Many diseases can interrupt sleep. Some diseases can cause sleep to be interrupted every minute. When this happens, the quality of sleep suffers dramatically, because the process of sleep is disturbed.

Approximately half of all people admit to sometimes having a problem with sleeping, or with staying fully awake.

Obstrutive Sleep Apnea is one of the most common sleep impairments. 80% of adult males have some impairment. This problem can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, even strokes. It is associated with loud snoring.

Another fact to consider: 80% of adults sleep with others. How easy can it be to sleep when the individual next to you is making so much noise by snoring? Often sleep doctors find that when you cure one individual of their apnea, you are actually helping two people: They find that the partner's sleep quality also improves dramatically.

30 million have an obstructive sleep apnea. That means that the sleep of 24 million other individuals is being disturbed. When a doctor treats the victim, two people are cured.

But often insurance companies do not want to pay for the cost of sleep treatment. Many doctors are also not trained to diagnose sleep problems. Some patients can spend 10 to 20 years in partial or complete disability because of sleep problems.

Complete list of the groups of sleeping disorders..

Dyssomnias - These make it difficult to get to sleep, or to stay sleeping. Includes insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, hypersomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome, advanced sleep phase syndrome

• Insomnia

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• Narcolepsy

  • Genetic causes of sleep disorders: In 1999 the narcolepsy gene was isolated.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• Restless Legs Syndrome

• Periodic Limb Movement Disorder

• Hypersomnia

  • Recurrent Hypersomnia - Including Kleine-Levin Syndrome
  • Posttraumatic Hypersomnia
  • "Healthy" Hypersomnia

• Delayed/Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome

Parasomnias - These are abnormal things that occur mostly during sleep. Includes REM sleep behaviour disorder, sleep terrors, sleepwalking, bruxism and enuresis, and sudden infant death syndrome.

• REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder
• Sleep Terror
• Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)
  Some research suggests that some criminals may actually be sleepwalking when they commit their crimes.
• Tooth-grinding (Bruxism)
• Bed-wetting (Sleep Enuresis)
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Medical or Psychiatric Related Sleep Disorders - Psychoses (like schizophrenia), mood disorders, depression, anxiety, panic, and alcoholism

Sleeping Sickness - Tse-tse flies can carry this.

Snoring - While not a disorder, in and of itself, snoring can sometimes be symptom of deeper problems.

Other problems that can affect sleep:

Back Problems

Neck Problems

Sciatica

Other resources:

Sleep Clinics