We all experience an occasional bad night’s sleep. But chronic lack of sound, quality rest — which restores energy levels — affects your physical and mental well-being. During the deepest stages of sleep, the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle and appears to strengthen the immune system. Not sleeping well on a regular basis can leave you feeling drained, depressed, anxious, stressed, and generally miserable. A good night's sleep is often the best way to help us cope with stress, be productive and recover from illness. In addition, untreated sleep disorders can lead to a number of chronic diseases.
Are you getting enough sleep? Possible indicators of poor sleep include
- You experience waves of drowsiness at meetings or lectures, especially if this occurs at times other than around 2 p.m.
- You rely on the alarm clock to wake you.
- You struggle to get awake and get going.
- You doze off while driving.
- You doze off easily while reading or watching television.
- You feel sleepy after a single glass of beer or wine.
- You don’t feel alert and energetic.
- You feel disoriented or have a poor memory.
There are 88 documented chronic and intermittent sleep problems. The experts at the Crouse Sleep Center evaluate patients for a variety of sleep disorders, including the most common — insomnia, sleep apnea/snoring and restless legs syndrome are the most common sleep disorders.
Insomnia is the inability to sleep.
Symptoms
- Difficulty getting to sleep
- Waking up often during the night
- Awaking too early in the morning
Possible Causes
- Emotional problems
- Medication use
- Abnormal movement of the legs or other parts of the body
- Pain
Sleep Apnea is the periodic cessation of breathing during sleep.
Symptoms
- Loud, chronic snoring
- Breathing stops suddenly and/or for prolonged time
- Great disruption of sleep and concern among family members
Some sufferers may have a few or several hundred apneic episodes in one night, causing:
- Morning headaches
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Disorientation
- Poor memory
- Daytime fatigue
- An inability to remain alert
- Declining intellectual or sexual performance
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep (PLMS)
PLMS is a disorder which can disrupt sleep. RLS occurs during quiet, restful times while PLMS occurs during sleep.
Symptoms
- Disagreeable symptoms in the legs during periods of rest, which typically result in the need to move around in order to obtain relief.