Sleep disorders are common problems that come down to a loss of quality sleep. Various disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome. Learn more about these various disorders in this video and ways to prevent them.
JUSTIN C.K. DAVIS, M.D.: Hi. My name is Dr. Justin Davis, and today I would like to talk to you about a common problem known as sleep disorders. Now, there are a number of different kinds of sleep disorders, but essentially all of it comes down to not sleeping to well. Probably, the most common sleep disorders that many of you have even heard of or may be experienced yourself are insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome. I will give you a brief description of all of those. Insomnia, well that simply means not being able to sleep. Maybe you are not able to fall asleep or maybe you cannot stay asleep, but either way, you are not sleeping too well. Sleep apnea is when during the course of sleep it is punctuated by deep gasps or even periods when you do not breathe at all. This is known as sleep apnea and could be very disruptive to the sleep and prevent proper oxygenation to the brain. Often people who have sleep apnea are overweight or snorer. Narcolepsy is a disorder when actually during waking times in the day, someone will fall asleep. It is more than just dozing off. It is falling asleep in the middle of things at completely inappropriate times, and when they fall asleep it is often just like that. Restless leg syndrome is another disorder characterized by the restless leg movement during nighttime when someone is trying to sleep. So, aside from these very specific kinds of sleep disorders, what are some of the more general symptoms that one may have when you have a sleeping problem? Often you are tired in the morning when you first awake. Instead of feeling more fresh, you still feel like you need to go back to sleep or like you have not slept at all. People also that have sleep disorders commonly feel fatigued and drowsy throughout the day. Another common feature is awakening with headaches. This can happen because you have not gotten enough sleep or in cases of sleep apnea, there is too much carbon dioxide that builds up because of a lack of oxygen causing a headache. People also after a long time of not sleeping well may become moody or irritable, forgetful or even become depressed and anxious. So, what do you do if you have some of these symptoms or you have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder? First of all, it is important to be diagnosed properly because different sleep disorders have different kinds of treatment. Some simple measures that everyone can do is to have good sleep hygiene. This means simple measures such as going to bed at regular times, not taking excessive naps in the afternoon, making sure that you do not eat large meals or exercise just before going to sleep and other things such as making sure that your room is dark and there is not excessive light or little diodes that is a common problem in today's world of electronics shining, because these can affect your sleep rhythms and cycles. Other important measures to take are avoiding caffeine and alcohol, particularly late in the day or the evening. Both of these can disrupt sleep. Now most people think that alcohol makes you tired, and that is true, but often sleep associated with alcohol consumption is restless and not good sleep. Also, certain medications can also make you less likely to sleep well. Also, the opposite is true. If you are diagnosed with a sleep disorder, often certain kinds of medications may be prescribed by your doctor to help you have restful sleep or overcome some of the symptoms associated with one of the sleeping disorders. Finally, with certain sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, it may be necessary to have surgery or to have a special kind of machine known as a CPAP machine which helps you breath normally during your sleep. So, remember, if you think that you may be having some symptoms that are associated with sleep disorders or you know that you do not sleep well, it is important to bring it to the attention of a doctor. Often, we can diagnose what the problem is and begin you on the road to good sleep.
