Sleeping well at night is a prerequisite for daily well-being. It’s a fact! However, with our hectic lifestyles, stress and even worse, bad habits, it’s harder than ever to get a good night’s sleep. Of course, it’s important to understand that poor sleep doesn’t necessarily mean little sleep. Even someone who sleeps 12 hours straight can suffer from sleep deprivation and wake up even more tired than when they went to bed.

In fact, sleep disorders can take different forms and manifest themselves in different ways. The causes and treatments will also depend on each type of disorder. Here’s how.

Back to the sleep mechanism

You may not know it, but in the course of a night, sleep is subdivided into different cycles (4 or 6) lasting around 90 minutes in young adults. Each sleep cycle is divided into two states of alertness: slow-wave sleep and REM sleep.

In detail, slow-wave sleep is divided into three phases: falling asleep, light sleep and deep sleep. Next comes REM sleep, also known as rapid eye movement sleep. It’s during this phase that the dreams we remember best come into play.

REM sleep is generally characterized by more intense brain activity and more irregular breathing. The only difference is that there is a total loss of muscle tone.

Sleep disorders therefore encompass all the dysfunctions that affect the normal course of these sleep episodes in different ways.

Sleep disorders: an overview of the various sleep dysfunctions

According to the DSM-IV International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, sleep disorders fall into two broad categories:

DYSSOMNIA
Dyssomnia covers the various sleep disorders that can lead to an alteration in the quality, quantity and frequency of sleep. In concrete terms, there are 3 types of dyssomnia:

INSOMNIA:
This is the sleep disorder most frequently encountered by sleep specialists. By definition, insomnia is characterized by poor sleep quality and sleep deficiency, with repercussions on the quality of the next day’s sleep. It is said to be severe or chronic insomnia when it occurs more than twice a week and lasts for more than three months. There are several types of insomnia:

Acute adjustment insomnia;
Paradoxical insomnia;
Idiopathic insomnia;
Psychophysiological insomnia;
Secondary insomnia due to mental illness;
Insomnia caused by poor sleep hygiene;
Secondary insomnia following the use of drugs or substances that promote sleep fragmentation;
Secondary insomnia related to an illness;
Hypersomnia (EDS).

HYPERSOMNIA (EDS):
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), this rare and often misunderstood sleep disorder is characterized by an excessive need to sleep all the time, without any explanation in terms of sleep deprivation or lack of sleep, accompanied by difficulty waking up in the morning, more or less prolonged sleepiness and excessive daytime sleepiness. However, hypersomnia should not be confused with excessive sleepiness linked to temporary fatigue or induced by another disorder.

In practical terms, the following types of hypersomnia can be distinguished: Idiopathic hypersomnia.

Hypersomnia caused by disease;
Recurrent hypersomnia;
Drug-induced hypersomnia;
Hypersomnia caused by psychological disorders;
Narcolepsy.

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM DISORDERS:
Generally speaking, circadian rhythm disorder is a form of dysomnia characterized by a disruption of the biological clock. In other words, desynchronization of the sleep-wake cycle and the light-dark cycle. These sleep dysfunctions translate into insomnia and/or excessive daytime sleepiness, and can have multiple causes:

Alteration of sleep phases (phase delay or advance);
Hypernycthemeral syndrome;
Irregular sleep-wake cycle;
Jet lag;
Shift work;
Breathing-related sleep disorders;
…

PARASOMNIA OR RESTLESS SLEEP
Also known as restless sleep, parasomnia is a set of abnormal and undesirable behavioral manifestations and physiological phenomena accompanied by episodic amnesia occurring during a specific phase of sleep or sleep-wake transitions. While this sleep disorder is common in children, it becomes problematic when it recurs and persists into adolescence and adulthood.
In the DMS-IV, parasomnia is classified according to when it occurs during the sleep cycle. A distinction can then be made between :

Nightmares;
Nocturnal eating disorders.
Sleepwalking;
Night terrors;
REM sleep behavior disorders;
Sleep parasomnia;
Confusional arousals;
Sleep onset rhythms;
Hypnagogic hallucinations;
Enuresis;
Somniloquy;
Bruxism;

Sleep disorders: side effects

Sleep accounts for more than a third of our lives, and plays a vital role in the proper functioning of our bodies. It also ensures our physical and mental well-being. In addition, sleep ensures cell renewal. It also plays a key role in growth, brain maturation and the preservation of our cognitive capacities. What’s more, sleep protects us against the onset of certain diseases, or the aggravation of a pathology already present. In this sense, sleep disorders have deleterious effects on both physical and mental health:

Lowered immune defenses;
Disruption of metabolism;
Risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease or diabetes;
Increased risk of accidents;
Impaired alertness;
Decreased concentration;
Impaired attention and memory;
Mental fatigue;
Mood disorders;
Anxiety disorders;
…

Tips to combat sleep disorders

As you can see, sleep disorders of any kind should never be taken lightly. So, to get out of this anxiety-inducing and potentially disabling situation, it’s first and foremost essential to know what you’re suffering from and what the causes are. With this in mind, it’s important to seek professional help. In the case of severe sleep disorders, a session of cognitive behavioral therapy can be very useful. In addition to establishing the causes and underlying mechanisms of the sleep disorder, this solution also aims to modify certain behaviors and habits that have an impact on your sleep.

And don’t forget that to sleep better, it’s essential to adopt good sleep hygiene, a healthy lifestyle and a suitable environment. In particular, you need to :

Avoid consuming stimulants, especially before bedtime;
Eat a light meal in the evening;
Avoid even moderate physical activity after 7 p.m;
Turn off devices that emit blue light at least 1 hour before bedtime;
Prefer relaxing activities: meditation and yoga, relaxing music, reading;
Sleep in a well-ventilated room at the right temperature (between 18°C-22°C / 64-71°F);
Choose a good mattress and pillow;
…

What are your tips for a good night’s sleep?