Sleep disorders: are you suffering from them?
Sleeping is an important body function, but even so, more and more people fail to give the body their due rest and proper care especially after a hard day’s work. Lack of nutrition and excessive abuse of the body are some of the factors that can result to different sleep disorders. The following are the three most common types of this disorder.
Insomnia. Some people find it hard to fall into dreamland even when there are no interruptions or distractions before and while already in bed. This inability to sleep affects close to 70 million people in the US alone and affects more women than men. There are different types of insomnia, depending on the duration of the difficulty in sleeping. This sleep disorder is caused by factors such as psychoactive drugs and stimulants, hormonal changes, mental or neurological disorders, other medical conditions, abnormal sleeping patterns and poor sleep hygiene, and parasomia.
Restless Leg Syndrome. Characterized by restlessness caused by odd sensations in parts of the body, more commonly in the legs, the RLS keeps its sufferers awake during the nights and depriving them of sleep. People sometimes think that it is a natural sensation or if they know about the condition, would tend to ignore it. RLS is a sleep disorder usually associated with other diseases such as iron deficiency, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and another type of disorder called sleep apnea. It can also be acquired through the genes passed on.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Obstruction in the airway can cause sleep apnea, another type of disorder in sleep. The blockage of the airflow happens when the muscles behind the throat - along the path of air - relax and results to inadequate blood oxygen supply and causes your sleep to be interrupted abnormally.
Once you have difficulty in sleeping, especially if it shows a pattern on a regular basis, you should consult a doctor and avoid self-medication or inattention to the symptoms. Sleep disorders, aside from being highly uncomfortable, may lead to other disorders as well.