Couple sleeping. [Photo/courtesy]Good sleep is necessary for optimal health. It’s normal to lack enough sleep once in a while, but if the problem is regular it may be an indication of a sleep disorder. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning, writes Evelyn Makena InsomniaDrinking a lot of coffee, mood disorders, stress and medication are all common causes of insomnia. Those affected by insomnia have difficulty sleeping and getting quality sleep at night.While turning to over-the-counter sleeping pills prescription may seem like the easy fix, there are other better ways of dealing with insomnia. Learning to relax, improving sleep hygiene and better stress management can help fight insomnia. Sleep apneaSleep apnea causes breathing to stop temporarily during sleep, awakening you frequently. Patients of the common and treatable disorder may not remember these awakenings, but are likely to feel tired, irritable and depressed during the day. PeriodicLimb Movement Disorder Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) is a sleep disorder characterised by rhythmic movements of the limbs during sleep.The movements typically involve the legs, but upper extremity movements may also occur. It can often cause a partial or full brief awakening, resulting in fragmented sleep.Patients are frequently unaware of these movements. The causes of PLMD are unknown. However, recent research has shown that people with a variety of medical problems, including Parkinson’s disease and narcolepsy, may have frequent periodic limb movements in sleep. REM sleep disorderDreaming is a mental activity for most people and happens while their body is at rest. But patients of REM sleep disorder act out their dreams. They physically move their body, walk, fight, fly and walk practically as in their dreams. The disorder becomes dangerous when those affected are in a position to harm themselves.Night terrorsThey are common among children, but most of them grow out of them. Children experiencing night terrors may scream and toss around and may not notice when you comfort them. Their eyes will be open, but they will not be fully awake.

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