Sleep disturbances refer to issues with the quality, timing, and amount of sleep, which can negatively impact daytime functioning and health. Some common types of sleep disturbances include:
- Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep. Symptoms involve trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently, waking up too early, or feeling unrested after sleep. There are different types of insomnia:
- Transient insomnia: Lasting a few nights
- Short-term insomnia: Lasting a few weeks
- Chronic insomnia: Occurring 3 times per week for 3 months
- Sleep apnea: Brief pauses in breathing during sleep, causing reduced oxygen levels and poor sleep quality. This can lead to loud snoring, restless sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Restless leg syndrome: Unpleasant sensations in the legs accompanied by an urge to move them. Symptoms are worse at night during periods of inactivity.
- Narcolepsy: Excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness, even after adequate nighttime sleep. People may involuntarily fall asleep during daily activities.
- Circadian rhythm disorders: Misalignment between the body's internal clock and the external 24-hour day/night cycle. This includes advanced sleep phase disorder, delayed sleep phase disorder, jet lag, and shift work disorder.
- Improving sleep habits and sleep hygiene
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)
- Light therapy
- Medications
- Treating underlying health issues