The majority of sufferers remain undiagnosed; the good news is most sleep disorders can be effectively treated. A Sleep Test, or Polysomnogram, is used to help diagnose sleep disorders. Sleep studies generally take place in a sleep lab during a person's normal sleeping hours. A Sleep Test uses various instruments to gather information about a person’s sleep stages, body position, and physiological conditions such as brain wave activity, eye movement, muscle movement, and possibly even the electrical activity of the heart. This data is then evaluated by your physician.

If left untreated, sleep disorders can pose significant adverse consequences. Not only is insufficient sleep often responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related accidents, but it is also linked to the development of a broad range of chronic diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and depression.

•      Morbid obesity

•      Chronic renal failure with daytime fatigue or restless legs

•      Unusual sleep behaviors such as sleep walking and dream enactment

•      Sleep disorders associated with shift work

•      Polycystic ovarian disease

•      Obesity and pregnancy with snoring

•      Fibromyalgia and excess fatigue

•      Depression with sleep complaints

•      Leg cramps at night

•      Obese patients for preoperative evaluation, including bariatric patients

•      Difficulty falling asleep or frequent awakenings

•      Loud snoring

•      Excessive daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue

•      Restless legs syndrome

•      Heart failure/cardiomyopathy

•      Uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes mellitus

•      Stroke or recurrent TIAs

•      Unexplained nocturia

•      Sleep attacks and unexplained syncope

•      Unexplained peripheral edema

•      Pulmonary hypertension

•      Nocturnal angina

•      Nocturnal gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms

•      Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who may require supplemental oxygen

There are three categories of insomnia:

•      Adjustment insomnia is usually brought on by excitement or stress, and lasts no longer than four weeks.  

•      Short-term insomnia is any trouble falling or staying asleep that lasts between four weeks and six months. This too is usually brought on by a stressful situation, and once the problem subsides or the sleeper adjusts to it, the insomnia will disappear.

•      Chronic insomnia is anything lasting longer than six months.  

Insomnia may be caused by persistent stress, whether it is relationship problems or trouble at work.  Many lifestyle decisions may contribute as well, such as the misuse of stimulants (caffeine and tobacco), alcohol, or sleeping pills, keeping erratic bedtime hours, and inactive behavior. Often, there are underlying physical or psychiatric problems that are the cause, such as a breathing disorder (Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea), or depression.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. At various times throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience fleeting urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, individuals will fall asleep for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. In rare cases, some people may remain asleep for an hour or longer. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), three other major symptoms frequently characterize narcolepsy: cataplexy, or the sudden loss of voluntary muscle tone; vivid hallucinations during sleep onset or upon awakening; and brief episodes of total paralysis at the beginning or end of sleep.

When a person with this syndrome falls asleep, the airway collapses and disrupts normal breathing patterns. This can occur hundreds of times throughout the night, putting a great amount of stress on the vital organs like the heart, lungs as well as interrupting normal sleep cycles.  An apnea is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced.  Simply stated, an apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more.

Loud snoring is one of the most obvious indicators that OSA may be a problem, especially if the snoring is accompanied by pauses and gasps for air. This suggests that the person has momentarily stopped breathing, or his/her breathing has become shallow enough to cause sleep disruption.

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is also a warning sign. The brief awakenings at night can cause a person to fall asleep throughout the day, particularly if the OSA is severe.  Other signs include trouble concentrating during the day, irritability, morning headaches, or nausea upon awakening, and frequent urinations at night.

Restless Legs Syndrome is an uncontrollable urge and uncomfortable sensation in the legs (or possibly arms) that can only be relieved by stretching or moving them.  It has been described as a creepy, crawly feeling, and most often occurs when a person is lying or sitting still in the evening. This continuous need to stretch or move can cause insomnia or delay sleep onset, which in turn leads to excessive daytime sleepiness and the inability to function optimally during the day. The irritable sensations can lead to anxiety and depression.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder is similar to RLS, but occurs while a person is asleep. It is an involuntary movement of a section of the limbs that occurs at least four times in a row. This includes anything from an extension of the big toe to a flex of the knee or hip in some cases. The intervals between each movement are usually regular (20-40 seconds), and these movements usually cluster at the beginning of the night.  Because a certain number of limb movements per night are considered normal, a diagnosis of PLMD is not made unless the patient has symptoms of restless legs syndrome.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a manifested by vivid, often frightening dreams during REM sleep.  Patients appear to "act out their dreams," in which the exhibited behaviors mirror the content of the dreams.  The dream-enacting behaviors are usually non-directed and may include punching, kicking, leaping, or jumping from bed while still asleep. The person may be awakened or may wake spontaneously during the attack and vividly recall the dream that corresponds to the physical activity.

(1)   Obesity

(2)   Hypertension

(3)   Diabetes

(4)   Stroke

(5)   Depression