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Erica Williams
Mrs. Johnson
BMA 2
30 January 2016
Common Sleeping Disorders and How They Are Treated
Sleep is a condition of the body and mind in which the nervous system inactive. The body
needs sleep because during this process your heart is being healed and repaired. There are
approximately 40 million people who suffer from chronic long-term sleeping disorders in the
United States according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Sleep is
crucial for a normal and healthy life. Once diagnosed, sleep disorders can be easily managed.
Disturbed sleep, lack of sleep, and excessive sleep are three categories for sleep disorders and
theyre approximately 70 different kinds. The most common sleeping disorders are insomnia,
sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy and there are multiple treatments for them.
The first common sleeping disorder is insomnia and about 10% of Americans report
suffering from chronic insomnia. Insomnia is characterized as having poor sleeping qualities due
to: often waking in the middle of the night, difficulty going to sleep in the night, and waking
earlier than expected in the morning. Sleep hygiene, cognitive behavior therapy, and medications
are all ways to treat insomnia. Having set bedtime routines that you do every night are ways to
improve sleep hygiene? Another treatment is CBT and it addresses the thoughts and behaviors
that keep one from sleeping well and it helps you to learn new strategies to sleep better. The last
treatment are medications called hypnotics that are specifically approved to treat insomnia. In all,
insomnia causes a lack of sleep and can be treated with different solutions.

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The second sleeping disorder is sleep apnea which is a serious disorder that causes
individuals to stop breathing during their sleep. This occurs because the airways constantly
becomes blocked and that limits the amount of air that reaches your lungs. As a result, one may
snore very loudly or make choking noises as they try to catch their breath. The disorder is caused
by collapsing tissue in the back of the throat. Sleep apnea is a serious sleeping disorder that may
end with death and needs to be treated right away. One treatment is to get a continuous positive
airway pressure machine. The CPAP machine uses a steady stream of air to keep airways open
while sleeping. Another treatment is an oral appliance device that goes in your mouth to prevent
the airway from collapsing. The device holds the tongue in a certain position to prevent the
airways from collapsing. Weight management is also a treatment because overweight people
often have thicker necks with more tissue that can block airways. To conclude, sleep apnea is the
disorder most sleep clinic diagnose and treat.
The third sleeping disorder is restless leg syndrome that is a neurological sleeping
disorder that makes you have the desire to move your legs. This makes it difficult for individuals
to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Also when laying down one may begin to feel burning
or itching inside your legs. In some cases, an individual may have trouble sitting still for a long
period of time. To treat restless leg syndrome medications and behavioral changes have to be
made. One behavior change is to exercise. For example, walking or bike riding may relieve the
symptoms. Another change is stress reduction techniques such as yoga, and meditation.
Medications such as sleeping pills, iron treatment, narcotic pain medications, and anti-seizure
medications can treat the syndrome. Clearly, this sleeping disorder can cause one to lose a lot of
sleep which can affect how they operate the next day.
The last sleeping disorder is narcolepsy which is a lifelong sleeping disorder that makes
an individual feel uncontrollably tired. Narcolepsy is very dangerous because one can experience

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sleep attacks at any time of the day. About one in 2000 people have some form of the disorder
and many do not know that they have it. There are two forms of narcolepsy and they include
narcolepsy with and without cataplexy. Cataplexy is when you have attacks that cause an
unexpected loss of muscle tone when awake and can result in slurred speech and buckling knees.
Stimulants are a treatment that will help individuals stay awake during the day. Another
treatment is antidepressants that are prescribed to treat cataplexy, hallucinations, and sleep
paralysis that are all symptoms of narcolepsy. Overall, narcolepsy is a serious sleeping disorder
that causes sleep attacks, but can be treated with the correct cure.
Currently, there are more than 70 different sleeping disorders present. The disorders are
classified into three groups such as, lack of sleep, disturbed sleep, and excessive sleep. Insomnia
falls into the category of lack of sleep. While sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome are disturbed
sleep and narcolepsy is excessive sleep. The most common sleeping disorder is insomnia and this
is when people have a hard time staying asleep while people with narcolepsy cannot stay awake.
People with sleep apnea have a hard time breathing when sleeping and restless leg syndrome
make it difficult to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. In conclusion, the most common
sleeping disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy and there are
multiple treatments for them.

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Work Cited
1. "The 4 Most Common Sleep Disorders: Symptoms and Prevalence." The 4 Most

Common Sleep Disorders: Symptoms and Prevalence. Kevin Phillips, 25 Mar. 2015. Web.
30 Jan. 2016.
2. "Essentials in Sleep." Sleep Disorders. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
3. "Sleep Disorder Overview." - Sleep Disorders. Stanley J. Swierzewski, 31 Dec. 1999.

Web. 30 Jan. 2016.

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