Sleep disorders affect many New Zealanders every day. Researchers suggest every person will be affected by a sleep disorder at some point in their life. Here are some of the more common sleep disorders – do any of them sound familiar?
Insomnia: the most common sleep disorder, insomnia means you’re not getting a sufficient amount of sleep. You might struggle to fall asleep, or wake up frequently in the middle of the night and not be able to return to sleep.
Insomnia can have many causes – most commonly it’s caused by stress, a poor nightly routine or a painful medical condition. Most people will suffer from insomnia at some stage in their life.
Sleep Apnea: If you wake up gasping for breath or someone tells you that you regularly snore, you might have sleep apnea. During sleep apnea, you stop breathing for 10 seconds at regular intervals throughout the night. This is usually caused by pressure on the windpipe – perhaps from being overweight or a medical condition.
Sleep apnea can be dangerous and should be treated by a sleep professional.
Sleepwalking: part of a group of sleeping behaviors called parasomnias, which occur during REM sleep and involve involuntary actions. During sleepwalking, the “paralysis” function induced in REM sleep fails and a person will stand up and physically act out their dreams. Sleepwalking can be dangerous if the person has access to a balcony or stairwell where they could potentially fall and hurt themselves.
Restless Legs Syndrome: a neurological movement disorder, where you feel uncomfortable creeping and prickling sensations running up your legs. Moving your legs eases the sensation, so people with restless legs syndrome tend to toss and turn a lot at night.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: the change of seasons can affect your body. During the winter months, the lack of light causes many people to suffer depression and feel sleepy all the time.
If you suffer from one or more of these sleep disorders, you can do plenty to help yourself get a good night’s sleep. Many people find herbal sleep remedies useful in combating the affects of common sleep disorders.
For more information about insomnia and sleep remedies you can visit the Sleep and Insomnia Guide