Sleep || Common Signs of a Sleep Disorder

Sleep:

Sleep was long considered just a uniform block of time when you

are not awake. Thanks to sleep studies done over the past several

decades, it is now known that sleep has distinct stages that cycle

throughout the night in predictable patterns. How well rested you are

and how well you function depend not just on your total sleep time

but on how much of the various stages of sleep you get each night.

Your brain stays active throughout sleep, and each stage of sleep

is linked to a distinctive pattern of electrical activity known as

brain waves.

Sleep is divided into two basic types: rapid eye movement (REM)

sleep and non-REM sleep (with four different stages).

Common Signs of a Sleep Disorder:

It takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night.

You awaken frequently in the night and then have trouble

falling back to sleep again.

You awaken too early in the morning.

You frequently don’t feel well rested despite spending 7–8

hours or more asleep at night.

You feel sleepy during the day and fall asleep within 5 minutes

if you have an opportunity to nap, or you fall asleep at

inappropriate times during the day.

Your bed partner claims you snore loudly, snort, gasp, or

make choking sounds while you sleep, or your partner

notices your breathing stops for short periods.

You have creeping, tingling, or crawling feelings in your legs

that are relieved by moving or massaging them, especially in

the evening and when you try to fall asleep.

You have vivid, dreamlike experiences while falling asleep or

dozing.

You have episodes of sudden muscle weakness when you

are angry, fearful, or when you laugh.

You feel as though you cannot move when you first wake up.

Your bed partner notes that your legs or arms jerk often

during sleep.

You regularly need to use stimulants to stay awake during

the day.