Sleep Disorders or somnipathy are medical conditions that can affect a person or animal’s normal physical, mental, social and emotional functioning. People can undertake tests to determine the extent of the conditions, Sleep disturbances can be caused by a variety of reasons from teeth grinding (called bruxism) to night terrors. If people have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep it is called insomnia. There is a number of common sleep disorders including sleep apnea (breathing stops during sleep) and Narcolepsy and hypersomnia (excessive desire to sleep at inappropriate times). Other causes of sleep disturbances can include sleepwalking, night terrors and bed wetting. Causes may include childhood trauma, stresses and it may also be hereditary.
Treatments for sleep disorders include behavioural and psychotherapy treatment, rehabilitation, medication and somatic (mental illness manifesting as physical symptoms) treatments.