notice it and point it out to them.

Severe damage can be caused to the teeth and mouth from this condition, and there are certain symptoms that can be considered as being sort of warning signs of the disorder, including: abraded teeth, facial pain, oversensitive teeth, headaches, dislocation of the jaw, tongue indentations, and damage to the inside of the cheek.

Sleep Apnea

The next sleep disorder, sleep apnea, is one in which sufferer?s breathing stops or gets very shallow while they are sleeping, and each pause in breathing typically lasts for about 20 seconds or more, which is quite a significant amount of time.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a neurological condition, one which is primarily characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep. A person suffering from this condition will typically find themselves passing out randomly throughout the day, and can do nothing to prevent it.

Snoring

This is one of the most common and well recognized types of sleeping disorders, and it is actually much more serious a condition than most people seem to realize. This is because snoring can actually indicate a serious health concern, and besides that it can disrupt your household and keep you from getting a proper sleep. More than one-third of adults snore at least a few nights each week, but there is a point when it becomes more serious.

As we said above, many people do not consider these disorders very important, but like any other illness it is much better to treat them at an early stage, before they can have a very negative effect on your waking life. As soon as you notice the symptoms of any of these disorders you should visit your doctor and follow all of his or her instructions so that you can minimize all risks.