Intrinsic Dyssomnia

Intrinsic dyssomnia is a broad classification of sleeping disorders which are characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in staying asleep or in poor quality of sleep resulting in daytime drowsiness, frequent naps as well as other symptoms such as headaches, irritableness and early bedtimes. Intrinsic means that the causes arise within the body itself, usually from physiological causes. There are currently 12 recognized intrinsic sleep disorders, including hypersomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, and more commonly sleep apnea.

Sub-types of Intrinsic Dyssomnia

Sleep apnea is perhaps the most common form of intrinsic dyssomnia, and it is often not recognized by the person who suffers from it. They may be well aware of daytime drowsiness and other physical symptoms, but it is more common to find a sleeping partner is the one who provides the clue to follow up with appropriate testing for sleep apnea. The partner will be aware of periods of sometimes 20 seconds or more where the victim is not breathing, then there will be a partial arousal before normal breathing patterns resume.

Narcolepsy is another type of intrinsic dyssomnia characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, including sometimes physically irresistible naps.

Hypersomnia is also characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, but not as a result of lack of sleep or interrupted sleep during the night. They require frequent naps, sometimes at inopportune moments.

Other types of intrinsic dyssomnia include restless leg syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder as well as several others.

Causes of Intrinsic Dyssomnia

Different sub groups of intrinsic dyssomnia can be caused by different physiological disorders. One of the primary types of intrinsic dyssomnia is sleep apnea. Typically sleep apnea is caused when the body intermittently stops breathing, thus reducing the oxygen flow to the brain. This may a result of a physical obstruction in the airway, the shape of the head and neck, more relaxed throat and neck muscles--sometimes the result of alcohol consumption prior to bedtime or obesity. In very young children, the brain signals to breathe may be underdeveloped sometimes leading to what is commonly called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Headaches and other types of chronic pain are also related to intrinsic dyssomnia symptoms.

Symptoms

A primary symptom of intrinsic dyssomnia is an uncontrollable desire to sleep during the daytime. This symptom is particularly obvious in narcolepsy and hypersomnia. Symptoms of sleep apnea are generally confirmed during a polysomnogram test conducted in a hospital or lab setting. Multiple measurements of such things as respiration, blood oxygen level, EEG, brain wave activity and others can help to determine whether the person is having period where he or she doesn't breathe. While not a symptom of the sleeping disorders, it is common for chronic pain such as headache pain or back pain to be related to dyssomnia, so that both conditions should be treated jointly.

Treatment

Narcolepsy almost always requires medical intervention as do some of the other conditions. However other regimens are more appropriate for certain sub-types of intrinsic dyssomnia. For example, a person who suffers from sleep apnea often benefits by the use of an oxygen mask while sleeping to provide the brain adequate oxygen. Other types of intrinsic dyssomnia react favorably to treatment using behavioral modification.