Treatment for Sleep Disorder:
At Manovikas Clinic, patients with sleep disorders are evaluated with regards to their clinical history and mental state in detail. A medical, surgical or psychiatric co-morbidity is especially noted. Some sleep disorders especially Parasomnias have to be assessed in detail to rule out Neurological illnesses.
Sleep disorders are treated with medications appropriate for the particular sleep disorder. These are almost always given on a short term basis. Meanwhile patient are taught Sleep Hygiene and relaxation exercises, so as to help sleep initiation naturally. Yoga and meditation are also recommended.
Why does sleep disorder occur
- Every individual has different sleep requirements. Some are long sleepers, sleeping 9 to 10 hours at night, while some are short sleepers. However, it is not always the length of sleep that determines a sleep disorder.
- There are various sleep disorders, but most of them are characterised by four major symptoms: Insomnia (difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep), Hypersomnia (excessive amounts of sleep or increased daytime sleepiness), Parasomnia (unusual or undesirable phenomenon that suddenly occurs during sleep) and disturbances related to the Sleep-wake schedule.
- Sleep disturbances or disorders can be Primary, i.e., no specific underlying cause can be found. They can also be Secondary to medical/ surgical illnesses, e.g. any kind of pain that disrupts sleep.
Key signs and symptoms
Primary sleep disorders are usually of two types: Dyssomnias (Insomnia, Hypersomnia) and Parasomnias (Nightmares, Sleep terrors).
- Dyssomnias: Primary Insomnia: patients who suffer from insomnia complain of non-restorative sleep. They may have difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep. They become pre-occupied with their sleep. Due to this, there is frustration, making the sleep more and more elusive.
- Primary Hypersomnia: patients may complain of daytime sleepiness, difficulties with motivation in general, difficulty in staying awake and inefficiency in performance. Patients may sometimes complain of feeling sleepy without any objective findings as such.
- Narcolepsy: patients suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness that occur in the form of “sleep attacks” that may occur at inappropriate times, e.g., during eating or talking.
- Parasomnias: Nightmares, Night-terrors, sleep-walking, Sleep-talking, Sleep-related head-banging and many such disorders that occur during sleep are included in Parasomnias.
