A sleep disorder is any condition that repeatedly disrupts your normal sleep pattern. These conditions affect the quality, timing, or length of your sleep. They affect your ability to function properly during the day and may lead to other medical or mental health problems.

People with sleep disorders are at higher risk for depression, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attack.

Many factors can lead to sleep disorders, including:

• Nerve disorders
• Depression or anxiety
• Side effects of medicines
• Family history
• Drinking too much caffeine or alcohol
• Working irregular hours, such as night shift
• Aging
• Heart or lung disease

Symptoms for specific sleep disorders vary depending on your condition. But in general, they include:

• Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep at night
• Waking up several times at night
• Feeling sleepy or falling asleep during the day
• Loud snoring, with gasping or snorting sounds
• Tingling in your legs when trying to sleep
• Jerking arms or legs

Sleep disorders include a wide range of sleep issues in both adults and kids. There are dozens of different sleep disorders. 

Hypersomnia is excessive sleepiness during the day, even if you slept a normal amount the night before. Doctors say you have hypersomnia if this grogginess happens nearly every day for at least 3 months. The various sleep disorders below can all lead to hypersomnia. So can other health issues. 

Some of the most common sleep disorders include:

• Sleep apnea and snoring: When your breathing slows down or stops during sleep. Most often due to a blocked airway. People with sleep apnea usually snore loudly and often wake up snorting, choking, or gasping for air.
• Insomnia: Ongoing difficulty falling or staying asleep. Doctors consider insomnia chronic if you have symptoms at least 3 times a week for at least 3 months. It’s more common in older people and people with anxiety or depression.
• Narcolepsy: Feeling an irresistible urge to sleep during the day, leading to “sleep attacks” where you suddenly drift off. Narcolepsy can develop even if you get good sleep at night. It happens when there are disruptions in the brain’s ability to regulate the sleep-wake cycle.
• Restless leg syndrome: An irresistible urge to move your legs when you're lying down. You may have crawling, tingling feelings in your legs that make it hard to sleep.

To better understand what’s going wrong with your sleep, we may do a sleep study. These painless tests track your sleep overnight. The results help doctors understand your sleep problems. 

At Carilion, we offer a range of treatments for sleep problems, based on your medical history and symptoms. 

Sleep disorder treatments include:

• Lifestyle changes: Improving your sleep habits can often lead to better rest. Keep your bedroom cool and dark, stick to a sleep schedule and limit caffeine and alcohol. Banish screens from your bedroom and develop a soothing bedtime routine to help wind down.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I): We offer CBT-I as a first treatment for insomnia. It teaches you relaxation or meditation techniques to help you fall asleep faster. We also help you associate bed with sleep and develop a regular sleep-wake cycle.
• Breathing devices: Positive airway pressure (PAP) devices are machines that provide air pressure while you sleep. Inspire implants can also help regulate breathing. Custom-made mouth guards can also help keep your airway open.
• Medicine: When other treatments haven’t worked for your sleep disorder, your doctor may offer over-the-counter or prescription medicine.

For kids with sleep issues, our Pediatric Sleep Consultation Clinic helps children ages 5 – 17 achieve healthy sleep. We use assessments, sleep studies, and blood tests to understand what’s going wrong with their sleep. We offer kids CBT-I and behavioral therapy to help with insomnia.