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Sleep Disorders articles
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What are sleep disorders?
Conditions that result in restless sleep, altered sleep rhythm, or sleep dysfunction are categorized as sleep disorders. Sleep disorders may cause sleepiness during day time and unrefreshing night sleep. These can sometimes represent serious underlying medical condition.
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What are the main signs and symptoms?
Sleep disorders encompass a wide array of symptoms depending upon the underlying cause; yet, there are certain common symptoms, which include:
- Difficulty in getting sleep
- Waking up frequently and then facing difficulty in falling asleep again
- Tiredness or sleepiness during day time
- Anxiety
- Lack of concentration
- Irritability
- Depression
(Read More - Hypersomnia treatment)
What are the main causes?
Sleep disorders can be caused by several diseases, which include:
- Psychiatric conditions
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
-
Allergic conditions
- Rhinitis- running nose due to allergy or infection
- Adenoids – swollen lymphoid tissues in the neck
- Allergic cough
- Nocturia (excess night time urination, which disturbs sleep) due to diabetes or prostate issues
- Pain – Chronic or severe pain due to arthritis, fibromyalgia etc.
- Sleep apnea (breathing becomes shallow or completely stops intermittently during sleep)
(Read More - Sleep Apnea treatment)
How are they diagnosed and treated?
Usually, a thorough medical history hints the underlying cause of sleeping disorders. Physical examination, along with, a few investigations can help to accurately diagnose the underlying physical disease. These investigations include:
- Blood investigations like complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (in males), blood sugar evaluation etc. are used to diagnose the underlying physical ailments.
- EEG (electroencephalography) helps in evaluating the electrical activity of the brain and assess brain waves.
- Polysomnography (sleep study) helps in evaluating body activity, brain waves, and oxygen levels during sleep.
Treating the underlying disease helps in alleviating the symptoms. Certain medications and modalities also help in relieving sleep disorders. These treatment options include:
- Medications – Certain medications like sleeping pills, anti-anxiety tablets, anti-allergy drugs etc. can be sleep inducing.
- Counselling – Counselling, along with, medication can help, especially if sleep disorders are due to psychological stress or psychiatric illness.
- Lifestyle changes – Certain dietary changes like taking fiber and protein-rich diet and reducing sugar intake can help. Reducing water intake before bedtime can curb the urge to urinate during the night. Avoiding stimulants like caffeine and alcohol in the evening or night time can also be useful.
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Dr. Nabi Darya Vali (AIIMS)
Editorial Team
