What are sleep disorders?

What are sleep disorders?

Sleep disorders can be divided into four types to be more easily defined:

• Excessive sleepiness
  • Sleep apnea syndromes
  • Narcolepsy
• Insufficient sleep
  • Insomnia
• Parasomnias
  • Sleepwalking
  • Teeth grinding while sleeping
• Abnormal sleep and wake cycles
  • Jet lag
  • Sleeping in shifts

According to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2), sleep disorders are classified as follows:

• Insomniacs
• Sleep-Related Respiratory Disorders
• Hypersomnias of Central Origin (Conditions Not Caused by a Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder, Sleep-Related Respiratory Disorder, or Other Sleep-Disrupting Causes)
• Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders
• Parasomnias
• Sleep-Related Movement Disorders
• Isolated Symptoms, Apparently Normal Variants, and Unresolved Spots
• Other

In cases of parasomnia, patients generally do not consult a physician with complaints of insomnia or sleep disorders. It is clear why these patients apply and they are not studied further.



Patients with abnormal sleep and wakefulness returns are similarly known to the patient and rarely consult a physician by the patient.

If you have sleep problems, you usually consult a doctor because of insomnia or excessive sleepiness. But keep in mind other situations as well.

Excessive sleepiness

If you have excessive daytime sleepiness, it may be due to sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or the often-occurring lack of sleep at night. If you have sleep apnea, insomnia may not be a problem for you or you may not be bothered by it. In general, you may consult a doctor due to sudden cessation of breathing or excessive snoring of your partner.

Excessive sleepiness in patients with sleep apnea

Patients with sleep apnea may experience excessive daytime sleepiness, but they usually complain about sleep suppression during important tasks such as driving. These patients often do not realize that their sleep is disturbed at night.

Nearly half of these patients have a cause blocking the upper respiratory tract in their mouth, nose, chin or tonsils. At night, they complain of excessive snoring or respiratory arrest. Sometimes, the airways may be partially obstructed due to abnormalities in the uvula, soft palate or pharynx region. Some may even have cardiological problems. This condition can be seen with enlargement of the neck veins, enlargement of the heart, liver enlargement accompanied by abnormalities in the right ventricle of the heart, and edema of the legs.

If you have sleep apnea, this can cause side effects of insomnia. Personality changes can be seen. From time to time, you may have complaints of bedwetting, involuntary contraction of your muscles, or hypertension.

Patients with sleep apnea are generally middle-aged obese male patients. If these patients also have alcohol use, this may worsen the symptoms.

Excessive sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy

Narcolepsy patients experience excessive sleep and desire to sleep during the day. When the patient is not sleeping, he feels extremely tired. In addition, sudden onset muscle weakness (cataplexy) may occur in these patients, which occurs with excitement or anxiety, and sometimes with laughing. In some patients, complete weakness (paralysis) may occur in the arms. In these patients, momentary attacks lasting less than a minute, which causes him to drop his hand due to muscle weakness, are more common. In these patients, sleepiness started months before muscle symptoms. However, abnormalities may not be seen in the examinations of patients with narcolepsy.



In addition to thigh and muscle weakness, these patients may experience a state of weakness that lasts for about ten minutes when they begin to sleep.

Sometimes, it can be seen that these patients experience hallucinations both when they are asleep and when they are awake. This hallucination is now the advanced state of the disease. Memory disorders and personality changes can also be added to this situation.

It is also common for people with narcolepsy to fall asleep while working or driving.

Excessive sleepiness due to insufficient sleep

The normal amount of sleep people need varies from person to person. Many people live with chronically inadequate sleep, possibly because they do not know or are unable to complete the normal amount of sleep they need.

Insufficient sleep is more common in students, those who work at two jobs, those who work at home, or mothers who wake up frequently because their children do not sleep. These patients generally complain of excessive desire to sleep during the day.

Insomnia (Insonmia)

Difficulty falling or staying asleep. It is more common especially in older women. The form that lasts between one day and three weeks is called acute insomnia, and the form that lasts for three months or more and occurs at least three nights a week is called chronic insomnia.

What is acute insomnia?

Acute insomnia can usually develop due to any new condition. For example, it can be caused by being in a foreign place, momentary stress, any acute medical illness or pain that can’t sleep, shift work in business life, excessive caffeine or alcohol use. It usually improves over time. The reason for the treatment must be resolved. In case of insomnia lasting longer than a few days, treatment should be started under the supervision of a physician. Stress management methods are also recommended.

What is chronic insomnia?

Inability to sleep at least three nights a week for more than three months. It can be seen in three different types:

• Pathophysiological insomnia; It may be due to a condition. It is often accompanied by fear and anxiety.
• Polysomnographic insomnia; sleep perception is impaired. In fact, the sleeping patient believes that he cannot sleep.
• Idiopathic insomnia; the cause has not been determined. It usually lasts a lifetime.