Dyssomnias
What is dyssomnia?
Dyssomnia refers to any group of primary sleep disorders characterized by disturbances in the quality, amount, or timing of sleep, including primary insomnia, primary hypersomnia, breathing-related sleep disorder, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, and narcolepsy.
A dyssomnia is a disturbance of the natural resting and waking patterns of the body, which can lead to daytime drowsiness, poor concentration and the inability to feel rested and refreshed in the morning. Most commonly related to a problem with the circadian rhythm, or internal biological clock, dyssomnias affect the amount, quality or timing of sleep, with symptoms including:
These are a few examples of Dyssomnia: |
Hypersomnia
This is sleep deprivation, or excessive daytime sleepiness without an obvious cause. This pattern should be taken very seriously. The result is sleepiness, which results in impaired sustained attention, with adverse, occasionally disastrous consequences in the classroom, workplace, or the highways. It is likely that more than 100,000 crashes occur annually in the U.S. due to driving while drowsy.
The most common cause of hypersomnia is voluntary sleep deprivation done for social or economic reasons - like work or surfing the Internet.
The most common cause of hypersomnia is voluntary sleep deprivation done for social or economic reasons - like work or surfing the Internet.
Insomnia
This is the most common sleep complaint. It is not defined by total sleep time but by trouble falling or staying asleep. It is the inability to obtain sleep that is sufficiently long or "good enough" to result in feeling rested or restored the following day. Depression has been linked as a cause of insomnia; however, for many people, untreated insomnia may be a risk factor for depression.
Source
1. Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. Available at : http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/dyssomnia
2. Carl Hunt, MD, director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, National Institutes of Health. Meir Kryger, MD, director, Sleep Disorders Centre, St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, University of Manitoba. Mark W. Mahowald, MD, director, Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center. Barbara Phillips, MD, sleep clinic director, University of Kentucky, Lexington. Joseph Kaplan, MD, co-director, Sleep Disorders Center, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. WebMD Medical News: "U.S. Sleep Problems Getting Worse." WebMD Medical News: "Cranky? You're Likely Fighting Fatigue." WebMD Medical News: "Sleep Deprivation Leads to Trouble Fast." WebMD Feature: "Sleep: More Important Than You Think." WebMD Feature: "10 Tips to Get Better Sleep." NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement. Malik, S. Primary Care, 2005; vol 32: pp 475-490. Mahowald, M. Nature, Oct. 27, 2005; vol 437: pp 1279-1285. 2002 Sleep in America Poll. 2005 Sleep in America Poll. 2008 Sleep in America Poll. 2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. Available at : http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/toll-of-sleep-loss-in-america
2. Carl Hunt, MD, director, National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, National Institutes of Health. Meir Kryger, MD, director, Sleep Disorders Centre, St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, University of Manitoba. Mark W. Mahowald, MD, director, Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center. Barbara Phillips, MD, sleep clinic director, University of Kentucky, Lexington. Joseph Kaplan, MD, co-director, Sleep Disorders Center, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. WebMD Medical News: "U.S. Sleep Problems Getting Worse." WebMD Medical News: "Cranky? You're Likely Fighting Fatigue." WebMD Medical News: "Sleep Deprivation Leads to Trouble Fast." WebMD Feature: "Sleep: More Important Than You Think." WebMD Feature: "10 Tips to Get Better Sleep." NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Statement. Malik, S. Primary Care, 2005; vol 32: pp 475-490. Mahowald, M. Nature, Oct. 27, 2005; vol 437: pp 1279-1285. 2002 Sleep in America Poll. 2005 Sleep in America Poll. 2008 Sleep in America Poll. 2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. Available at : http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/toll-of-sleep-loss-in-america