Some of the common sleep disorders are
Insomnia
This is when is hard to get to or stay asleep. This can be related to discomfort from an illness, emotions or may have no obvious cause. Having a check-up to ensure there are no causes is the first step to addressing insomnia. Then good sleep habits can help.
Snoring
Snoring affects 40% of men and 20% of women. It can be worse with age and weight gain. It can impact on the sleep of the person snoring and their partner. It is worth having a check up to eliminate obstructive sleep apnoea as a cause.
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
This is when you lose your ability to breathe normally. It can occur many times throughout the night. Those who have sleep apnoea generally snore. When you have an episode of sleep apnoea you will wake, even if you forget it, if this occurs multiple times through the night you can have a very disrupted sleep. There are effective treatments available for obstructive sleep apnoea.
Sleep hypoventilation
This is when our brain is triggering our body to breathe less than it should while asleep. It is common in people with severe lung disease or obesity. With no treatment it can lead to breathing and heart failure. There is treatment available.
Restless legs syndrome
This is an uncomfortable feeling in your legs that is usually worse in the evening and early hours of the morning. It can have a negative impact on sleep. This can be related to low iron levels. There are some medications that may help.
Bruxism
Teeth grinding during sleep. This is common and if not treated can cause damage to teeth. Dental guards can protect the teeth.
Narcolepsy
This is irregular moving from awake to asleep and occurs in 1 in 2000 people. This can leave people having disrupted sleep and so more tired in the day. There are effective treatments available
Sleep walking and talking
This is common in children and occurs when you are only partially awake. This usually goes away as an adult but if not there are treatment options.
Rapid eye movement behaviour disorder
Sleep is divided in to several phases with the stage where we dream called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We dream during REM sleep. Usually during REM sleep all muscles are relaxed. With REM sleep behaviour disorder muscles are active and people may act out their dreams with threat of injury to themselves and others.
To discuss your sleep please make an appointment with one of our doctors.