Sleep Disorders

Obstructive Sleep Apnea – OSA happens when something partly or completely blocks your upper airway during shut-eye. That makes your diaphragm and chest muscles work harder to open the obstructed airway and pull air into the lungs. Breathing usually resumes with a loud gasp, snort, or body jerk. You may not sleep well, but you probably won’t be aware that this is happening.  The condition can also reduce the flow of oxygen to vital organs and cause irregular heart rhythms. – webmd.com

More information on OSA from SleepApnea.org

Central Sleep Apnea – In CSA, breathing is disrupted regularly during sleep because of the way the brain functions. It is not that you cannot breathe (which is true in obstructive sleep apnea); rather, you do not try to breathe at all. The brain does not tell your muscles to breathe. This type of sleep apnea is usually associated with serious illness, especially an illness in which the lower brainstem — which controls breathing — is affected. In infants, central sleep apnea produces pauses in breathing that can last 20 seconds. – wedmd.com

More information on OSA from sleepapnea.org

Complex Sleep Apnea – A phenomenon in which a significant fraction of patients diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea failed to breathe normally after positive airway pressure was applied and their airways were opened. Rather their sleep apnea assumed the characteristics of central sleep apnea–the sleepers made no effort to breathe during apneic episodes, as if their brains were issuing no breathe command to the lungs. – sleepapnea.org

Restless Leg Syndrome/Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) – Periodic limb movements are when you have episodes of simple, repetitive muscle movements. You are unable to control them. They usually do not keep you from falling asleep. Instead, they severely disrupt your sleep during the night. This can cause you to be very tired during the day. – sleepeducation.org

Insomnia – Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. It occurs when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep even though you had the opportunity to get a full night of sleep. The causes, symptoms and severity of insomnia vary from person to person. – sleepeducation.org

Narcolepsy – Narcolepsy is a lifelong sleep disorder that makes you feel overwhelmingly tired, and in severe cases, have sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks. Narcolepsy can impact nearly every aspect of your life. It is dangerous because you can have excessive sleepiness or a sleep attack at any time of the day, in the middle of any activity including eating, walking or driving. Operating a vehicle with untreated narcolepsy can be very dangerous and some states even have laws against it. – sleepeducation.org

Snoring – Is the often loud or harsh sound that can occur as you sleep. You snore when the flow of air as you breathe makes the tissues in the back of your throat vibrate. The sound most often occurs as you breathe in air, and can come through the nose, mouth or a combination of the two. It can occur during any stage of sleep. – sleepeducation.org