Health and Wellness

  Sleep disorders affect your  sleep . You might have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting enough rest in general. This makes it tough to function normally during the day. These disorders affect the ability to sleep well regularly and cause significant impairments in social and occupational functions. Disorders of sleep  encompass all types of dysfunctions involving sleep, including difficulty falling asleep at night, poor sleep quality, early waking, circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias, sleep-related movement disorders, and sleep-related breathing disorders. Sleep disorders hurt your brain and body. They make it harder to focus, learn, and remember things. You’ll also feel tired all day, which can raise your risk of health problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Stages of sleep There are two main types of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. NREM sleep has several stages, which we’ll explore in more ...

Sleep is a complex process of restoration and renewal for the body. Sleep deprivation is associated with several physical and emotional disturbances. Our sleep patterns are controlled by our body’s natural 24-hour clock, called the circadian rhythm. These are controlled by brain neurons that respond to light, temperature, hormones, and other signals that comprise the body’s biological clock. This clock helps regulate the normal wake and sleep cycles. Disruption of these cycles can make people sleepy or somnolent; at times, people want to be awake. For example, travelers experience jet lag when they cross time zones. Causes of Sleep Disorders Sleep disorders are disruptions of the sleep cycle or the quality of sleep. About 50–70 million Americans are believed to suffer from chronic sleep disorders, with millions more affected on an occasional basis. Doctors have defined over 70 different types of  sleep disorders , but the most common sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, restl...