Sleep Disorders

There are a variety of sleep disorders. Some are common, like insomnia, while others are rare. About 70 million people experience sleep disorders each year. Practice healthy sleep habits to promote restful sleep every night, and talk to your doctor if your sleep problem persists. Learn more about the variety of sleep disorders below.

Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders

Conditions in which the sleep times are out of alignment. A patient with one of these disorders does not follow the normal sleep times at night.

Shift Work

A non-traditional work schedule involving shifts that occur when most people are asleep can cause shift work disorder.

Jet Lag

Jet lag occurs when you travel across multiple time zones and have difficulty adjusting to the new schedule.

Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm

This disorder causes a person’s circadian rhythms to be so disorganized that there is no clear sleep or wake pattern.

Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase

This circadian rhythm disorder is a sleep pattern that is delayed by two or more hours.

Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase

This circadian disorder causes people to fall asleep before a normal bedtime and wake up earlier.

Non-24 Sleep-Wake Rhythm

Non-24 is a sleep disorder that causes a person’s sleep time to shift a little later every day.

Insomnia

There are a variety of sleep disorders that are classified as a form of insomnia. This type of sleep disorder involves the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Insomnia

This disorder occurs when you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or do not feel refreshed in the morning.

Short Sleeper

A small percentage of adults are short sleepers, they feel alert and refreshed after sleeping less than 6 hours per night.

Child Insomnia

Many children have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night.

Hypersomnias (or Excessive Sleepiness)

Hypersomnias are a group of sleep disorders that causes a person to be excessively sleepy. People with a hypersomnia may fall asleep at times that are inconvenient or even dangerous, such as at work or while driving.

Insufficient Sleep Syndrome

Insufficient sleep syndrome occurs when you regularly fail to get enough sleep at night and the result is sleep deprivation.

Narcolepsy

This sleep disorder makes you feel overwhelmingly tired and has the potential for uncontrollable sleep attacks.

Long Sleeper

Long sleepers regularly sleep much longer than other members of their age groups.

Kleine-Levin Syndrome

This sleep disorder involves recurrent episodes of excessive sleepiness and sleep duration.

Idiopathic Hypersomnia

This sleep disorder involves daily periods of an irrepressible need to sleep.

Parasomnias (or Sleep Events)

Parasomnias are a group of sleep disorders that involve unwanted events or experiences that occur while you are falling asleep, sleeping or waking up.

Nightmares

Frequent nightmares that prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep are considered a sleep disorder.

Sleep Eating Disorder

These episodes occur when you rapidly binge eat while you are only partially awake.

Sleep Hallucinations

Sleep related hallucinations are imagined events that seem very real.

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis causes you to be unable to move your body when you are falling asleep or when you are waking up.

Sleep Talking

Sleep talking can occur by itself or it may also be a feature of another sleep disorder.

Sleep Terrors

Sleep terrors (or night terrors) cause you to wake up in intense fear with barely any memory, if any, of a terrifying dream.

Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking involves getting up from bed and walking around when you are still asleep.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

This potentially dangerous sleep disorder causes you to act out vivid dreams as you sleep.

Exploding Head Syndrome

This parasomnia causes you to hear a loud imaginary noise just before you fall asleep or awaken.

Confusional Arousals

This parasomnia causes you to act in a very strange and confused way as you wake up or just after waking.

Bedwetting

Bedwetting can occur as a primary or secondary condition in both adults and children.

Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders

Sleep disorders that involve difficulty breathing during sleep are classified as sleep-related breathing disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common disorder of this type, however there are a number of variations of sleep apnea.

Infant Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea in infants may be due to a developmental problem or it may be caused by another medical condition.

Child Sleep Apnea

About two percent of young children have obstructive sleep apnea that requires treatment.

Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea causes your body to decrease or stop breathing during sleep in an off-and-on cycle.

Groaning

Catathrenia occurs when you make a prolonged sound that resembles groaning while you exhale during sleep.

Snoring

This loud noise occurs as you sleep when the flow of air from breathing makes the tissues in the back of your throat vibrate.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing during sleep because of obstructions in the airway.

Sleep-Related Movement Disorders

This classification of sleep disorders includes conditions that cause movement during or prior to sleep. These disorders can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, or to get restful sleep.