Heads up: This article was commissioned as a part of the Adam Rush Project. It was an experiment I did a few years ago to see if having books written by ghostwriters would be commercially viable. It wasn't. That said, the following article was written by someone else and not yet edited to my standards. I hope to find time to rewrite it myself in the future, but for now, read with caution.
Disclaimer: I wish I could tell you that I’m a doctor, but I can’t. I’m just an inquisitive author with a background in science and a love for practical research. The content of this article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. If you want medical advice, ask a real doctor.
Snoring, night terrors and insomnia are all common sleep disorders. Sleep disorders are problems affecting your body’s circadian rhythm. Sleeping is a necessary process for the body. It regulates the hormonal production, cardiovascular function, and metabolism in the body. The disruption of this process can lead to psychological and physical disorders.
In recent years, the number of incidences of sleep disorders has risen. Technology and a work culture that devalues sleep have led to the increase in sleep disorders. There are more than fifty types of common sleep disorders. Sleep experts classify them into four broad categories. They are circadian rhythm sleep disorders, dyssomnias, sleep disordered breathing, and parasomnias. A fifth, catch-all category, is for disorders caused by psychological or medical conditions. Each category has its own characteristics and causes, as well as different treatments.
Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders occur when the internal clock and the day-night cycle go out of sync. The body’s internal clock fails to recognize external cues like daylight and sound. The result is a sleeping cycle that is out of the usual hours. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders find it difficult to sleep at night. Visually impaired people often have these disorders because they can have a hard time syncing their circadian clock with the day-night cycle.
One of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders is the shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). This condition is common in people who work night shifts. People with night jobs experience fatigue, irritability, and reduced cognitive abilities. It is because the lack of rest at night completely flips the circadian cycle. Studies show that SWSD has a direct association with cancer. It also increases the incidence of heart disease, digestive disorders, and weight issues.
Advanced sleep phase disorder (ASPD) is another circadian rhythm sleep disorder. In this sleep anomaly, the urge to sleep comes too early in the day, usually in the early evening or late afternoon. People with this disorder will sleep early and wake up in the middle of the night. They are unable to wait until night falls before going to bed. They also cannot fall asleep again after waking at night. If they try to stay awake later, they will still wake up too early and be unable to fall back asleep. It might lead to sleep deprivation.
The delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) has the opposite effect. It is the syndrome afflicting many “night owls.” The circadian cycle is delayed and prevents the person from sleeping until well into the night. As a consequence, they wake up in the late morning or early afternoon every day. Waking up earlier will cause sleep deprivation. Even if they wake up early every day, they are still unable to fall asleep until late at night.
Finally, the non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder (non-24) is a total lack of synchrony between the circadian rhythm and the day-night cycle. A person with this disorder has a circadian cycle different from 24 hours. A person with a 25-hour cycle will adhere to their internal time regardless of external inputs. It can cause conflicts with the person’s daily life. This disorder is most common in blind people because they lack the visual cues of day and night.
Dyssomnias
Dyssomnias are disorders related to sleeping duration, falling asleep, or waking up. People with these disorders have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking. Disruptions to the circadian rhythm may cause dyssomnias, but stress or trauma can also cause them. There are no cures for these disorders, but there are several treatments available.
Hypersomnia is a type of dyssomnia characterized by extreme drowsiness. People with hypersomnia may sleep for excessive periods of time. There are many possible causes, including depression, obesity, and head trauma. Hypersomnia can also be a symptom of other disorders. Although there is no cure, psychological behavioral therapy is one viable treatment. Living a healthy lifestyle also helps in reducing the effects of hypersomnia.
Another dyssomnia is narcolepsy. It is a reduced ability to control the sleep cycle. A person with narcolepsy has periods of extreme drowsiness at random times during the day. In extreme cases, narcolepsy might also cause momentary paralysis and hallucinations. The causes of narcolepsy are still unknown. Doctors suspect neurological factors may cause it. Patients can cope with this disorder by scheduling several naps throughout the day.
At the other side of the spectrum, we have insomnia. Insomnia is difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep at night. It is one of the most common sleep disorders. Cases of insomnia are on the rise throughout modern societies. There are different subcategories of insomnia, depending on the duration of the disruption:
- Transient insomnia can last a few days or weeks and is usually caused by external factors. It may also appear as a symptom of another disorder. The consequences are very like those of sleep deprivation.
- Acute insomnia, or short-term insomnia, can last up to a month. One of the common causes is an especially stressful period in the person’s life.
- Chronic insomnia can last months or more. It can cause symptoms like mental fatigue, double vision, and hallucinations.
Sleep-disordered Breathing
Sleep-disordered breathing disorders include conditions like snoring and sleep apnea. They occur when the body gets too little oxygen during sleep.
Snoring is a widespread sleep disorder. It can cause sleep deprivation to the snorer, as well to the people around them. Extreme tiredness, nasal obstructions, stress, obesity, and alcohol can all cause snoring. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for snoring. The usual strategy is to treat the probable causes of the snoring. It includes taking special care to keep the nasal and throat airways open.
Another sleep-disordered breathing disorder is the sleep apnea. This condition consists of short periods when the patient pauses breathing. In some cases, the patient may stop breathing for more than a minute at a time, several times a night. It is one of the causes of snoring. There are three kinds of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the throat relaxes and obstructs the airway.
- Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain and lungs go out of sync. It causes the respiratory system to stop and restart its mechanisms. It causes the person to stop breathing and start again. During the pause, the lungs stop working. When the lungs start working again, the person has to breathe faster to compensate.
- Mixed apnea is a mix of the both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Parasomnias
Parasomnias include abnormal behaviors and hallucinations that occur when a person dreams. They occur when the person is in a state of mind between sleeping and reality. Some parasomnias like night terrors, sleep paralysis, and sleep walking is more common in kids. They usually decrease in frequency as the person grows up. Alcohol, drug use, depression, fatigue, and stress cause most parasomnias. Parasomnias can also appear as symptoms of other physical or mental conditions.
One of these parasomnia sleep disorders is the exploding head syndrome (EHS). People with this condition hear loud bangs and noises when falling asleep or waking up. They hear sounds of crashes or explosions related to life threatening experiences. There are no established causes, and it afflicts people of a wide variety of lifestyles and ages.
Another parasomnia is the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD). It is a disorder of muscle atonia, the mechanism that paralyzes the body when a person is sleeping. It results in movements and behaviors in response to whatever the person is dreaming. It might involve violent action like kicking, punching, and screaming. It could cause injuries to the dreamer or his or her partner.
Sleepwalking is a very similar syndrome to RBD. The causes are similar, and it’s usually observed in children. It might also include talking, sitting, or staring motionless at the void.
Finally, night terrors are the most shocking parasomnia. They involve panic, screaming, and flailing as the person tries to escape an imagined assailant. Attempts to interact with the dreamer are often useless, as the person’s mind is not registering external stimulus. They will have no memory of the episode upon waking. It usually happens to young children under the age of three. In adults, it is more common to see cases of sleep terrors between the ages of 20 to 30 years.
Although there is extensive research on parasomnias, there are still no viable treatments. Usually, the best thing to do is wait for the dreamer to get out of the episode by themselves. Interacting with someone undergoing a parasomnia episode may only make it worse.
Summary
- There are four major classes of sleep disorders.
- Circadian rhythm sleep disorders occur when the internal clock and the day-night cycle go out of sync.
- Dyssomnias are disorders related to sleeping duration, falling asleep, or waking up.
- Sleep-disordered breathing disorders include conditions like snoring and sleep apnea.
- Parasomnias include abnormal behaviors and hallucinations that occur when a person dreams.