SLEEP DISORDERS: TYPES, SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, AND TREATMENTS - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The disorders of sleep are medical conditions that disrupt sleep patterns of humans. Some of them are serious enough to interfere with the physical, social, emotional and mental functioning of those who suffer them; while others are hardly a nuisance.

There is no common cause for all sleep disorders out there. However, some factors seem to make the appearance of all of them more likely, stress being the most common. Age, the presence of other health problems, and some physiological factors are also among the most frequent causes.

There are many different sleep disorders, each of which has quite a different set of symptoms. Some of the most common are insomnia, bruxism, sleep apnea, narcolepsy or hyperinsomnia, and cataplexy. Some experts also classify night terrors or enuresis within this group.

Generally, sleep disorders can be classified into four distinct groups: dysomnias, parasomnias, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, and sleep disorders. However, this classification is not perfect, and there is some debate about which problems belong to each of the groups.

Most common sleep disorders

-Insomnia

Insomnia is by far the most common sleep disorder. It is considered that approximately half of the world's population has experienced its symptoms at some time; and around 10% of the inhabitants of the first world claim to suffer from it chronically.

Insomnia is characterized by poor quality of sleep, which can take a number of different forms. Some of the people with this disorder have a hard time falling asleep. Others, on the other hand, wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, or get up earlier than they would like in the morning.

If it lasts long enough, insomnia causes all kinds of negative consequences. The most common are the feeling that sleep has not been restful, a general lack of energy throughout the day, and the presence of mental and physical fatigue during the day.

On the other hand, lack of sleep also affects the psychological and emotional level of people who suffer from insomnia. Among other symptoms, you can find difficulties in maintaining concentration, forgetfulness, sudden mood swings, irritability, impulsive behaviors, and decreased effectiveness in all types of tasks.

In very extreme or chronic cases, insomnia can even lead to more serious problems such as depression or anxiety. In addition, it also increases the chances of suffering from diseases of all kinds, or of having an accident at work, traffic or in everyday life.

Causes and treatment

The causes of insomnia vary greatly from person to person. Thus, some individuals may suffer from lack of sleep due to an underlying psychiatric or physical condition; while in other cases this disease may be due to factors such as stress or the environment. In some cases, it even appears for no apparent reason.

Because of this, treatments for insomnia vary from case to case. If the lack of sleep is caused by excessive worry, for example, the patient will have to learn techniques to manage stress.

In any case, if the insomnia is very severe and chronic, a doctor may prescribe pills to help the person fall asleep and stay asleep while looking for the cause of the problem and working to fix it.

-Sleep apnea

The second most common sleep disorder is obstructive sleep apnea. It is also the problem of this type most diagnosed and treated by medicine. The main symptom is the stoppage of breathing for several seconds while sleeping, due to a blockage in the airways.

Various studies on obstructive sleep apnea suggest that approximately 25% of the adult population suffers from this syndrome, due to different causes. The main symptom is difficulty breathing normally while sleeping, which causes all kinds of problems for those who suffer from it.

Sleep apnea occurs because the soft tissues of the palate relax while the person is asleep. When these tissues hang excessively, they can partially or totally block the airways, preventing normal breathing. Thus, an outside observer may hear snoring, gasping or choking sounds.

Airway blockage usually occurs several times an hour for several seconds each time. The brain has to partially "wake up" to breathe properly, so the person never reaches the deepest stages of sleep. This causes consequences similar to those of insomnia, although not as serious.

On the other hand, if a person suffers from apnea for a very long period of time, their circulatory system suffers a much higher level of stress than normal. This could lead to long-term problems such as heart attacks, heart failure or arrhythmias.

Causes and treatment

Virtually anyone can develop sleep apnea. However, there are some factors that make the appearance of this disorder more likely. Among the most important are being overweight, old age, or frequent consumption of alcohol or tobacco.

On the other hand, some individuals have a genetic predisposition to suffer from this sleep disorder. Some of the causes of this type can be having the tongue or tonsils larger than usual, or an excessively narrow throat.

Depending on the severity of the apnea, treatment may consist of simply adopting healthy habits. Generally, in less severe cases, the combination of diet, exercise, and the abandonment of toxic substances such as tobacco or alcohol are able to reduce the symptoms considerably.

In more serious cases, however, the person may need to undergo some specialized treatment to improve the quality of their sleep. The most common include the use of masks that inject pressurized air into the airways, surgery, or the use of devices to keep the mouth open at night.

-Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability of the brain to control the natural cycle of sleep and wakefulness. It is estimated that approximately one in every 2,000 people suffer from this problem, which generates all kinds of difficulties in leading a normal life.

Narcolepsy patients have several common symptoms. Among the most prominent are the presence of chronic fatigue during the day, and the appearance of "sleep attacks" in which the person falls asleep suddenly. These attacks can happen at any time, even in the middle of an activity.

Sleep attacks do not appear only during moments of low intensity, but can occur even when the person is very active. They generally last from several seconds to several minutes. In addition, during the time that the individual is awake, they present symptoms of fatigue such as lack of concentration or a feeling of dullness.

In addition to these two symptoms, people with narcolepsy may suffer from less common ones such as sleep paralysis, cataplexy (loss of motor functions while awake), hallucinations when going to sleep or waking up, and fragmented sleep.

Causes

Although the exact causes of narcolepsy are not known today, various scientific studies have identified some neurotransmitters that appear to be directly associated with this disorder. Narcolepsy patients have been shown to have lower than normal levels of a substance called hypocretin.

Some research shows that patients with narcolepsy have up to 95% fewer hypocretin-producing neurons than individuals without this disorder. This neurotransmitter is responsible for maintaining wakefulness, so this could be one of the main causes of the appearance of the disease.

However, today it is not yet known what can cause the loss of hypocretin-producing neurons. There does not appear to be a genetic component to the disease. On the contrary, it is believed that it may have to do with an autoimmune response, the presence of tumors, or some type of head trauma.

Treatment

Unfortunately, there is no definitive cure for narcolepsy, as the loss of hypocretin cannot be reversed and is considered a lifelong condition. However, the use of some drugs, coupled with changes in lifestyle, can help people with this disorder to lead almost normal lives.

As for pharmacological treatments, the most common is the prescription of stimulants that help the patient to stay awake during the day. Although they have some side effects, the improvement in quality of life that occurs when using these substances is very significant.

On the other hand, on some occasions other substances such as antidepressants and sleeping pills are also prescribed. Combined, both types of medications help a person to sleep better at night, feel more rested, and avoid extreme fatigue during the day.

Lastly, it has been proven that certain lifestyle elements such as exercising regularly and following a regular sleep schedule can help to significantly reduce the symptoms of narcolepsy.

-Parasomnias

Parasomnias are a group of sleep disorders that have to do with abnormal movements, behavior, emotions, perceptions or dreams that occur while you are asleep, or while you are moving from waking to REM or Non-REM sleep phases.

Generally, parasomnias are divided into precisely these two groups: those that have to do with the Non-REM phases of sleep, and those that are related to the REM phase. It is not known why they occur, although some conditions such as alcohol abuse, advanced age, or lack of sleep make them more likely to appear.

Next we will see what are the most common types of parasomnias and their symptoms.

Parasomnias related to the Non-REM phase

Non-REM or NREM parasomnias are arousal disorders that occur in phase 3 sleep, known as "slow wave sleep." They occur when the patient's brain leaves this phase and is trapped between sleep and waking. This causes different symptoms depending on the person.

Some of the most common parasomnias of this type are confused awakening, sleepwalking, and night terrors. They are untreated, and they usually tend to go away on their own.

Confused awakening is that the person wakes up but remains in a state of total confusion. Generally, sufferers sit up in bed and try to orient themselves, until they fall asleep again. These episodes can last up to several minutes, and generally the individual does not remember anything of them.

In sleepwalking, the person acts as if they are awake even though their brain is actually asleep. Thus, for example, an individual could get up and walk, move objects, undress, or even speak. However, if awakened, the patient is confused and has no memory of what happened.

Finally, night terrors involve the appearance of movements similar to those of insomnia while the person is having nightmares. This parasomnia can be dangerous, in the sense that those affected can for example run away while they sleep, hit objects or attack someone who is nearby.

REM phase parasomnias

On the other hand, there are also parasomnias that appear in the REM phase, which is where dreams occur. The most common is known as "REM phase behavior disorder." Its main symptom is the presence of muscle tone while sleeping, which causes the person to act as if they were in their dream.

The biggest problem with this parasomnia is that the person can get a lot of damage moving while dreaming. In this sense, the problem is similar to sleepwalking, with the difference that the individual will remember her dreams and perform non-random actions, related to what she is experiencing in her mind.

The cause of REM phase behavior disorder is not known, but it is believed that it may be related to problems such as dementia, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. In fact, it is believed that the appearance of this parasomnia can be used to predict the future presence of some of these neurodegenerative diseases.

References

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4. "8 Common (And Terrible) Sleep Disorders" in: Fast Company. Retrieved on: March 14, 2019 from Fast Company: fastcompany.com.
5. "Sleep disorders" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 14, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.