What Is Dyssomnia, And How Does It Affect Sleep And Mental Health?
Dyssomnia refers to a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to fall asleep or stay asleep. These disorders can vary in their symptoms, but the effect is typically the same in that sleep quality tends to be significantly impaired. A lack of quality sleep can negatively affect a person’s mental health and ability to function at work, school, and home throughout the day. Keep reading to learn more about dyssomnia, how these conditions can affect sleep and health, and how to get help for the effects of dyssomnia.
Exploring dyssomnia: types of sleep disorders
Sleep disorders can be broken down into two categories:
- Primary sleep disorders are those that are not caused by another medical illness or mental health condition.
- Secondary sleep disorders are caused by another health challenge, such as thyroid conditions or depression.
Within the category of primary sleep disorders are two subcategories: parasomnia disorders and dyssomnias. Parasomnias are characterized by abnormal activities while a person sleeps, such as sleepwalking and sleep terrors. Dyssomnias refer to disorders that make it difficult to fall or stay asleep.
Insomnia: a common type of dyssomnia
Insomnia refers to chronic trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Statistics suggest that around two-thirds of adults have occasional insomnia symptoms while 10–15% experience chronic insomnia.
This condition can take the form of either primary insomnia or secondary insomnia. Secondary insomnia can be thought of as a side effect of another condition or challenge, like chronic pain or certain medications. With primary insomnia, in contrast, it’s typically unclear what’s causing the difficulty sleeping. A doctor may aim to diagnose the underlying cause by having a person wear an actigraph during sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea as a widespread form of dyssomnia
One of the most common types of dyssomnia is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA falls under the category of intrinsic sleep disorders. It causes the muscles of the upper airway to collapse during sleep, which makes a person stop breathing several times throughout the night. This effect can keep them from getting restful sleep.
Why periodic limb movements of sleep fall under this category
Periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) involves involuntary movements of the arms or legs during sleep. Also sometimes called nocturnal myoclonus syndrome or sleep-related myoclonus syndrome, PLMS can keep a person awake at night. The movements typically occur in the toes, ankles, or knees. PLMS often co-occurs with sleep apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, narcolepsy, or restless legs syndrome, which has the highest comorbidity with PLMS.
Restless legs syndrome and its effects on sleep
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes various sensations in the legs, such as itching, pain, or crawling, which lead to urges to move the legs. Symptoms tend to occur more at night when a person lies down, and moving the legs or walking usually provides some relief. However, this movement can keep a person up at night and lead to excessive sleepiness during the day.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders per the DSM-5
Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders are another type of dyssomnia a person could experience. Per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), circadian rhythm sleep disorders are typically caused by differences in a person’s internal clock or a mismatch between their endogenous clock and their work schedule.
Some people with this type of disorder may fall asleep and wake up later than they would like to (delayed sleep phase type), whereas others may fall asleep and wake up earlier than they would like to (advanced sleep phase type). Other types of circadian rhythm disorders include irregular sleep-wake type, non-24-sleep wake type, and shift-work type.
Potential health effects of dyssomnia
Dysommnia can cause a person to routinely get less high-quality sleep than they need. Over the short term, lack of sleep can cause a person to feel fatigued, irritable, and have trouble concentrating. Over the long term, lack of sleep can contribute to or increase a person’s risk of a variety of physical and mental health challenges, including but not limited to:
- High blood pressure
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Dementia
- Depression
- Psychosis
- Weakened immune system
Mental health support for people with dyssomnia
In addition to seeking treatment from a doctor or sleep medicine specialist, people experiencing some form of dyssomnia might consider speaking with a licensed mental health professional. A therapist can often help with the mental health effects of sleep disorder in addition to helping reduce stress or other symptoms that may be contributing to trouble sleeping.
Online therapy for support with dyssomnia
Some people who are living with dyssomnia sleep disorders may experience excessive daytime sleepiness, which can make it difficult to travel to in-person appointments. These individuals may benefit from engaging in online therapy from home instead through a platform like BetterHelp, which allows them to meet with a licensed therapist via phone, video, or live chat. Online therapy also allows a person to write to their therapist at any time through in-app messaging, and their therapist will reply as soon as they’re available. This means that people living with a sleep disorder can explain what they’re experiencing day or night without having to wait until their next therapy session.
In addition to offering flexibility in communication, online therapy has a strong evidence base in the literature. One study, for example, suggests that online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) can be as effective as the same treatment delivered in person.
Takeaway
What are circadian rhythm sleep disorders?
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are those related to disruptions to the body's internal sleep regulation, often called the circadian rhythm. Individuals with delayed sleep phase syndrome typically fall asleep and wake up at least two hours later than they normally would. Those with advanced sleep phase syndrome typically fall asleep and wake up at least two hours earlier than they normally would.
How is sleep apnea treated?
The most common type of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is typically treated with nightly use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A CPAP machine pushes air continuously into the airway, which often collapses several times during the night without it. Other people may instead receive an automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) machine or a bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) machine, depending on their symptoms.
How does dyssomnia affect mental health?
Although there are various types of dyssomnia, they all tend to affect a person’s ability to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night. The resulting sleep deprivation can affect mood, existing mental health conditions, stress levels, and ability to function during the day.
What are some ways to improve sleep?
People who experience extrinsic sleep disorders, or those related to the environment, may sleep better by addressing poor sleep hygiene. For example, they might consider setting the temperature a bit cooler than normal and reducing noise as much as possible by using a white noise machine or earplugs. Part of improving sleep hygiene may also include avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and getting to bed at the same time every night. Those who haven’t found success implementing basic sleep hygiene strategies may need to meet with a doctor to be evaluated for a sleep disorder.
What habits can affect insomnia?
Consuming caffeine, especially in the afternoon or evening, may make it difficult to fall asleep. Also, although drinking alcohol may make people feel sleepy, it can affect the quality of their sleep, leaving them feeling tired the next day.
What's the difference between insomnia and dyssomnia?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, dyssomnia refers to difficulty falling or remaining asleep. Insomnia is considered one type of dyssomnia. Other dyssomnias include obstructive sleep apnea, delayed sleep phase syndrome, restless legs syndrome, and abnormalities of the central nervous system.
What is an example of a dyssomnia?
One example of a dyssomnia is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which typically causes a person to wake up several times throughout the night. Common symptoms may include loud snoring, a tendency to gasp for air during sleep, and dry mouth when waking up. People living with OSA might also notice themselves feeling unrested in the morning.
What are the five most common sleep disorders?
Some of the most common sleep disorders tend to be insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, and circadian rhythm disorders. Some sleep disorders may be related to internal dysfunction of the nervous system or other medical disorders.
How do you improve your sleep hygiene?
One possible way to improve your sleep hygiene is to improve your sleep schedule by going to bed and getting up at the same time, no matter how you slept the night before. A sleep hygiene plan may also involve preparing your sleep environment by lowering the temperature in the bedroom. Also, you may sleep better by limiting exposure to blue light at night and by improving health habits (lifestyle habits), such as avoiding alcohol a few hours before bedtime. Also, you might improve sleep by incorporating exercise in your daily life, but not within four hours of bedtime.
Are sleep disorders neurological or psychological?
Some sleep disorders may be caused by neurological disorders. In other cases, sleep disorders may be related to mental health disorders, such as depression. Trouble sleeping could also be related to working an irregular schedule, such as a mix of day and night shifts. This can make it difficult to stay awake during work hours. Sleep problems can also result from jet lag disorder, which is typically the result of crossing several time zones during travel.
Individuals who aren’t sure about the root cause of their sleep difficulty may benefit from speaking with healthcare provider, especially a sleep specialist. A sleep specialist may order a sleep test to study altered sleep patterns and any other medical irregularities. Sleep specialists can also typically answer questions related to sleep paralysis and treatments such as bright light therapy, which may help with circadian rhythm disorders.
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