Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders affect sleep quality, timing, or duration. Inadequate sleep can affect a person’s ability to properly function, mentally or physically, while awake. Mental health treatments can help you get better rest, restoring your health.
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Having trouble sleeping? You may need an evaluation.

If you’ve ever crammed for a test, taken a red eye flight, or had a baby who cried throughout the night, you’ve felt how important sleep is.

Of course you were physically tired, maybe to the point of feeling like you’re dragging. But you probably noticed it was also harder to think and regulate your emotions. That’s because when you sleep, both your body and brain recover.

When you have a sleep disorder, even a normal, perfectly quiet and comfortable night can be a struggle to stay asleep. Over a third of adults in the United States don’t get adequate sleep. If you are among those struggling to get the rest you need, a sleep disorder may be to blame.

While you’re asleep, your brain integrates the data it collected during the day, filtering out what’s important and what’s not. Nerve cells reorganize, improving your body’s internal communication. The brain’s areas that regulate emotion – the amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, insula, and medial prefrontal cortex – work overtime so you don’t ruin your relationships, lose your job, or get in fights with strangers because you snap at everyone you encounter.

So make no mistake, a sleep disorder can be a mental health condition. That’s why bonmente offers mental health treatment for sleep disorders.

Meeting with one of our sleep specialists for an evaluation can lead to a diagnosis and treatment that leads to a full night’s rest. We can even do it all over our secure telepsychiatry platform.


What causes sleep disorders?

Sleep is affected by all sorts of things, from the environment to things going on in the subconscious. Here are some contributors to sleep disorders:

  • Underlying health problems such as allergies, frequent nighttime urination, chronic pain, respiratory issues, or stress
  • Nightmares (when these are frequent and interfering with sleep, it may even be nightmare disorder)
  • Sleep talking (somniloquy)
  • Sleepwalking (somnambulism)
  • Lifestyle factors like drug and alcohol use or rotating work shifts

Given that many conditions and diseases have a cumulative effect on sleep, it can be difficult to identify a single cause of a sleep disorder.

What are the types of sleep disorders?

There are more than 100 types of sleep disorders. Sleep specialists categorize disorders depending on causes, symptoms, and effects.

The most common sleep disorders are:

  • insomnia
  • sleep apnea
  • restless leg syndrome (RLS)
  • parasomnias
  • narcolepsy

Excessive sleepiness is also a sleep disorder, usually related to chronic sleep deprivation.

What are symptoms of a sleep disorder?

Sleep disorders symptoms vary depending on the type and severity of the condition. However, most sleep disorders have at least one of the following characteristics:

  • trouble falling or remaining asleep
  • difficulty staying awake during the day
  • circadian rhythm imbalances disrupting normal sleep schedules

For some people, it’s the concern of a loved one that signals a symptom of sleep disorders. Maybe a spouse notes periods of apnea or excessive movement during the night. Maybe a family member hears someone wandering through the house or talking, only to discover a sleep disorder in real time.

Symptoms may not be blatantly obvious, so even subtle ones shouldn’t be ignored. When left untreated, the risks go beyond the bed, as disordered sleep can lead to accidents and health problems, including high blood pressure, weight gain, and insulin resistance.

Poor sleep can also exacerbate mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In some cases, like bipolar disorder or postpartum depression, a sleep disorder can even trigger psychosis.


How are sleep disorders treated?

Given that there are more than 100 sleep disorders, there is no one-size-fits-all mental health treatment. That’s why bonmente’s mental health practitioners work closely with each patient to develop a treatment plan. Since underlying causes are significant contributors to sleep issues, it’s important to address those first.

Medications such as sleeping pills or melatonin, dental guards, and breathing devices may be necessary to improve sleep health. Additionally, we may recommend lifestyle changes that reduce stress, incorporate healthy foods, limit caffeine, and honor regular sleep schedules.

Therapy can also help, especially in cases where a mental illness like PTSD contributes to sleep issues. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a targeted psychotherapy that is helpful in both new and ongoing insomnia.

Sleep disorders can take a while to develop. They can also take a while to treat, which can make it easy to get frustrated along your mental health journey. But with the help of one of bonmente’s mental health professionals, a good night’s sleep is closer than you think.


Put an end to tossing and turning
all night long.

Contact bonmente today so you can find some sweet dreams again.
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