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A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder affecting an individual's sleep patterns, sometimes impacting physical, mental, social, and emotional functioning. [1] Polysomnography and actigraphy are tests commonly ordered for diagnosing sleep disorders.
Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. [1] [2] [3] Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response to a present threat, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of a future one. [4]
Generalized anxiety disorder is "characterized by chronic excessive worry accompanied by three or more of the following symptoms: restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance". [13] Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder to affect older adults. [14]
Sleep onset insomnia is difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night, often a symptom of anxiety disorders. Delayed sleep phase disorder can be misdiagnosed as insomnia, as sleep onset is delayed to much later than normal while awakening spills over into daylight hours. [23]
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people 18–60 years old need 7 or more hours of sleep per night. The majority of college students fall in this age range. While sleep is critical, many college students do not reach this threshold amount of sleep, and subsequently face detrimental effects.
Night terror, also called sleep terror, is a sleep disorder causing feelings of panic or dread and typically occurring during the first hours of stage 3–4 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep [1] and lasting for 1 to 10 minutes. [2] It can last longer, especially in children. [2]
Mood disorders, like depression, anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder, can also be associated with hypersomnia. The complaint of excessive daytime sleepiness in these conditions is often associated with poor sleep at night. "In that sense, insomnia and EDS are frequently associated, especially in cases of depression."
This concern may lead to the person to modify their behavior to avoid situations that triggered the attack. Panic disorder cannot be diagnosed if the patient has another disorder that is causing the panic attacks (e.g., social anxiety disorder). [20] Patients affected by panic disorder can struggle with depression and a diminished quality of life.