Sleep disorders
Sleep disorders are medical conditions which occur from a disruption of sleep or undue sleepiness during the day. These may be caused by physiological or psychological factors. Some of the more common sleep disorders include:
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Snoring may represent a difficulty in keeping the throat open while one sleeps. Its more serious companion, sleep apnea, is a chronic medical condition where the affected person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep. It can be caused by obstruction of the upper airway, resulting in obstructive sleep apnea, or by a failure of the brain to initiate a breath, called central sleep apnea.
Insomnia
Insomnia is the inability to obtain a sufficient amount of sleep to feel rested and is characterized either by difficulty falling or staying asleep. It is the most common sleep disorder, with many potential causes. One of the sub-types is acute insomnia.
Parasomnias
These are sleep disorders characterized by abnormal sleep behaviors. These can include night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep eating, sleep sex, rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder, or any number of potential behaviors that occur while the person remains asleep.
Sleep Paralysis
Sleep Paralysis is characterized by a temporary inability to move while transitioning from sleep to wakefulness, such as when falling asleep or waking up. It may be frightening as one may seem to be awake, but unable to move. It is common, but may also be a symptom of narcolepsy.
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