Dyssomnias are a broad category of sleeping disorders that are characterized by a difficulty in falling asleep or remaining asleep. One of the key features of these disorders is that they are marked by a disturbance in the amount of quality or timing of sleep. Individuals affected by this disorder often complain of experiencing difficulties in getting to sleep or staying asleep, wakefulness during the night and early morning awakening. Dyssomnias can result in difficulties in concentrating, daytime drowsiness, and the inability to feel rested and refreshed on waking up.
Types of Dyssomnias:
- The various types of dyssomnias are:
- Insomnia
- Sleep Apnea
- Hypersomnia
- Narcolepsy
- Periodic limb movement disorder
- Restless Legs Syndrome
- Alcohol dependent sleep disorder
- Food allergy Insomnia
- Inadequate sleep routine
- Advanced sleep phase syndrome
- Delayed sleep phase syndrome
- Jetlag
- Shift work sleep disorder
Insomnia: This disorder involves the inability to fall asleep or to maintain sleep once it is attained.
Sleep Apnea: A sleep disorder in which individuals stop breathing and thus wake up many times each night.
Hypersomnia: This disorder is characterized by recurring episodes of excessive daytime sleep or prolonged nighttime sleep.
Narcolepsy: In this disorder sleep occurs at unexpected and often inappropriate times. Individuals suffering from this disorder often have sleep attacks in which they experience an irresistible urge to sleep in the midst of waking activities.
Periodic limb movement disorder: This disorder is also known as nocturnal myoclonus and the individual with this disorder moves his/her limbs invomluntarily in sleep and has trouble in doing so.
Restless legs syndrome: This disorder is characterized by an irresistible impulse to move the body in order to stop uncomfortable or odd sensations. It is mpst likely to affect the legs but can also affect the arms and torso.
Advanced sleep phase syndrome: In this disorder the patient feels sleep very early in the evening and wakes up very early in the morning.
Delayed sleep phase syndrome: This disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder associated with the timing of sleep. Individuals with this disorder fall asleep some hours after midnight and have a great deal of difficulty waking up in the morning.
Jetlag: This disorder results from rapid transmeridian travel as on a jet plane or shift work and is a condition of disruption of the light/dark cycles that control the body’s circadian rhythms.
