pic

Sleep Disorders Q&A

What are sleep disorders?

Sleep disorders affect how much and how well you sleep. They include:

 

Insomnia

Insomnia is having trouble getting to sleep, waking frequently or too early, being unable to go back to sleep, or a combination.

 

Sleep apnea

With sleep apnea, you stop breathing repeatedly during the night. Your brain detects this each time and wakes you briefly so you breathe again. You probably won’t remember waking up so frequently the following day.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs if soft tissues in your throat relax excessively after you fall asleep, blocking your airway. Central sleep apnea is a neurological disorder where the nerves controlling your breathing muscles don’t work as they should.

 

Narcolepsy

People with narcolepsy fall asleep without warning, even when they’re in the middle of something. 

 

Restless legs syndrome (RLS)

If you have RLS, your legs feel strange and uncomfortable in bed. This makes you want to move them continually, preventing you from sleeping.

Do I need to worry about my sleep disorder?

Most adults require seven to nine hours of sleep each night for good mental and physical health. Sleep disorders prevent you from getting enough sleep. Furthermore, even when you’re asleep, you might not spend enough time in the various stages, like deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Lacking sufficient good quality sleep can cause or worsen problems like:

  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Weight gain
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Type 2 diabetes

Las Vegas Neurology Center assesses your symptoms and runs tests to determine what’s causing your sleep disorder.

What treatment might I need for my sleep disorder?

The treatment your Las Vegas Neurology Center provider recommends depends on what’s causing your sleep disorder. For example, you might need a positive airway pressure (PAP) device, such as adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP), or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), if you have sleep apnea. 

You might benefit from medications to help you sleep or ones that keep you alert during the day if you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. You might need specific drugs like dopamine agonists to address problems like restless legs.

If your sleep disorder doesn’t have a clear, treatable underlying cause, you might benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi). This combines various behavior changes, therapies, and good sleep habits to help you sleep well through the night.

Call Las Vegas Neurology Center to learn more about sleep disorder evaluations and treatments, or request an appointment online today.