Some common sleep disorders evaluated and treated at Mather’s Sleep Disorders Center include:
Chronic Sleep Deprivation
This is the most common sleep disorder in the population. This can be caused by shift work, underlying disorders of the sleep/wake cycle (circadian cycle), or even a mood or medical disorder. If increasing your total sleep time and/or sleep habits does not improve your sleepiness, you may need to have a sleep evaluation.
Sleep Apnea
The most common signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring, gasping, and pauses in breathing. This illness can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness for the person with sleep apnea, as well as, poor sleep quality for the bed partner.
Insomnia
Occasionally everyone will experience a bad night’s sleep. When it occurs more often than a good night’s sleep, it’s time to be evaluated. Insomnia is a symptom, not a disorder in itself. It affects up to 30% of the population. Insomnia can be transient (a few days), short term (less than a month), or long term (longer than a month). It can be treated using various behavioral, physical, and psychological techniques improving the quality of your life.
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome is a neurological sleep disorder marked by an overwhelming urge to move your legs. Approximately one in 10 adult Americans suffer from restless legs syndrome, which makes it difficult to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.
Narcolepsy
One out of 1,000 people has this sleep disorder. It is as common as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. Many people who have narcolepsy present with symptoms such as, excessive sleepiness, cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone), sleep paralysis and vivid hallucinations. Most people only have excessive daytime sleepiness as their complaint.