How to Tell If You Have a Sleep Disorder

Ah, a good night's sleep. Remember when you were a kid? Even when your parent's let you stay up late it usually wasn't long before you were off to la la land. You usually slept through the night without much tossing and turning and woke up the next morning feeling full of energy and refreshed. If only you could do that now.

There are many things that can keep us from a good night's sleep. Problems and worries, too much caffeine, your spouse's snoring. I use public transit a lot here in St. Louis and there is one overweight lady that must keep the same schedule as I do. Seems like every time I ride the bus she's sitting right behind me and snoring as loud as a rumbling freight train. I don't know how she doesn't sleep through her stop, but she wakes up just in time.

Sometimes we can't sleep at night because of something the Buddhists call the "monkey brain." The monkey brain is that part of your consciousness that just can't stay still. Like a monkey, it is constantly jumping from one thought to another. One of the purposes of meditation is to help you focus and calm the monkey down. But meditation is not sleep.

A good night's sleep is essential to our overall health, both mentally and physically. Lack of sleep can make you tired and irritable and more prone to disease. Deprive a person of sleep long enough and they may start hallucinating or may even die.

Everyone has an occasional night when they can't sleep. On those nights the best advice is to just lay there and relax instead of fretting over it. You'll either fall asleep eventually or at least you will be rested when you get up in the morning even if you didn't go to sleep. Things like a little exercise, avoiding caffeine, reading a book, or a glass of warm milk can help an occasional bout of insomnia.

But if you have a lot of trouble sleeping then you might just have a sleep disorder. According to webMD, here are a few ways to determine if you have a sleep disorder:

Chronic sleep disorders are serious and you should see your doctor. Sleep disorders have been linked to car accidents, poor job performance, and relationship problems. They can also cause heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

I once had a friend that was having a lot of trouble sleeping except one time when I was riding with him in his truck. We were on the highway at night and I heard him snoring. We started drifting off of the road and I was just able to wake him before we had an accident. Snoring is not something you want to hear on the road when you are riding with someone.

Some of the signs of sleep disorders include: excessive snoring, inability to fall or stay asleep, tiredness during the day, and a desire to move your legs when you are trying to rest. The general guidelines for the amount of sleep that you need each night are 16 hours for infants, 9 hours for teens, and anywhere from 7-9 hours for adults. These are just general guidelines. Some folks need more, some need less.

Insomnia can cause a lot of physical and mental problems, but sometimes it's the reverse. Heart disease, arthritis, chronic pain, and COPD can cause insomnia. So can depression and other forms of mental illness. The drugs that are used to treat these diseases can also interrupt your sleep patterns. Pregnancy and flier's fatigue can also cause sleeplessness.

Sleep apnea is a common disease where the person stops breathing several times during the night. Excessive snoring is a common sign. Sleep apnea can cause you to feel tired during the day and can even raise your blood pressure and contribute to a stroke. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, see your doctor.

So if you have trouble sleeping, don't ignore it. Most all sleep disorders can be successfully treated. A recent study showed that people who don't get enough sleep or have interrupted sleep have a shorter lifespan that those who don't. And you don't want the big sleep to come too soon.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/ss/slideshow-sleep-disorders-overview