Disorders

A Sleep Disorder is a medical disorder affecting sleep patterns and/or behaviors during sleep. Sleep disorders involve any difficulties related to sleeping, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep. They can cause irregularities that may manifest as symptoms of either a physical, mental or emotional nature.

More than 100 different disorders of sleeping and waking have been identified and include the following general categories:

  • Problems with falling and staying asleep (insomnia)
  • Problems with staying awake (excessive daytime sleepiness)
  • Problems with sticking to a regular sleep schedule (sleep rhythm problem)
  • Unusual behaviors during sleep (sleep walking or other activity during sleep)

The most frequent sleep complaint is Insomnia and includes any combination of difficulty with falling asleep or staying asleep. Episodes may come and go, last for a few weeks, or be longer lasting. Insomnia is a complaint, not a diagnosis. There are a variety of disorders that can produce the symptoms of insomnia. For that reason, consultation with one of our sleep professionals is recommended if the problem lasts for more than several weeks.

As well as problems with getting to sleep or staying asleep, sleep disorders also include those disorders associated with staying awake. Excessive daytime sleepiness may result from repeated interruptions during sleep in disorders such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Periodic Limb Movements during sleep or in neurological disorders such as Narcolepsy and Idiopathic Hypersomnia.

When to contact a doctor

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if lack of sleep, too much sleep, or unusual sleep behaviors are interfering with your daily life.

While many disorders require only an office visit, others may require a Sleep Study or studies in order to determine a diagnosis. These studies require an overnight visit at a sleep clinic and may lead to the resolution of any number of known sleep disorders.



More info:

www.sleepfoundation.org

www.aasmnet.org

  • RESPIRONICS RECALL

    If you have a Respironics or Philips Respironics CPAP/BiPAP machine (Respironics is now owned by Philips.), there is a recall affecting some of those machines. For more information about the recall and whether it affects you, please click on the link below to visit their recall page on the internet. You will be able to register your machine with them for addressing the issue.

    https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/e/sleep/communications/src-update
  • Current Research Studies

    Our center performs Research Studies and Clinical Trials to help determine the effectiveness of new drugs and treatments. We are currently seeking participants for the following studies:

    The Sleep Disorders Center of Alabama offers many different clinical trials for our patients. These are always changing, making it difficult to list on our site. Please call or email Wes Booth at 205-599-1020 extension 122 / wbooth@sleepalabama.com for current trials offered at the Sleep Disorders Center of Alabama.

    For more information, check Clinical Trials and Disorders on main menu at top
  • If you use CPAP . . .

    Please be aware that CPAP equipment wears out. You should replace your mask, headgear and hoses about every 6 months. Please call the Sleep Center’s CPAP Department at (205) 599-1020
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