Everyone has trouble sleeping once in a while, but if you experience persistent sleep problems, you could have a sleep disorder. Below we review the warning signs of sleep disorders, classifications of sleep disorders and how sleep disorders are diagnosed.
Warning Signs of Sleep Disorders
The following list includes the most common signs you have a sleep disorder:
- Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep
- Snoring, gasping or choking during sleep
- Tingling or crawling sensation in the legs at bedtime
- An irresistible urge to move your legs during the night
- Waking multiple times in the night
- Waking and being unable to fall back asleep
- Waking too early in the morning
- Chronic fatigue during the day
- Daytime irritability
- Taking long, frequent naps during the day
- Trouble concentrating at work or school
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times
- Requiring stimulants like caffeine to stay awake
Classifications of Sleep Disorders
According to the National Library of Medicine, “The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD) helps provide a standardized classification and definitions for sleep disorders. Specifically, the third edition of the ICSD (ICSD-3) includes the following categories of sleep disorders:
- Insomnia
- Sleep-disordered breathing
- Central disorders of hypersomnolence
- Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
- Parasomnias
- Sleep-related movement disorders
Diagnosing Sleep Disorders
You might be able to self-diagnose and manage a sleep disorder by keeping a sleep journal. In your sleep journal, log how many hours you sleep, the quality of your sleep, any factors that may have affected your sleep such as caffeine and alcohol consumption, exercise, naps and how you feel throughout the day. You may be able to recognize patterns, like you sleep well when you exercise, or you sleep poorly when you drink, and make lifestyle changes that improve your sleep.
If you can’t identify problems or your lifestyle changes aren’t helping, it’s time to see a sleep doctor. Your journal will be a key tool in helping them make a medical diagnosis and prescribing appropriate treatment, which may include medications you can pick up at Fort Wayne Custom Rx.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Ear, Nose & Throat Associates today.