What is a sleep disorder?
Disease description:
My colleague has recently developed sleep disturbances and would like to know: what is a sleep disorder?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Lv Zhiqin
Sleep disorders are a common category of sleep-related problems, such as abnormalities in falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or sleep quality. These abnormalities may manifest as difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, early morning awakening, insufficient or excessive sleep duration, or abnormal behaviors and physiological events during sleep, such as snoring, apnea, and sleepwalking.
Sleep disorders not only affect daytime functioning, including attention, memory, and emotional stability, but may also lead to various health problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Moreover, long-term sleep disorders may negatively impact mental health, increasing the risk of emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression.
For sleep disorders, treatment options are diverse, including pharmacological therapy, psychotherapy, physical therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine treatments. Specific treatment plans should be tailored to individual patients' conditions and conducted under the guidance of a physician. Additionally, improving the sleep environment, adjusting lifestyle habits, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are also important measures for preventing and alleviating sleep disorders.
