Sleeping Disorders

The most common sleep disorders include:

• Bruxism: The sufferer involentarily grinds his or her teeth while sleeping

• Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS): a sleep disorder of circadian rhythm
  

• Insomnia: Inability to fall asleep at will or at normal times
  

• Jet lag or desynchronosis: Temporary condition resulting in out of sync sleep patterns as a result of rapidly travelling across multiple time zones
  

• Narcolepsy: The condition of falling asleep spontaneously and unwillfully
  

• Night terror or Pavor nocturnus or sleep terror disorder: abrupt awakening from sleep with behavior consistent with terror
  

• Parasomnias: Include a variety of disruptive sleep-related events
  

• Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD): Involuntary movement of arms and/or legs during sleep
  

• Rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD): Acting out violent or dramatic dreams while in REM sleep
  

• Restless leg syndrome (RLS): An irresistible urge to move legs while sleeping. Often accompanies PLMD.
  

• Sleep apnea: The obstruction of the airway during sleep
  

• Sleep paralysis: Conscious paralysis upon waking or falling asleep
  

• Sleepwalking or somnambulism: Engaging in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness (such as eating or dressing), which may include walking, without the conscious knowledge of the subject
  

• Snoring: Loud breathing patterns while sleeping, sometimes accompanying sleep apnea

Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder

Sign Up for Full Access

Access hundreds of theories, approaches, study and experiment overviews, plus a range of psychology guides including Body Language Reading and How to Interpret Your Dreams.

Sign Up Today ›

More in Sleep Psychology: