Sleep Disorder Therapy
A sleep disorder can affect your productivity on the job, in the home and even during recreation. While there are 84 different types of sleep disorders, most of them fall into these major categories:
Obstructive sleep apnea – episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep, as often as 100 times per night and lasting up to one minute each. The condition is caused by the collapse of the upper airway walls and can also result in snoring, gasping, gagging, choking and snorting.
Insomnia – the inability to fall asleep or remain asleep. This is characterized by taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep and/or four or more awakenings during the night.
Narcolepsy – excessive daytime drowsiness and a tendency to fall asleep at inappropriate times. This may or may not include related symptoms such as cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) – occurs while one is awake and is distinguished by extreme discomfort and/or pain in the legs.
Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) – most often occurs during sleep and is a repetitive extension and contraction of the muscles in the legs, feet and sometimes arms.
Parasomnias – conditions that interfere with sleep, including nightmares and REM (rapid eye movement) behavior disorders, sleepwalking, sleep eating and sleep sex.
Benefits of early detection
Early detection of one or more sleep disorders can decrease your risk for a variety of conditions, including:
- Asthma
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Chronic fatigue
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Depressed immune system
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Heart attack