A sleep  disorder, medically  known  as  “somnipathy”,  is  referred  to  the  disruption  of
normal  sleeping  habit.  Basically,  a  person  cannot  take  sleep  or  cannot  stay  asleep  is
known  to  have  been  suffering  from  sleep  disorder.  Sleeping  disorder  can  be  divided
into  multiple  types  based  on  the  conditions  and  causes  of  the  problem.  Some  of  them
seriously  disturb  a  person’s  normal  physical,  mental  and  emotional  functioning.  It  is
therefore important to learn about the signs and symptoms of some of the common sleep
disorders.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep  apnea  is  one  of  the  most  troubling  and  even  life  threatening  disorders  that  are
marked by the blockage of airway that occurs either behind the tongue or the nose. Either
the  case  the  patient  cannot  breathe  smoothly;  when  his  brain  does  not  receive  enough
oxygen, it wakes him up disrupting his sleep.

This  disorder  is  characterized  by  troublesome  snoring.  The  cycle  of  breathing  and
disruption repeats even hundred times a night. Such patients are prone to cardiovascular
attack  and  high  blood  pressure.  Other  complications  include  lack  of  concentration  and
dizziness  during  day  times  and  sudden  sleep  while  doing  vital  tasks  like  driving  or
operating heavy machinery.

Losing  weight  if  the  patient  is  overweight,  avoiding  drugs,  alcohol  and  sedative
medicines, using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine (CPAP) and opening the
airways through surgical operations are some of the effective treatment methods for sleep
apnea.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is another chronic sleeping disorder characterized by unusual and infrequent
daytime  sleep  attacks.  The  patients  suffering  from  narcolepsy  suffers  from  sudden
muscular weakness, slurred speech, and impaired vision.  It is mainly caused be genetics
and  runs  in  a  family;  however,  an  individual  may  also  contract  it  as  a  result  of  viral
infection during the developmental stage of his life.

As  far  as  treatment  of  narcolepsy  is  concerned,  the  central  nervous  system  stimulants
like methylphenidate,  methylphenidate, amphetamine,  and  modafinil are  used  to  reduce
the daytime sleep and improve night-time sleep. Besides, behavioral modification therapy
is also utilized to treat the disorder.

Somnambulism

Somnambulism is a sleep disorder marked by walking during sleep. Though people of all
age cohorts can suffer from this conundrum but children are more likely to develop this

particular disorder. The patient simply sits up, gets out of the bed with his eyes open and
may continue to remain in this condition from seconds to minutes.

Physiological  disorders,  psychological  problems,  and  medications  often  trigger  this
kind  of  sleep  disorder.  The  best  treatment  is  to  determine  the  actual  cause  and  try  to
remove them as soon as possible. Sometimes, if it grows severe, the physicians prescribe
sedatives  medicines  and  suggest  the  families  to  make  sure  that  the  windows  are  closed
during his sleep timing so that they can avert any prospective danger for the patient.

Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless  legs  syndrome  refers  to  intolerable,  internal  itching  sensation  that  takes  place
in the lower extremities urging the sufferer to move his or her legs. When this condition
occurs  persistently,  it  prevents  the  patient  from  taking  a  peaceful  night  sleep.  Iron
deficiency is the major cause of this conundrum.

Periodic limb movement disorder is a certain stage of this disorder when a person suffers
from  restless  leg  movements  occurring  at  regular  intervals  during  the  nighttime.  As  a
result the person is robbed of his restful sleep.

To  alleviate  this  disorder,  the  recommended  treatment  includes  leg  stretching  or  yoga
exercise prior to bedtime. Furthermore, consuming food rich in iron is very productive to
cure this disorder.

When it comes to treating insomnia, there are different strategies that can help the person
suffering from insomnia get rid of it and develop peaceful sleep at nighttime. Since
insomnia is caused by a number of factors, we have to adopt various strategies and
methods in order to curb this disease.

Modify Your Habits

First of all review your daily habits as you may be indulging in certain presumably
curative activities that are in fact making the problem even worse. The habits that
generally develop insomnia include drinking a lot of caffeine during daytime, smoking
or drinking before going to bed, and irregular sleep schedule. In most of the insomniac
cases, modifying these habits has proved to appear as an effective cure for insomnia. No
doubt it is a time-consuming process that also requires sincere commitment on part of the
patient but once these habits are changed, there is no reason to suffer from insomnia.

Sleep Promoting Supplements

A number of over the counter sleep supplements are available in markets; these are
publicized to have magical effects in connection with resuming good sleep. However, the
side effects of such supplements cannot be simply ruled out and it is possible that they
disrupt normal physiological functions. Following are some effective sleep promoting
supplements.

1. Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by your bodies at nighttime. It regulates
your sleep and wake cycle. It is available as an over the counter sleeping pill such as
Rozerem. If your sleeping routine has been drastically disturbed, it can effectively
revamp the routine and help you get a normal slumber as most of the people do.

2. Anti-depressants

Anti depressants supplements are potent enough to reduce the symptoms of insomnia and
help you take a peaceful slumber. Sine insomnia oftentimes occurs as a result of stress,
depression, and mental exhaustion, it is better to consume anti-depressants like doxepin
mirtazapine, or trazodone as a sedative medicine. In order to mitigate insomniac effects,
one must be careful regarding the dosage of anti-depressant supplements as they contain
anti-cholinergic, antihistaminergic, and antiadrenergic effects that may lead to many
unwanted side effects.

3. Benzodiazepines

A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug which is composed of the fusion of

a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. Benzodiazepines are used to improve the effects
of neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which gives sedative and
hypnotic results. Owing to these characteristics, these supplements are useful in curing
insomnia.

Common benzodiazepines for insomnia include diazepam, lorazepam, nitrazepam,
midazolam and ortemazepam. The drawback of these medicines is that they develop
dependency if used for a prolonged period of time.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psychological approach employed by experienced
psychiatrists to solve the problems of a patient pertaining to dysfunctional emotions,
abnormal behaviors and cognitions. Over the years, cognitive behavior therapy has been
regarded as more effective and result oriented than sleep promoting pills.

The clinician asks a number of questions from the patient to determine the actual causes
of stress and depression. He restructures the sleeping habits and removes non productive
assumptions of the patient about sleep.

However, it is recommended to consult some medical expert if your sleep disorder
is getting chronic and your troubles are increasing manifold. It is possible that your
insomnia is due to some physiological disorder that will not be treated until and unless
your physician treats your physical disorder.

Insomnia literally means inability to sleep. In medical terms it refers to a specific
sleeping disorder which robs the sufferer of his sleeping ability due to which he
can neither fall asleep naturally nor stay asleep. So difficulty related to initiating or
maintaining sleep would be referred to as insomnia.

Based on the duration of sleeping problem, insomnia is classified into three types:
transient, acute, and chronic.

1. Transient insomnia is the inability to sleep for a period of less than a week. Among
its causes, physical disorders, sleep timing, environmental problems, severe depression,
and stress are significant.

2. Acute insomnia is similar to transient insomnia in terms of causes; however, the
distinct feature of this type is that it lasts more than a week and less than a month.

3. Chronic insomnia, as the name itself implies, lasts for a longer period of time,
from months to years. Its causes may include muscular fatigue, hallucinations, or
psychological fatigue. Chronic disorder is not only the offshoot of various causes but
itself causes many psychological problems such as double vision in which a person
blends moving objects together and cannot decipher any difference among them.

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