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Sleep Disorders: A Prelude


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A disorder of the sleep patterns of a person is known as sleep disorder.

Sleep is the blissful state that rejuvenates our mind and body everyday and any deprivation often leads to a disorder that can affect our health. Sleep deprivation is prevalent among 25% of the population and it leads to reduced cognitive abilities, tiredness, lack of energy, and weakness of muscles.

Sleep Disorders: A Prelude

Research indicates that women are twice more likely than men to suffer from sleep disorders.

Sleep disorders are of different kinds and the reason behind each disorder varies. This may include difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.

The most common types of sleep disorders include-

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  • Insomnia
  • Hypersomnia
  • Sleep apnea
  • Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
  • Narcolepsy
  • Parasomnias
  • Circadian rhythm disorders

Sleep disorders can be diagnosed on the basis of patient’s explanation about the condition and tests such as multiple sleep latency test and polysomnography.

Treatment options are available for most sleep disorders. Sleep disorder clinics help people restore normal sleeping patterns through various techniques. Sometimes just having regular sleep habits can help an individual.

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Prognosis for various sleep disorders depends on the stage at which the therapy has been initiated and the compliance of the patient.

"In my opinion sleep is a habit acquired by the environment. Like all habits it is generally carried to extremes. The man that sleeps four hours soundly is better off than a dreamy sleeper of eight hours."-Thomas Edison.

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