When To Get Get For Sleeping Disorders

It used to be that having difficulty sleeping was a rare thing. Sure there were the sporadic worries that may keep an individual up all night and a few insomniacs always existed. As of late however, more and more individuals are having difficulty not only falling asleep but staying asleep and they are heading to sleep clinics to get diagnosis and treatment for this troubling problem. It may seem like a small nuisance but night after night of no sleep isn't only irritating and mind blowing but is also harmful to your health.

By definition a sleep disorder means any troubles that relate to sleeping, including difficulty drifting off to sleep, trouble staying asleep, excessive sleep, and falling asleep at abnormal times. In all any abnormal behaviors as they relate to sleep and sleep patterns constitute a sleep problem. There are actually only 4 major categories of sleep disorders but problems with sleep number over 100 different types in all and new ones are actually discovered pretty often and are added to the list.

Some of the factors that might cause an individual to experience a sleep disorder can be a physical illness, depression, anxiety, medications, heavy smoking, use of alcohol or caffeine, and sleep apnea. Other men and women can incur sleep disorders due to more serious issues such as mental illness, or something as simple as being on an unstructured sleep schedule. And in recent times it is not just adults who are suffering from sleep disorders but children and teens are seeing these problems in astounding numbers as well.

Most men and women who have difficulty sleeping contact their doctor who might either prescribe something for that person or depending on the nature of the sleep disorder, may refer the person to a sleep clinic for a polysomnography or sleep study. In this type of setting a doctor will monitor the patient and their brain waves and their body's response to sleep and will use this information to try and conclude at what point sleep is being disrupted.

There are a range of different treatments that are available and they can range from a change in habits to a range of different medications and in some cases even hypnotherapy. Of course, the treatments work sporadically and thus it is best to find ways to prevent individuals from having sleep disorder problems in the first place. For many this can be accomplished by establishing regular sleep habits, sleeping in a quiet setting, regular exercise, and staying generally fit and healthy.