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Sleep Disorders Related to Insomnia

If you have trouble getting a good night's sleep, you may incorrectly assume you are an insomniac. Yet, some other condition related to insomnia may actually be preventing you from sleeping.

The difference between insomnia and other conditions that prevent you from sleeping is that, for the most part, while insomniacs reach stages of restful sleep, those with the disorders described in this article generally do not. Although both categories prevent or delay sleep, sleep quality (once a person has fallen asleep) isn't affected with insomnia.

Sleep disorders can generally be classified by a lack of sleep, interrupted sleep or excessive sleep. The most common sleep disorders related to insomnia are:

Nightmares: Nightmares are considered to be a sleep disorder when they persist for one month or more. Not only do nightmares wake people from sleep, but they also often prevent them from falling back asleep.

Common causes for nightmares include fevers, stress, fatigue, alcoholism, pregnancy, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Night sweats: Night sweats are another sleep disorder related to insomnia, as they make it difficult for a person to get back to sleep.

Both men and women, young or old can suffer from night sweats. While night sweats can be caused by a number of factors, some of the most common include menopause, warm bedrooms, anxiety or medications.
Narcolepsy: Narcolepsy is different than most sleep disorders because experts believe that a brain abnormality or genetic disorder causes narcolepsy, rather than an environmental or other external factor (as is the case with most other sleep disorders).

Those suffering from narcolepsy get immediate, strong urges to sleep throughout the day. However, because narcolepsy can keep people up at night, it is associated with insomnia.
Sleep apnea: Individuals with sleep apnea can stop breathing long enough for carbon dioxide to build up in the blood stream, which wakes people up when the concentration of carbon dioxide gets too high.

Sleep apnea can be caused by a person's physiological make up or the medication he takes. While surgery is known to relieve sleep apnea, wearing a special mask that forces air down a person's throat while he sleeps is also a common treatment for this disorder.
Snoring: Snoring occurs due to vibrations of the soft palate (the upper, back throat area of the mouth). Men, overweight individuals and the elderly are most likely to snore. Similarly, whenever the nasal passage is blocked or too relaxed (because of a common cold, alcohol consumption or prescription medication), someone is also more likely to snore.

Snoring is a sleep disorder related to insomnia because it prevents people from staying asleep.

Each of the above conditions is a common reason that people can fall or stay asleep. Similarly, each causes a person to sleep poorly, rarely, if ever, reaching states of restorative sleep.

Although insomnia is simply defined as a disorder in which affected individuals cannot fall asleep or remain asleep for an extended period of time, they can still reach stage four of sleep. Consequently, each of the above disorders is related to, but distinct from, insomnia.

Consult your doctor if you suffer from any sleep disorder for more than four weeks.

Resources

AS Dreams (2006). Common Questions About Nightmares. Retrieved January 15, 2007, from the AS Dream Web site: http://www.asdreams.org/nightma.htm.

BUPA. (2006). Snoring. Retrieved January 15, 2007, from the BUPA Web site: http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/Mosby_factsheets/snoring.

html.

Conrad Stoppler, M. (2006). 8 Causes of Night Sweats. Retrieved January 15, 2007, from the MedicineNet Web site: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=57394.

Mayo Clinic (2006). Insomnia. Retrieved January 24, 2007, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/insomnia/DS00187/

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