Insomnia&Sleep Disorders

Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity. It is typically followed by functional impairment while awake. Insomniacs have been known to complain about being unable to close their eyes or "rest their mind" for more than a few minutes at a time. Both organic and non-organic insomnia constitute a sleep disorder.

Insomnia

Transient insomnia	it lasts from days to weeks it can be caused by another disorder, by changes in the sleep environment, by the timing of sleep, or by stress. it leads to sleepiness and impaired psychomotor performance
Acute insomnia	i.e. the the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of between three weeks to six months
Chronic insomnia	it lasts for years at a time it can be caused by another disorder, or it can be a primary disorder. according to the cause it might lead to sleepiness, muscular fatigue, hallucinations, and/or mental fatigue

Insomnia patterns

Onset insomnia	featuring difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night often associated with anxiety disorders
Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia	aka nocturnal awakenings featuring difficulty returning to sleep after awakening in the middle of the night or waking too early in the morning
Middle insomnia	i.e. waking during the middle of the night, difficulty maintaining sleep often associated with pain syndromes or medical illness. Terminal insomnia early morning waking characteristic of clinical depression

Insomnia can be caused by several factors, such as:

• Psychoactive drugs or stimulants
• Hormone shifts such as those that precede menstruation and those during menopause
• Life problems like fear, stress, anxiety, emotional or mental tension, work problems, financial stress, unsatisfactory sex life
• Mental disorders such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, general anxiety disorder
• Disturbances of the circadian rhythm, such as shift work and jet lag
• Estrogen levels in women: sudden estrogen withdrawal, fluctuating estrogen, and periods of sustained estrogen low levels correlated with significant mood lowering
• Certain neurological disorders, brain lesions, or a history of traumatic brain injury
• Medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism and Wilson's syndrome
• Abuse of over-the counter or prescription sleep aids can produce rebound insomnia
• Parasomnia
  

OTHER SLEEP DISORDERS

A sleep disorder is a disorder of the sleep patterns; pehaps, sleep disorders are due to an imapirment of sleep-wake mechanism. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning.

Sleep disorders can be chiefly divided into two categories: dyssomnias and parasomnias.

Dyssomnias are a broad classification of sleeping disorder that make it difficult to get to sleep, or to remain sleeping. They include:

• hypersomnia
• narcolepsy
• restless legs syndrome
• sleep apnea.
• circadian rhythm sleep disorders

Parasomnias are a wide variety of disorders that revolve around sleep. They include:

• nightmares
• night terror
• sleepwalking
• restless legs syndorme
• bruxism
• bedwetting

Most common sleep disorders

Bruxism	i.e. involuntarily grinding or clenching of the teeth while sleeping
Bedwetting	featuring involuntary urination while asleep it's common among children up to 6 years old
Sleepwalking	aka somnambulism i.e. engaging in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness (such as eating or dressing), which may include walking, without the conscious knowledge of the subject
Hypersonnia	i.e. excessive amount of sleepiness persons are compelled to nap repeatedly during the day without havibng any relief thogh; it also features difficulty waking, irritation and angerness
Narcolepsy	i.e. the condition of falling asleep spontaneously and unwillingly at inappropriate times
Circadian Rhythm Disorder	i.e. a family of sleep disorders affecting the timing of sleep. it features the inability to sleep and wake up at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs
Nightmares	it happens in the middle of the night when the sleep is deeper it caused a sudden awakening and the dram memory is vivid
Night terror	aka Pavor nocturnus, sleep terror disorder featuring an abrupt awakening from sleep with behavior consistent with terror
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)	sudden involuntary movement of arms and/or legs during sleep, for example kicking the legs
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)	i.e. an irresistible urge to move legs featuring leg pain, tingling, cramp, uneasiness, itchiness it affects most likely women
Hypopnea syndrome	abnormally shallow breathing or slow respiratory rate while sleeping
Obstructive Sleep Apnea	obstruction of the airway during sleep, causing lack of sufficient deep sleep; often accompanied by snoring
Sleep paralysis	it features temporary paralysis of the body shortly before or after sleep it may be accompanied by visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations

The main causes of sleep disorders include:

• changes in life style
• anxiety
• back pai
• chronic pain
• sciatica
• neck pain
• environmental noise
• incontinence
• various drugs
• endocrine imbalance mainly due to cortisol, but also hormone changes due to impending menstruation or during the menopause transition years.
• chronobiological disorders

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