According to the American Sleep Association, sleep disorders currently affect between 50 and 70 million adults in the United States. A person suffering with a sleep disorder typically does not get enough high-quality sleep, a problem which is linked to dozens of other medical conditions and diseases. For example, insufficient sleep relates to a greater risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, and depression.
Getting insufficient sleep can also lead to harmful or deadly human errors, like accidents at work while operating machinery and traffic accidents. Even simple administrative errors resulting from tiredness can have devastating consequences.
The fact is that not getting enough sleep can have a serious, negative effect on every aspect of a person’s life. For this reason, identifying and treating sleep disorders as soon as possible is vital. The longer a sleep problem persists, the harder it may be to cure.
Common Sleep Disorder Symptoms
The most frequently occurring sleep disorder symptoms are:
- Taking a long time (more than 30 minutes) to fall asleep
- Tiredness and irritability during the day
- Waking up several times during the night
- Being unable to go back to sleep after waking up during the night
- Difficulty concentrating during the day
- Snoring, heavy breathing, or gasping while asleep
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as during meetings or when sat in front of the TV
- Restlessness and the urge to move your legs while in bed