Quality sleep is essential for healthy living. Its absence can affect your hormone levels, mood, and weight. However, a sleep disorder in adults is getting common nowadays.
According to the American Sleep Association (AMA), 50 to 70 million U.S. adults are currently affected by sleep disorders.
Sleep technologists find that lack of proper sleep can be extremely dangerous. Most of us are unaware of the fact that 1,550 deaths and 40,000 injuries happen every year because people drive in a drowsy state.
To treat sleep disorders, it’s necessary to know their symptoms. They differ depending upon the severity and type of disorder. It may also vary when a sleeping disorder is the result of other underlying conditions.
Here, we are listing the basic symptoms and causes of sleep disorders. Hope it helps you gauge your situation.
5 Most Common Sleeping Disorder Symptoms
The most common symptoms of sleeping disorders are the following:
Falling Asleep While Driving
Drivers usually fall asleep while driving when they have not slept enough. However, it can also happen due to untreated sleep disorders. This disorder is called microsleep, and it occurs while driving or operating any machinery. Since you feel drowsy, you are unable to pay attention while driving which can lead to dangerous situations such as fatal accidents. It can be the result of sleeping disorders like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.
Difficulty With Memory
Insomnia is defined as having difficulty initiating or remaining in a deep state of sleep for long. This condition causes daytime cognitive impairment, including difficulty with memory. Sleep disorders cause excessive sleepiness in the daytime that leads to memory lapses.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
EDS is a symptom of narcolepsy, a kind of sleeping disorder. In this condition, you get sudden bouts of sleep attacks where you feel sleepy and get involuntary episodes of falling asleep without warning. It can last for a few seconds or a few minutes. People feel mental cloudiness, a lack of energy and concentration, a depressed mood, or extreme exhaustion the entire day. It can even occur when you have got plenty of sleep the night before.
Lack of Concentration
According to sleep experts, sleeping disorders cause a lack of concentration. It becomes difficult for the sufferer to pay attention, so they get confused easily. It hampers their performance in tasks that require logical reasoning and complex thinking.
Struggling to Stay Awake When Inactive
People with sleeping disorders find it difficult to stay awake when they are doing activities such as watching television, scrolling mobile phones, or reading books. They can even fall asleep while talking. If you are struggling with performing everyday activities, there are chances that you are having sleeping disorders.
The other symptoms of a deep sleep disorder include depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal issues, tense muscles, and headaches.
What are the Most Common Causes of Sleep Problems?
The following can be the reason for your sleep problems –
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Stress
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Irregular sleep patterns
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Unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits
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Mental health disorders
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Physical illness or pain
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Medications
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Neurological issues
What are the Types of Sleep Disorders?
There are more than 70 recognized sleep disorders. However, the most common ones are the following –
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Insomnia
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Sleep apnea
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Restless leg syndrome
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Parasomnias
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Narcolepsy
Ignoring symptoms will lead you to serious trouble in the future. Therefore, to assess the symptoms and diagnose a sleep disorder, seek medical advice from professional experts. They will help you identify the disorder and get the right sleeping problems solution.
Our Neurologist Fort Lauderdale Jeff Steinberg, MD, is an experienced sleep disorder specialist assisting patients for a seamless and stress-free sleep disorder treatment. Schedule your appointment with us!