Sleep Disorders (Print Version)

Is it hard for you to fall asleep or stay asleep though the night? Do you wake up feeling tired or feel very sleepy during the day, even if you have had enough sleep? You might have a sleep disorder. The most common kinds are

Insomnia - a hard time falling or staying asleep
Sleep apnea - breathing interruptions during sleep
Restless legs syndrome - a tingling or prickly sensation in the legs
Narcolepsy - daytime "sleep attacks"

Nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking, head banging, wetting the bed and grinding your teeth are kinds of sleep problems called parasomnias. There are treatments for most sleep disorders. Sometimes just having regular sleep habits can help.

Start Here

In Brief: Your Guide to Healthy Sleep(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - Links to PDF - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthysleepfs.pdf
Sleep Disorders(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sleepdisorders/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/sleepdisordersspanish/htm/index.htm

Overviews

Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
Sleep and Sleep Disorders(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sleep/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/Sueno/
Sleep Disorders(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/sleep.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/Spanish/sleep-Spanish.html
Sleep Disorders(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorders.aspx
Your Guide to Healthy Sleep(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - Large PDF file - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.htm

Latest News

Fall Risk Higher in Older Women Who Sleep Less(09/08/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69032.html
Sleep Therapy Restores Brain Function in Insomniacs(09/04/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68933.html
Older Caregivers Prone to Worse Sleep Patterns(08/28/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68676.html
More News on Sleep Disorders http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_s.html#sleepdisorders

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Sleep Studies(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/slpst/slpst_whatis.html

Treatment

Common Treatments of Sleep Disorders(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Treatments.aspx
Prescription Sleeping Pills: What's Right for You?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sleeping-pills/SL00010/METHOD=print
Sedatives: Summary and Our Best Buy Picks(Consumers Union of U.S.) - http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/insomnia_drugs.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.crbestbuydrugs.org/PDFs/spanish_INSOMNIA.pdf
Sleep Aids(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2421169/k.2494/Sleep_Aids__All_You_Ever_Wanted_to_Knowbut_Were_Too_Tired_to_Ask.htm

Alternative Therapy

Does Melatonin Help with Sleep Problems?(Family Physicians Inquiries Network) - Links to PDF - http://resources.fpin.org/EBP/PatientHandouts/EBP_2006%2006%20Melatonin.pdf
Melatonin(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/258.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/258.printerview.html
Questions and Answers about Valerian for Insomnia and Other Sleep Disorders(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/valerian.asp

Disease Management

Helping Yourself to a Good Night's Sleep(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2464479/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={6E4460C7-4EA8-4861-85BB-8B138D512768}¬oc=1
Preventing Parasomnias(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Topic.aspx?id=62
Sleep Hygiene: The Healthy Habits of Good Sleep(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Hygiene.aspx

Specific Conditions

All About Sleepwalking(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2464479/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={5518E575-316A-4040-9390-42679F41C3AD}¬oc=1
Disease and Conditions Podcasts(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - Requires media player - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/pods/podcasts.html
Hypersomnia(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hypersomnia/hypersomnia.htm
Insomnia(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/inso/inso_whatis.html
Insomnia: How to Get a Good Night's Sleep(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/110.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/110.printerview.html
Jet Lag Disorder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/jet-lag/DS01085/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
Kleine-Levin Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/kleine_levin/kleine_levin.htm
Narcolepsy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/narcolepsy/detail_narcolepsy.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/narcolepsia.htm
Narcolepsy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/narcolepsy/narcolepsy.htm
Night Owls and Morning Larks(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2419277/k.CFD2/Night_Owls_and_Morning_Larks.htm
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/periodic_limb_movement_disorder/hic_periodic_limb_movement_disorder.aspx
Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep (PLMS)(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=2450839&ct=3501375
Shift Work(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2464479/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={A15180C2-95CA-41A2-8E5D-191D4A47B7A1}¬oc=1
Sleep Strategies for Shift Workers(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2421189/k.DF93/Strategies_for_Shift_Workers.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2419057/k.F269/Estrategias_para_Dormir_para_Trabajadores_por_Turnos.htm
Sleep-Related Eating Disorders(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/sleep_disorders/hic_sleep-related_eating_disorders.aspx

Related Issues

Anxiety and Sleep Disorders(Anxiety Disorders Association of America) - http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/FocusOn/Sleep.asp
Bruxism/Teeth Grinding(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/bruxism/DS00337/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Caffeine(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2465369/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={5B9531C4-FAC0-48D9-B46C-B24F705A04CC}¬oc=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2465369/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={545CF7F2-537F-4D25-81C0-71BC7062F92E}¬oc=1
Exploding Head Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/exploding-head-syndrome/AN00929/METHOD=print
Fibromyalgia (and Sleep)(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2462635/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={ADDFC78C-7DE8-4823-B71D-702B928CAF3A}¬oc=1
Nocturia(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2462667/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={1EAA6C97-43C3-4F62-A93C-F97F9138AF66}¬oc=1
Pain and Sleep(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2464307/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={92971382-3F73-4965-A5E5-56682DA0FA38}¬oc=1
Side Effects of Sleep Drugs(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/features/sleepdrugs073107.html
Sleep and Chronic Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/chronic_disease.htm
Sleep and Depression(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=2453615&content_id=%7B4E0474C0-3FE5-4A1E-A102-F4E8C232ED91%7D¬oc=1
What Is Drowsy Driving?(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.drowsydriving.org/site/c.lqLPIROCKtF/b.3468651/k.7145/What_is_Drowsy_Driving.htm
Work-Site Accommodation Ideas for Individuals with Sleep Disorder(Office of Disability Employment Policy) - http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/sleep.html

Health Check Tools

Interactive Sleep Quiz(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/cgi-bin/tfSleepQuiz.pl
Sleepiness Scale(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/SleepScale.aspx

Tutorials

Sleep and Aging(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/sleepandaging/toc.html
Sleep Disorders(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/sleepdisorders/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/sleepdisordersspanish/htm/index.htm

Games

Star Sleeper(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Narcolepsy(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Narcolepsy%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Sleep Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Sleep+Disorders%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Sleep+Initiation+and+Maintenance+Disorders%22

Research

Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Linked to Sleep Disruptions(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3050876

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Travel tips. Ways to minimize jet lag. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18819198&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Sleep disturbances in women with HIV or AIDS: efficacy of... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18794720&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Association of workload of on-call medical interns with on-call sleep... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18780843&tool=MedlinePlus
Sleep Disorders -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=sleep+disorders[majr]+NOT+(sleep+apnea+syndromes[majr]+OR+restless+legs+syndrome[majr])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Sleep Glossary(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/sleep_disorders/hic_sleep_glossary.aspx

Directories

Locate a Sleep Center by Zip Code(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepcenters.org/

Organizations

American Academy of Sleep Medicine - http://www.aasmnet.org/
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
National Sleep Foundation - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/

Statistics

Sleep Duration as a Correlate of Smoking, Alcohol Use, Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity, and Obesity among Adults: United States, 2004-2006(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/sleep04-06/sleep04-06.htm
Sleep in America Polls(National Sleep Foundation) - Large PDF file - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2417353/k.6764/Sleep_in_America_Polls.htm

Children

All About Sleep(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sleep/sleep.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/general/sleep_esp.html
Children and Sleep(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2465369/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={8D94A01C-B629-48C3-BBEA-D47BF2A93948}¬oc=1
Night Terrors(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sleep/terrors.html
Nightmares(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/thought/nightmares.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sentimientos/nightmares_esp.html
Sleepwalking in Children(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/special/common/160.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/special/common/160.printerview.html
Taking the Bite out of Bruxism(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/teeth/bruxism.html
What to Do if You Can't Sleep(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/cant_sleep.html

Teenagers

Common Sleep Problems(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/sleep.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/cuerpo/sleep_esp.html
How Much Sleep Do I Need?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/take_care/how_much_sleep.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/cuerpo/how_much_sleep_esp.html
Pointers for Parents(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2419119/k.794B/Pointers_for_Parents.htm
Teen Sleep: Why Is Your Teen So Tired?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/teens-health/CC00019/METHOD=print
What You Should Know about Teens, Sleep and Depression(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=2453615&content_id=%7BE4A3E2ED-FD5D-41E0-9298-27BE4984BFC9%7D¬oc=1

Men

Sleep & Men(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Topic.aspx?id=19

Women

Sleep & Women(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Topic.aspx?id=67

Seniors

Good Night's Sleep(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/sleep.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/sleep-sp.asp
Sleep and Aging(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/sleepandaging/toc.html
Sleep and Aging(National Sleep Foundation) - http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2450353/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={04C095A6-CBC0-4B89-AF3A-B24D9E90449F}¬oc=1

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Restless Legs - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/restlesslegs.html
Sleep Apnea - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sleepapnea.html
Snoring - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/snoring.html
Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Sleep Disorders is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Sleep Disorders - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/sleepdisorders.html