What Are Sleep Disorders?
Sleep disorders make it hard for people to sleep soundly at night—or
stay awake during the day. Millions of American have chronic sleep disorders.
Symptoms of Sleep Disorders
Sleep restores our bodies and minds without it we suffer. People who have
sleep disorders may experience:
- Frequently difficulty falling asleep in bed at night
- Frequent awakening during sleep
- Heavy snoring
- Partner states you stop breathing during sleep
- Dozing off while driving
- Often waking with a headache
- Sleepiness during the day
- Difficulty concentrating at work or school
- Profuse sweating at night
- Leg cramps or crawling feeling in legs
- Restless legs that interfere with falling sleep
Common Sleep Disorders
-
Sleep Apnea—when a person stops breathing and then starts again many times a night
-
Chronic Insomnia—when a person has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep night
after night
-
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)—when a person loses sleep because of a restless feeling in the legs
-
Narcolepsy—when a person falls asleep suddenly many times a day
The Normal Sleep Cycle
The Normal Sleep Cycle lasts about one and half to two hours and is repeated
4-6 times a night. The cycle includes 2 very different kind of sleep:
-
Quiet Sleep: the body drifts through 3- stages of sleep—from stage 1 (light sleep)
to stage 3 (very deep sleep). Breathing, heartbeat and brain waves become slower.
-
Active Sleep: in the 4th stage, or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, breathing, heartbeat
and brain waves quicken. Vivid dreams occur. After the REM stage, the
body returns to quiet sleep—and the body cycle repeats.
When some has a sleep disorder, the normal sleep cycle is disturbed. But,
treatment can help.
Is Torrance Memorial Sleep Disorders Center Right For You?
Talk to your doctor to find out if Torrance Memorial Sleep Disorders Center
is right for you. Need a doctor? Find a doctor online or call our free
physician referral service at 310-517-4700.