Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the softer tissues of the upper airway collapse and close off the airway. A relatively small collapse can cause snoring and generally increases the required breathing effort. Full closure of the airway may prevent breathing for extended periods, or until the brain detects the hazardous state and temporarily wakes up, allowing you to gasp for air.

Snoring is a milder form of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). At least 45% of adults snore occasionally, and 25% are habitual snorers. Snoring is more frequent in males and overweight persons, and it usually grows worse with age. Snoring can cause headaches, difficulty in concentration, fatigue, and reduced work performances.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an irresistible urge to move your legs, is a very common disorder that often occurs in families, due to inherited problems with a neurochemical called dopamine. RLS also may result from other conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, neuropathy, anemia, and even nervous system trauma.

Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep, images such as dreams occur while the body is immobile, as if paralyzed. Naps may occur suddenly, last for minutes to hours, and are frequently refreshing. Unfortunately, the sense of sleepiness quickly returns, and narcoleptics continue to battle the urge to fall asleep all day long.

Sleep deprivation is extremely common in modern society and can lead to issues with mood, alertness, and performance. Individuals are continually sleeping less and less as the speed of society increases and around-the-clock activities become more common. We just can’t miss out on anything, except sleep.

Parasomnias are sleep behavior disorders characterized by physical activity that usually does not occur during sleep: sleep talking; sleep terrors; sleepwalking; Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Behavior Disorder; acting out dreams and sometimes injuring oneself or a bed partner.

In 6-10% of adults, insomnia, difficulty falling asleep and/or maintaining sleep on a regular basis, may result in daytime sleepiness, as well as physical, psychological, and behavioral problems and more common in people who are under stress or who have depressed or anxious moods.

Your body clock, Circadian Rhythm processes, refer to biological activities that occur “around the day” on a 24-hour cycle. The oldest and most powerful circadian process is our relationship to light and dark or wake and sleep. Disorders of the circadian rhythm system can result from decreased light activation of the SCN, irregular SCN rhythms, or environmental influences that cause an irregular sleep and wake pattern.