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What are the Different Sleep Disorder Symptoms?

Matt Brady
Matt Brady

Common sleep disorder symptoms include excessive sleepiness during the daytime, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and memory loss. Such symptoms tend to be caused by abnormal sleep cycles. An abnormal cycle could be marked by a consistent, but unrestful sleep, or by an inability to sleep at night. Many sleep disorder symptoms, such as extreme absentmindedness, are highly noticeable, but others, such as merely feeling tired throughout the day, are more subtle and may not be properly understood as a symptom of a sleep disorder.

Excessive daytime sleepiness, known as hypersomnia, can be symptomatic of a variety of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome. Sleep apnea is characterized by periods during which the sleeper's breathing is interrupted. This can result in an inconsistent and unrestful sleep. Oftentimes, the sleeper doesn't even realize they're suffering from sleep apnea, even when the breathing disruption causes them to wake up. Apnea can be caused by loose tissue in the back of the throat that blocks the airway. It can also be caused by brain signals that cause the sleeper to temporarily halt breathing.

People suffering from insomnia find it difficult to sleep.
People suffering from insomnia find it difficult to sleep.

Like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome is a condition that can interrupt sleep to the point of causing excessive daytime sleepiness. It's marked by uncontrollable leg spasms that often occur as one is falling asleep, but which can also occur during sleep. Leg kicks can also disrupt the sleep of others in the bed.

Narcolepsy occurs when an individual feels extreme, but periodic, sleepiness throughout the day. The sleepiness isn't caused by a lack of sleep at night; rather, it's a chronic condition that one must learn to manage. People who suffer from it will experience periods of extreme sleepiness—to the point of actually falling asleep—throughout the daytime, yet other periods of the day may be marked by no sleepiness whatsoever.

Some people with sleep disorders experience abnormal sleep cycles.
Some people with sleep disorders experience abnormal sleep cycles.

Abnormal sleep cycles cause many sleep disorder symptoms as well. They can be caused by a myriad of disorders, including delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), in which one has trouble quickly falling asleep; a disorder with one’s circadian rhythm; as well as sleepwalking and sleep terrors. Abnormal sleep cycles tend to feed into excessive daytime sleepiness.

People with sleep disorders may fall asleep unexpectedly.
People with sleep disorders may fall asleep unexpectedly.

Many sleep disorder symptoms result from an inability to sleep at night, a condition known as insomnia. Even when people suffering from insomnia manage to fall asleep, they’re usually unable to remain asleep for a healthy period of time. Sleeplessness can often be a temporary condition, caused by such factors as a bout of stress, travel fatigue, or a strange reaction to medication. It becomes a serious problem for some people when it turns into a chronic condition.

Children who feel restless during the day might have a sleep disorder.
Children who feel restless during the day might have a sleep disorder.

If an individual is chronically experiencing any combination of sleep disorder symptoms, it's wise to consult a doctor. There are also sleep specialists who may also be able to get to the root of the problem. Having a specialist investigate the issue isn't just important to getting a good night's sleep; it may uncover a much more serious problem that requires treatment.

Discussion Comments

clintflint

@Fa5t3r - I have to say that I never felt so healthy and level headed as when I was living overseas and sleeping with the sun. I never stayed up much past dark and woke up with the sunrise and it really felt a lot more natural and easy than my current schedule.

Sleep is something that I'm kind of afraid to mess with as well, since it can really hurt your brain if you do.

I read a story a while ago about a radio DJ who deliberately tried to break the world record for staying awake by using stimulants for days. Apparently he suffered from a major personality change after doing it and ended up losing his job and getting a divorce.

Now that might seem like an extreme example, but I'm sure too many sleepless nights can add up if you push it too hard.

Fa5t3r

@pleonasm - I don't know if that's really a type of sleep disorder though, since it's not really disturbing their sleep so much as just preventing enough of it. I guess the result is the same in terms of symptoms.

Apparently huge amounts of adults suffer from sleep disorder symptoms as well, because they don't get enough sleep. I've heard it compared to being drunk it can reduce your reaction times and cognitive abilities by so much.

pleonasm

This actually affects quite a few children without them or their parents knowing. When you've got televisions and game consoles in every room of the house kids can easily end up staying awake much later than they should and might not seem sleepy in the morning so much as just irritable.

They've done studies that indicate that a lot of the kids who get diagnosed with attention disorders might actually just be suffering from a lack of sleep. It's not enough to just insist that they will be fine and will know by themselves when it's time to sleep. The problem with that is that kids often have to get up in the morning before they would naturally wake up since they have school or other activities.

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    • People suffering from insomnia find it difficult to sleep.
      By: Sandor Kacso
      People suffering from insomnia find it difficult to sleep.
    • Some people with sleep disorders experience abnormal sleep cycles.
      By: Sanjay Deva
      Some people with sleep disorders experience abnormal sleep cycles.
    • People with sleep disorders may fall asleep unexpectedly.
      By: Sabphoto
      People with sleep disorders may fall asleep unexpectedly.
    • Children who feel restless during the day might have a sleep disorder.
      By: bst2012
      Children who feel restless during the day might have a sleep disorder.
    • Sleep disorders may manifest as night terrors.
      By: vlorzor
      Sleep disorders may manifest as night terrors.
    • Sleep specialists can get to the root of sleep disorders.
      By: Savvapanf Studio ©
      Sleep specialists can get to the root of sleep disorders.