The International Classification of Disease reports more than 80 different sleep disorders, which can be effectively treated.

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Types of sleep disorders

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive Sleep Apnea results from a blockage in the airway causing a pause or cessation of airflow. These “events” are cause by the collapse of the soft tissue at the rear of the throat (obstructive events) or failure of the brain to send a signal to the muscles to breath (central events). With each event, the brain causes you to momentarily awake in order for the body to resume breathing. These events can occur many times an hour leading to fragmented sleep, which is of poor quality.

Obstructive sleep apnea is common in men and women of all ages and can also be present in children and adolescents. Common symptoms include; snoring, waking up gasping for air or feelings like you are choking, frequent awakenings, waking up with a dry mouth or headache, daytime sleepiness, depression and weight gain. Left untreated, OSA can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, increased risk for stroke, diabetes and obesity, decreased quality of life and memory problems and increase risk of motor vehicle crashes. Treatment options exist and if you are diagnosed with OSA, your sleep physician will discuss all available options with you.

Upper Airway Resistance  Syndrome (UARS)

Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) commonly presents as chronic daytime sleepiness, snoring and brief but frequent arousals during sleep. Similar to OSA, there are often reoccurring breathing events during sleep caused by the narrowing of the airway which results in an increased effort to breathe during sleep. Treatment options exist for UARS and your sleep physician will discuss all available options with you.

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Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)

A sleep disorder which involves repetitive movement of the limbs during sleep and may be associated with arousal activity in the brain during sleep. Some patients diagnosed with Periodic limb movement during sleep may also have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) which occurs during the daytime.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder that presents as an uncontrollable sensation in the arms or legs. This sensation is often described by patients as creeping, crawling, itching or tingling sensations which is sometimes relieved by moving or stretching. RLS occurs while the patient is awake however is often associated with Periodic Limb Movement Disorder.

Narcolepsy

This is a rare but chronic sleep disorder which presents most commonly as overwhelming daytime sleepiness, despite adequate nighttime sleep.  Sudden desire to sleep, commonly referred to as “sleep attacks” occur with or without warning and may be irresistible. The can occur occasional or many times in a day and often occur at inappropriate times and places.
Other classic symptoms of narcolepsy include: cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle function), sleep paralysis (inability to talk or move upon waking or falling asleep) and hypnagogic hallucinations (vivid, dream like episodes that occur as you are falling asleep).

Narcolepsy occurs in both men and women and often runs in families. It is diagnosed by a combination of sleep lab night time and daytimes testing and clinical symptoms. Treatment options are available and if diagnosed, would be carefully discussed with the sleep physician.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

REM Sleep Behaviour disorder is associated with increased muscle tone during REM sleep. This results in the ability for the individual to “act out their dreams” or engage in movements or abnormal activity during sleep. 

Insomnia

Insomnia refers to a person’s inability to initiate sleep, waking up frequently during the night or waking up to early in the morning. Often, patients report unrefreshing sleep or waking up tired. There are different types of insomnia. Transient or intermittent insomnia typically occur as a result of a stressful life event, poor sleep conditions, side effects from medications or other medical conditions or sleep/wake cycle problems such as jet leg. Chronic insomnia is more complex and occurs when sleep disruption is present for at least 3 nights a week for a minimum of one month.  In some cases, insomnia may be the result of an underlying sleep disorder such as OSAS, UARS or periodic limb movement.

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