Somnipathy – a fancy name for sleep disorders

Sleep disorders probably seem as though they can not be possible to most people.  Falling asleep is natural, isn’t it?  If you have trouble falling asleep, you can drink some warm milk, read a good book or cuddle up in a blanket to get that warm comfy feeling and start to drift off.  Do you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and find you can not get back to sleep?  Do you wake up in the middle of the night with your heart racing thinking that something is seriously wrong or that you heard something go bump in the night?  Or do you get up in the morning feeling as though you never fell asleep?

Any of these symptoms or events by themselves could actually be signs of a sleep disorder.  Sleep disorders or somnipathy are any difficulties or changes in sleep patterns.  They could be changes in how quickly you fall asleep or difficulty in staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times (in the middle of a conversation for example), longer than normal sleep times and inappropriate or strange behavior while sleeping.

Over one hundred different types of sleep disorders have been identified and put into four main categories:

1. An inability to fall and stay asleep
2. Difficulty in staying awake
3. Lack of ability in keeping a regular sleep schedule
4. Sleep altering behaviors

Insomnia is the most well known of the first category.  There have been numerous commercials for sleep aids and prescription drugs that offer insomnia relief.  Inability to fall asleep, waking up really early, or the inability to stay asleep are all characteristics of insomnia.  Insomnia can be triggered by physical illness, depression, stress, use of alcohol or excessive caffeine near bed time, daytime napping or a poor sleep environment.  These episodes can be brief or last from two to three weeks at a time.  Treatment depends on what the root cause of the insomnia is.  If it is determined that either alcohol, drug or caffeine use is to blame, eliminating these substances from your daily routine should cure the insomnia without the use of therapy or drugs.

If your sleeping area has excessive noise or light sources, eliminating the noise or light and making the room as dark and quiet as possible should make a major difference in your sleep patterns.  Including a white noise generator in your sleep routine can help a great deal as well.  Other issues with falling asleep can be caused by starting or stopping a particular drug regimen.  Using stimulants like caffeine or other drugs like ephedrine can play havoc with your normal sleep patterns.

Never let a sleep problem persist for more than a few days without seeking expert advice.  It can evolve into a full blown disorder and require extensive treatment to correct.  Lack of proper sleep can lead to problems at work or when driving to the point that you can cause or get in an accident that causes injury or death.