Health

Sleep disorders: types, causes, and treatments

The sleep disorders anxiety affects more and more people and greatly affects their quality of life.

However, they can be mitigated by treatments and some good habits of various natures and origins.

Insomnia

Insomnia refers to difficulty, occasional or chronic, in falling asleep or sleeping well and comfortably. They concern the quality and duration of sleep and are found to be a fairly frequent concern, which affects both adults and children.

Among these symptoms, we can cite difficulty falling asleep, awakenings during the night, light sleep, irregular sleep, nightmares…

Generally, people prone to insomnia suffer from fatigue, drowsiness during the day, difficulty concentrating, memory impairment, muscle stiffness, yawning, and difficulty breathing (if it is insomnia). There is anxiety and even depression if insomnia is chronic.

Hypersomnia and parasomnias

Hypersomnia is excessive and irregular sleep. It is a neurological disorder that causes difficulty getting up in the morning and fatigue during the day.

Parasomnias refer to abnormal behaviors during sleep or when awake. Among their manifestations, let us mention:

Sleepwalking

It is about acting during deep, slow sleep, such as walking and talking. These actions are sometimes dangerous, such as behaving aggressively towards the other and the person himself.

Night terrors

This mainly concerns children. After two or three hours of sleep, the child is taken by an unconscious anxiety attack (crying, screaming…).

Confusional awakening

This disorder mainly affects children. It is uncommon in adults and occurs during or after waking up.

Paradoxical sleep parasomnias

These are nightmares, behavioral disturbances, and sleep paralysis.

The rhythms of falling asleep

These are violent movements that occur during sleep.

Hypnagogic hallucinations

These are sensory disturbances, including visual hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, or kinesthetic hallucinations.

Somniloquy

It’s about talking while you sleep.

Bruxism

It’s about grinding your teeth during light slow sleep.

The different causes of sleep disorders

Psychological factors

The sleep disorders anxiety can be due to psychological factors related to daily life, such as stress caused by work, excessive anxiety, or trauma due to emotional shocks. The causes can also be linked to mental ailments. Depression, chronic or seasonal, usually causes hypersomnia.

Disturbed sleep can also be due to a physiological cause such as unbalanced nutrition (too rich a meal at night, too much caffeine-rich coffee, or too much alcohol). The medications with side effects or sports activity intense shortly before sleeping.

Environmental factors

Factors such as noise from the street, intense light, or heat can make your sleep uncomfortable. If you change your sleeping location, you may also have concerns.

Pathological factors

Of diseases like flu, fever, headache, and painful conditions can rob you of sleep peacefully. Some disorders, such as narcolepsy, can have a genetic origin.

Treatments

The treatment of sleep disorder depends on its kind and its origins.

Among others: relaxation sessions, hypnotic drugs, diet, treatment with acetazolamide in the event of altitude insomnia, prescription of antidepressants … It is important to speak to your doctor when you suffer from sleep disorders. He will guide you as well as possible and help you find the serenity and the rest you need.