Snoring

While snoring is one of the primary symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, it does not necessarily mean the snorer has sleep apnea. Many people snore even though they continue breathing normally during sleep. Snoring is caused when soft tissues in the airway relax, which makes them vibrate. Like sleep apnea, snoring is a treatable condition.

Take our free screening questionnaire to determine your risk of sleep apnea.

Insomnia

Millions of people suffer from an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. The condition may be related to anxiety, depression, chronic illness, poor sleep habits, lack of exercise or certain medications. Insomnia can affect people of all ages but is most common among teenagers and adults. Untreated insomnia can sap your energy and mood along with your health, work performance and quality of life. Some adults experience short-term (acute) insomnia, which can last for days or weeks. This is often the result of stress or a traumatic experience. Some people have long-term (chronic) insomnia that lasts for months or years.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is also referred to as excessive, uncontrollable daytime sleepiness, or hypersomnia. This uncommon sleep disorder causes overwhelming drowsiness that makes you fall asleep at inappropriate times in inappropriate places. Narcolepsy is defined as a chronic neurological disorder, which affects your brain’s ability to control circadian rhythms or sleep-wake cycles. Narcolepsy sufferers often feel rested after waking, but very sleepy throughout much of the day. They may also experience uneven and interrupted sleep patterns.

Parasomnias

This category of sleep disorders involve abnormal behaviors, emotions, movements, perceptions and even dreams that occur while you are falling asleep, sleeping, in between sleep stages or when waking from sleep. Nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking and sleep paralysis are all related to parasomnias.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder / Restless Limb Syndrome

Periodic limb movements in sleep are repetitive movements, most typically in the lower limbs, that occur about every 20-40 seconds. If you have PLMS you may recognize these movements as brief muscle twitches, jerking movements or an upward flexing of the feet. They cluster into episodes lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

PLMS can be a contributing factor in chronic insomnia and/or daytime fatigue because they may cause you to awaken during the night. Occasionally, PLMS may be an indicator of a serious medical condition such as kidney disease, diabetes or anemia.  An in-lab sleep study (polysomnogram) can diagnose PLMS and put you on the path to treatment.

Restless Limb Syndrome, also called restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a condition that affects approximately 10% of the American population and causes an unpleasant, itchy, pins and needles or spider-crawling sensation as you are falling asleep, and a strong urge to move your legs or other body parts to relieve the feeling. This sleep disorder can be quite mild or completely intolerable. People of all ages can have RLS, but those most severely affected are middle-aged or older. RLS also affects more women than men.