Dyssomnias are a broad classification of
sleeping disorders involving difficulty getting to sleep, remaining asleep, or of excessive sleepiness.
Dyssomnias are primary disorders of initiating or maintaining sleep or of excessive sleepiness and are characterized by a disturbance in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep.
Patients may complain of difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, intermittent wakefulness during the night, early morning awakening, or combinations of any of these. Transient episodes are usually of little significance. Stress, caffeine, physical discomfort, daytime napping, and early bedtimes are common factors.
Types
There are over 31 recognized kinds of dyssomnias. The major three groups, along with the group types, include:
Intrinsic sleep disorders
**
idiopathic hypersomnia
Idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) is a neurological disorder which is characterized primarily by excessive sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). The condition typically becomes evident in early adulthood and most patients diagnosed with IH will ...
,
**
narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a long-term neurological disorder that involves a decreased ability to regulate sleep–wake cycles. Symptoms often include periods of excessive daytime sleepiness and brief involuntary sleep episodes. About 70% of those affect ...
,
**
periodic limb movement disorder,
**
restless legs syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease (WED), is generally a long-term disorder that causes a strong urge to move one's legs. There is often an unpleasant feeling in the legs that improves somewhat by moving them. This ...
,
**
obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-related breathing disorder and is characterized by recurrent episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway leading to reduced or absent breathing during sleep. These episo ...
,
**
central sleep apnea syndrome,
**
sleep state misperception,
**
psychophysiologic insomnia,
**
recurrent hypersomnia,
**
post-traumatic hypersomnia,
**
central alveolar hypoventilation syndrome,
* Extrinsic sleep disorders – 13 disorders recognized, including
**
alcohol-dependent sleep disorder,
**
food allergy
A food allergy is an abnormal immune response to food. The symptoms of the allergic reaction may range from mild to severe. They may include itchiness, swelling of the tongue, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, trouble breathing, or low blood pressur ...
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
,
** inadequate sleep routine.
*
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD), also known as circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (CRSWD), are a family of sleep disorders which affect the timing of sleep. CRSDs arise from a persistent pattern of sleep/wake disturbances that can be ...
s, both intrinsic and extrinsic – 6 disorders recognized, including
**
advanced sleep phase syndrome,
**
delayed sleep phase syndrome,
**
jetlag,
**
shift work sleep disorder
Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by insomnia, excessive sleepiness, or both affecting people whose work hours overlap with the typical sleep period. Insomnia can be the difficulty to fall asleep ...
.
See also
*
Parasomnia
Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep. Parasomnias are dissociat ...
*
Sleep problems in women
Sleep problems in women can occur across the life cycle. Subjective and objective data confirms Woman, women's increased risk to suffer from Dyssomnia, sleeping problems of various kinds at different life stages. Subjective and objective evidence ...
*
Somnolence
Somnolence (alternatively sleepiness or drowsiness) is a state of strong desire for sleep, or sleeping for unusually long periods (compare hypersomnia). It has distinct meanings and causes. It can refer to the usual state preceding falling asleep ...
References
External links
{{SleepSeries2
Sleep disorders