Suffering from sleeping disorders is bad for your health.
You need eight hours of sleep each night to give your body time to rest and heal.
More common cases like insomnia and hypnagogic hallucinations can lead to more serious sleeping disorders or medical complications if left untreated.
Understanding what causes these conditions helps you find an effective remedy.
What are sleep disorders? Sleep disorders are conditions that make it difficult for you to have a restful sleep.
Insomnia is only one category of this disorder.
Having difficulty staying awake, not having a regular sleeping schedule, and engaging in sleep-disruptive actions also fall under these.
These are the four main categories of sleeping disorders.
Insomnia Insomnia is a category of sleeping disorder characterized by difficulty with falling asleep at night.
You can group its types generally or according to duration.
The general types are primary and secondary insomnia.
You have primary insomnia when you have difficulty sleeping and you have no associated health problems.
Difficulties brought about by illnesses like asthma, cancer, and depression fall under secondary insomnia.
The types according to duration are transient, acute, and chronic insomnia.
These last a week, a month, and over a month, respectively.
Medication can treat both secondary and transient insomnia, but it might not work with the other types.
Behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for primary, acute, and chronic conditions.
Stress, depression, jet lag, and job shift changes cause this condition.
Addressing these causes and practicing relaxation techniques will treat your insomnia.
Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is the opposite of insomnia in that you feel excessively sleepy during daytime.
More severe types lead to sleep attacks.
Extreme daytime sleepiness and hypnagogic hallucinations are symptoms of this disorder.
It will appear during your adolescent years and it can run in your family.
It can also be due to a lack of hypocretin, a neurotransmitter that controls your level of wakefulness.
Treating narcolepsy requires a combination of therapy and medication.
You will need stimulants to keep you awake.
Short naps throughout the day also help avoid sleep attacks.
Anti-depressants can help with your loss of muscle control.
Finally, if your lack of hyprocretin is due to an autoimmune disorder, treating this condition can also eliminate your narcoleptic symptoms.
Parasomnia Parasomnias are sleeping disorders characterized by unusual verbal and physical behaviors and experiences while sleeping.
Night terrors and exploding head syndrome fall under this category.
Its causes include genetics, stress, sleep apnea, and medication for other illnesses.
There is no single treatment for parasomnias, and solutions can be as simple as changing your sleeping position or as advanced as using prescription medication and sleeping devices.
It depends on the type and severity of your condition.
Problems like exploding head syndrome will require you to treat the underlying medical condition causing this disorder.
Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder Circadian rhythm sleep disorder is a group of conditions that disrupt your internal body clock.
You might have difficulty falling asleep at night and feel sleepy in the morning instead.
This is the only category caused by purely external factors, like shifting schedules, sleeping routine changes, and time zone changes.
Treating this condition requires lifestyle changes and behavioral therapy.
Remember not to self-medicate if you have any of these conditions.
Consult a specialist immediately and let them create a targeted treatment plan.