Each year, 60 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep disorder, ranging from the occasional sleepless night each month to nightly sleep deprivation. Lacking a full night’s sleep, job performance, personal relationships, and even driving abilities can suffer. With sleep being such an important part of our lives, it’s important to understand the different kinds of sleep disorders in order to better understand the routes for treatment.

Anxiety and depression are common causes of sleep loss. Many times, individuals suffering from depression wake up early and cannot return to sleep. Other times, a depressed individual may over sleep, finding sleep temporarily relieves their problems. This can lead to a disrupted sleep pattern, which actually means fewer hours of deep, quality sleep.

Impaired breathing affects one in eight Americans. Loud, disruptive snoring can sometimes hint towards a larger problem: sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a blockage of breathing during sleep. Usually occurring in overweight individuals, sleep apnea may become so severe that breathing is stopped for brief periods of time, causing the individual to gasp out for air. If this blockage is constant enough, the oxygen level in the blood becomes abnormally low and death may occur.

Excessive daytime sleepiness can sometimes be a symptom of narcolepsy. Narcoleptics experience narcoleptic attacks, finding it impossible to stay awake at different times during the day. In severe cases, these attacks can occur when an individual is walking, playing a sport, or even in the middle of a conversation. More commonly, the attacks come on while performing a sedentary activity, such as watching a movie or reading a book. Because of this, individuals just assume they are tired, and their condition can go undiagnosed for many years.

Other conditions like Nocturnal Myoclonus-rigorous movement during sleep- are quite common. Also, many children are affected by sleep disorders such as sleepwalking, bedwetting, and night terrors.

Because sleep is a crucial element to a healthy life, those experiencing difficulty sleeping or a lack of energy during the day should consult a physician.