Learning About Diagnosing Common Health Problems

Posted on: 6 September 2017

While it's not uncommon for people to have difficulty sleeping once in awhile, chronic sleeping issues could signal a more serious problem. Many sleeping disorders can be tied to neurological malfunctions, and proper treatment is required to ensure these sleep disorders don't have a negative effect on your overall health.

Here are three signs that you can be watching for when trying to determine if your sleeping problems are signs of a more serious sleep disorder.

1. You never feel rested.

One of the easiest ways to determine if you might have a sleeping disorder is to carefully monitor how you feel after waking up. Since sleep disorders often prevent your body from entering a state of restfulness for extended periods of time, you will likely feel tired after waking up in the morning.

Even if you increase the number of hours that you sleep in a night, you will not be able to feel rested if you have a sleeping disorder.

2. You snore while sleeping.

Another sign that could indicate you are battling a serious sleep disorder is snoring. It's important that you ask your partner to let you know if you suddenly start snoring during the night. If you sleep alone, you can try placing a voice recorder in your room overnight to determine if you are snoring.

While snoring can often be harmless, it is one of the warning signs of sleep apnea. This sleeping disorder can be quite serious, since it is associated with brief periods throughout the night where the body actually stops breathing. The sudden onset of snoring or an increase in the severity of your snoring are warning signs of a potential sleep disorder that shouldn't be ignored.

3. You have difficulty falling asleep.

Insomnia can seriously disrupt your body's normal sleeping patterns. While trouble falling asleep occasionally might not be cause for concern, when this insomnia becomes chronic it could signal a serious problem.

Your brain will eventually retrain itself to avoid sleeping when it is supposed to, making your insomnia worse. You may need medication or rehabilitative training to correct insomnia if this condition has affected your brain on a neurological level.

Being aware of the warning signs of sleep disorders will help you seek the help of specialized neurological treatment when attempting to combat these symptoms. Be sure to let your doctor know if you are feeling tired upon waking, snoring excessively, or having difficulty falling asleep.