About Sleep Disorders

By Dr Greg Mulhauser
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This section provides information on the more common sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome, as well as a brief article on hypersomnia. While sleep disorders are not considered mental health problems per se, they can exacerbate the symptoms of other forms of psychological distress and can make coping with other forms of distress harder.

Article Contents

What is the Prevalance of Sleep Disorders?

Sleep disorders, which interfere with getting a restful night's sleep, affect some 70 million Americans.

What are the Sleep Disorders?

According to some estimates, the number of different types of sleep disorders weighs in at around 80, but the most commonly experienced sleep disorders are:

Our article on Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, explains some of the background on each of these sleep disorders, while a separate page covers the less common disorder hypersomnia. An additional fact sheet provides more information about narcolepsy, while another offers tips on getting a good night's sleep.

How are Sleep Disorders Diagnosed?

If you suspect that you may have a sleep disorder, the first step is to discuss your symptoms with your physician. A physical exam or tests may help to rule out other illnesses, and a 'sleep diary' may help narrow the diagnosis. Ultimately, a sleep study or polysomnogram (PSG), which electronically transmits and records specific physical activities during sleep, may be used by your physician or specialist to determine whether you have a sleep disorder.

This page was last reviewed by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Monday, 21 July 2008.

The URL of this page is:
http://counsellingresource.com/distress/sleep/