Sleep Disorders There are a variety of sleep disorders that can affect people of all ages. Those that affect children the most are enuresis, or bed-wetting, night terrors, nightmares, and somnambulism, or sleepwalking. The last problem is thought to occur because the brain centers that control certain aspects of movement become activated. Night terrors, which are episodes of fright that results in waking from NREM sleep and increased blood pressure, are different from nightmares, which are dreams that result in waking from REM sleep and anxiety. Adults and especially older people suffer from more detrimental disorders, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, hyperinsomnia, and narcolepsy.
Sleep apnea is a problem that involves repeated interruption of breathing during sleep.
Bouts last ten to fifteen seconds, during which time all air to the lungs may be cut off, and then it ends suddenly. It is caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids, sagging tongue muscles and uvula, bent necks, or fat build-up, all of which can block air passages during sleep. There are various treatments to keep the air passages open, like restraining devices to keep the tongue out of the way, open the jaws, or keep the neck straight, or surgery. Often people believe they have insomnia, when actually their sleep is just disturbed. However, those with genuine cases of the disorder are difficult to treat.