What Are Sleep Disorders?
Sleep disorders are medical conditions that affect the way we sleep and affect our overall health and well-being, safety, and quality of life. Sleep disorders can leave us feeling excessively tired during the day, even though we felt like we had a decent night’s sleep. Many of us may not realize we have a sleep disorder, just that we feel tired all the time. This can be caused by irregular breathing patterns that disrupt our sleep, increased movement of our body while we sleep, and other physical or mental ailments that are affecting our ability to get a good night’s sleep. The good news is that sleep disorders are treatable once they are properly diagnosed.
Symptoms of a sleep disorder can include feeling tired all the time, having trouble falling asleep at night, falling asleep outside of normal sleep times, unusual breathing patterns while sleeping, having an urge to move your body while trying to sleep, an irregular cycle of sleeping and waking, and movements or experiences that are unusual or bothersome while you’re sleeping. Your family doctor or a sleep specialist can help you get to the root of your sleep issues and determine if you do have a sleep disorder and what the correct course of treatment should be based on your symptoms and condition.
