GeezerVison is showing medlineplus.gov — Sleep Disorders | MedlinePlus

Sleep Disorders

On this page

Basics

Summary
Start Here
Diagnosis and Tests
Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

Related Issues
Specifics
Genetics

See, Play and Learn

No links available

Summary

What is sleep?

While you are sleeping your brain and body functions are still active. Sleep is a natural process that helps your body restore energy, supports learning and memory, and keeps you healthy.

It's not just the number of hours of sleep you get that matters. The quality of your sleep is also important. During the night, your brain cycles through different stages of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. If your sleep is often interrupted, you may not get enough time in certain stages of sleep. Poor-quality sleep does more than make you feel tired. It can affect your physical and mental health, thinking, and daily functioning.

What are sleep disorders?

Sleep disorders are conditions that disturb your normal sleep patterns. There are many types of sleep disorders. Some general types include:

Insomnia, which is trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
Sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnea, a condition in which you stop breathing for 10 seconds or more during sleep.
Sleep-related movement disorders such as restless leg syndrome (RLS), which involves tingling or prickling sensations in your legs, and a strong urge to move them.
Hypersomnia, which is extreme daytime sleepiness. This includes narcolepsy.
Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, which are problems falling asleep or waking up at the right times. This may be due to shift work or jet lag.
Parasomnia, which is unusual behaviors during sleep or while falling asleep or waking up. This may include sleepwalking, talking, or eating during sleep.

Some people who feel tired during the day have a true sleep disorder, while others simply don't get enough sleep. The amount of sleep you need depends on your age, lifestyle, health, and sleep patterns. Most adults need about 7-9 hours each night.

What causes sleep disorders?

There are different causes for different sleep disorders. They may include:

Other health conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, nerve disorders, or pain
Mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety
Medicines
Genetics

Sometimes the cause is unknown.

Other factors that may contribute to sleep problems include:

Using caffeine or alcohol
Having an irregular schedule, such as working the night shift
Aging, since older adults may sleep less, spend less time in deep sleep, and wake easily

What are the symptoms of sleep disorders?

The symptoms of sleep disorders depend on the specific disorder. Some signs that you may have a sleep disorder include that:

You regularly take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.
You regularly wake up several times and then have trouble falling back to sleep, or you wake up too early in the morning.
You often feel sleepy during the day, take frequent naps, or fall asleep at the wrong times during the day.
Your bed partner says that when you sleep, you snore loudly, snort, gasp, make choking sounds, or stop breathing for short periods.
You have creeping or tingling sensations in your legs or arms that are relieved by moving or massaging them, especially in the evening and when trying to fall asleep.
Your bed partner notices that your legs or arms jerk often during sleep.
You have vivid, dreamlike experiences while falling asleep or dozing.
You have episodes of sudden muscle weakness triggered by strong emotions.
You feel as though you cannot move or speak for a brief time when you first wake up.

How are sleep disorders diagnosed?

To diagnose a sleep disorder, your health care provider will review your medical and sleep history and do a physical exam. You may also have a sleep study (polysomnogram). Most sleep studies monitor and record data about your body during a full night of sleep. The data includes:

Brain wave activity
Eye movements
Breathing rate
Blood pressure
Heart rate and electrical activity in the heart and other muscles

Other types of sleep studies may check how quickly you fall asleep during daytime naps or how well you can stay awake during the day.

What are the treatments for sleep disorders?

Treatments for sleep disorders depend on which disorder you have. They may include:

Practicing good sleep habits and other lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise
Reducing anxiety about sleep with cognitive behavioral therapy or relaxation techniques
Using a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine for sleep apnea
Using bright light therapy (in the morning)
Taking sleep aid medicines, or natural products such as melatonin

Always check with your provider before taking any medicine or supplement. Most sleep aid medicines are generally for short-term use.

Start Here

About Sleep (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Sleep Studies (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Sleep Study (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Patients (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
Sleep Disorder Treatments (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Sleep Disorders and Complementary Health Approaches (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Related Issues

6 Things to Know about Mind and Body Practices for Sleep Disorders (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Benzodiazepines and Opioids (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
Drowsy Driving: Avoid Falling Asleep behind the Wheel (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) Also in Spanish
Sleep Disorder (Job Accommodations and the Americans with Disabilities Act) (Office of Disability Employment Policy)
Sleep Problems and PTSD (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Specifics

Circadian Rhythm Disorders (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Jet Lag Disorder (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Kleine-Levin Syndrome (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center)
Narcolepsy (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Narcolepsy (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
Sleep Disorders (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
Sleep Talking (Somniloquy) (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
Sleep Terrors (Night Terrors) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Sleepwalking (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Genetics

Narcolepsy: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

FastStats: Sleep Health (National Center for Health Statistics)
Sleep Facts and Stats (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Narcolepsy (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Sleep Disorders (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Sleeping Pills (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Hypersomnia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Find an Expert

American Academy of Sleep Medicine
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Sleep Center Directory (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)

Children

Bruxism (Teeth Grinding or Clenching) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Sleep Study (Polysomnogram) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
What to Do if You Can't Sleep (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Bedwetting in Children (Enuresis) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Common Sleep Problems (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder in Teens (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

Shining the Spotlight on Women and Sleep (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
Sleep Problems (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Changing your sleep habits (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Drowsiness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Idiopathic hypersomnia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Irregular sleep-wake syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Medicines for sleep (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Narcolepsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Nightmares (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Sleep and your health (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Sleep disorders (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Sleep paralysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Teenagers and sleep (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

GeezerVison