Sleep Disorders

A Sleep Disorder is a medical condition also known as ‘somnipathy’ which prevents a person from obtaining a normal or recommended sleeping pattern.

There are a range of medical practitioners, doctors and sleep specialists who can assess and diagnose a sleeping disorder. Many sleep disorder can range in severity, with some sufferers only experiencing minor sleep disruption, while other sufferers can experience a total lack of sleep or extreme sleep disruption, or, in contrast, a too much or excessive sleep. Some types of sleep disorders include insomnia (where the person has extreme difficulty in falling and staying asleep) and hypersomnia (where the person sleeps for extended periods of time which is deemed medically unacceptable, unhealthy or unusual).

Other types of sleeping disorders can include actions of which the body may not be able to control, such as teeth grinding (where the person grinds their teeth during their sleep without realising, which can damage and destroy teeth over a long period of time), as well as nightmares or night terrors (where the person experiences negative, extreme and disturbing dreams or visions).

While the average person sleeps six to eight hours per day, many people who suffer from sleeping disorders do not attain this desired number of hours and often, their daily social and working lives can suffer, as well as their confidence and ability to concentrate.