Sleep Disorders

What are sleep disorders?

Sleep disorders are conditions that affect the quality, timing or amount of sleep, leading to daytime distress or difficulty functioning. Common sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia: trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early and not getting back to sleep.
• Obstructive sleep apnea: repeated pauses in breathing during sleep.
• Restless legs syndrome: an uncomfortable urge to move the legs, usually in the evening.
• Circadian rhythm disorders: when your internal clock is out of sync with your schedule.
• Narcolepsy: excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep episodes.

Symptoms

Common symptoms include difficulty sleeping, waking unrefreshed, daytime sleepiness, irritability and trouble concentrating. These symptoms can occur with sleep disorders, but only a qualified professional can provide a diagnosis.

Sleep and mental health

Sleep problems are common in anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD and ADHD, and poor sleep can make these conditions worse. Read more about how sleep and mental health are connected.

Diagnosis

A healthcare professional will ask about your sleep patterns, often using a sleep diary. For suspected sleep apnea or some other conditions, a sleep study may be recommended.

Treatment

• CBT for insomnia (CBT-I): recommended as a first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults.
• Treating underlying causes: such as sleep apnea, pain, or mental health conditions.
• Medication: sometimes used short-term or in specific situations. See sleep medications.

Some online services assess insomnia, especially when it occurs with anxiety or depression. Lemonaid Health and Sesame are examples, though they do not prescribe controlled sleep medications such as zolpidem.

Common types of sleep disorders

• Insomnia: persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early, with daytime consequences such as fatigue, irritability or poor concentration. Chronic insomnia is usually defined as occurring at least three nights a week for three months or more.
• Obstructive sleep apnea: repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, often with loud snoring, gasping and unrefreshing sleep. It’s linked to daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure and mood problems, and needs medical assessment.
• Restless legs syndrome: an uncomfortable urge to move the legs, usually in the evening or at rest, that disrupts sleep.
• Circadian rhythm disorders: a mismatch between your body clock and your schedule, such as delayed sleep phase, where people can’t fall asleep until very late, or shift work disorder.
• Hypersomnia and narcolepsy: excessive daytime sleepiness, in narcolepsy sometimes with sudden sleep attacks or muscle weakness triggered by emotion.
• Parasomnias: unusual behaviors during sleep, such as sleepwalking, night terrors or acting out dreams.
• Nightmare disorder: frequent, distressing dreams that disturb sleep, common after trauma.

These descriptions are not a way to diagnose yourself. Only a qualified healthcare professional can provide a diagnosis.

Why insomnia persists

Short bouts of poor sleep are common during stress. They can become chronic when habits and thinking patterns keep the problem going: spending long hours in bed awake, napping, irregular schedules, worry about sleep itself and trying hard to fall asleep. This is why treatment focuses on changing those patterns, not just on the original trigger. Insomnia also frequently occurs with anxiety, depression and other conditions, and treating one can help the other; see sleep and mental health.

Evidence-based treatment

• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia. It combines sleep scheduling, stimulus control, relaxation and changing unhelpful beliefs about sleep, and usually takes several weeks. It can be delivered by therapists, in groups or through digital programs.
• Sleep hygiene supports other treatment: regular timing, a dark, quiet, cool room, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and winding down before bed. On its own, it’s often not enough for chronic insomnia.
• Medication can help in some situations, often short term and under medical supervision, as most sleep medicines carry risks such as next-day drowsiness and dependence. See sleep medications.
• Treating sleep apnea may involve lifestyle changes, devices that keep the airway open or other medical treatments, after a sleep study.
• Treating other contributors, such as pain, mental health conditions, restless legs or medicines that interfere with sleep.

When to see a doctor

Speak to a healthcare professional if:

• Sleep problems last more than a few weeks or affect your daytime functioning.
• You snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in your sleep, or fall asleep at unsafe times such as while driving.
• You have restless legs, unusual behavior in sleep or frequent nightmares.
• Poor sleep comes with low mood, anxiety or thoughts of self-harm. Seek urgent help if you’re having thoughts of suicide; see Get Help Now.

Bring a simple sleep diary of one to two weeks, noting bedtime, wake time, awakenings, caffeine, alcohol and naps. It helps a clinician see patterns and decide on next steps. Our sleep guide offers practical tips to try in the meantime.

Self-care

Keep consistent sleep and wake times, get daylight in the morning, limit caffeine after midday, keep your bedroom dark and cool, and avoid lying in bed awake for long periods. Our sleep guide has more practical tips.