What Are Sleep Disorders?
Many people have difficulties sleeping including: • Problems with falling and staying asleep • Problems with staying awake • Problems with adhering to a regular sleep schedule • Sleep-disruptive behaviors (e.g., nightmares) 1 However, if you have one of these problems it does not necessarily mean that you have a Sleep Disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition IV, Primary Sleep Disorders are diagnosed when sleep problems cannot be attributed to another mental disorder, a general medical condition, or use of a substance. Whereas Secondary Sleep Disorders are sleep problems that are associated with medical, neurological, or substance misuse disorders.1 There are two categories of Primary Sleep Disorders: Dyssomnias and Parasomnias. • Dyssomnias involve difficulty initiating sleep (falling asleep), maintaining sleep (staying asleep) or sleeping too much. These disorders cause disruptions in the amount, quality, or time of sleep. Types of Dyssom
