Sleep disorders affect more than 70 million people in the U.S., according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. While The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Second Edition documents 81 official sleep disorders, here are seven of the most common.

1. Restless Leg Syndrome or Wittmaack-Ekbom’s Syndrome is characterized by a patients inability to stop their legs from moving while sitting or lying down, according to The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, an organization concerned with awareness and treatment of the condition. RLS usually disrupts normal sleeping patterns and women are more likely than men to develop the disorder.

2. Narcolepsy- Mayo Clinic defines narcolepsy as a sudden and uncontrollable need to sleep that occurs at times that are outside of a regular sleeping schedule. Unlike those without the disorder who usually enter REM sleep within 30 minutes, a narcoleptic can fall deep into REM sleep within five to 10 minutes. Although it has been known to develop later in life, the disorder usually manifests in people between the ages of 35 and 45. Similar to other sleeping disorders, the primary complaint of those who are not aware they have the disorder is excessive daytime sleepiness or ESD.

3. Sleep Enuresis (Bedwetting)- While bedwetting is fairly common in children, if the condition does not resolve itself, it could indicate the parasomniac condition “sleep enuresis.” People suffering this condition have no control over their bowel movements while sleeping. “Abnormal Sleep Architecture and Refractory Nocturnal Enuresis,” an article published in the October 2009 edition of The Journal of Urology, found a possible link between limb movement during the night that could possibly lead to cortical arousablity—meaning, the body might be faking itself into being awake, but the brain is not.

4. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)- The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine defines RBD as a condition where people act out dramatic or violent dreams during what should be the deepest phase of sleep. While most people are in a state of paralysis during this part of sleep, people suffering RBD can move their limbs. Usually, RBD occurs in men aged 50 and older, but the disorder can also occur in women and in younger people. In a February 2009 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, researchers found RBD can be managed effectively with drug therapy.

5. Sleepwalking- Like sexsomnia, sleepwalking is a condition where a person can be physically moving about, appear awake and alert, but have no memory of their actions. This disorder is most commonly seen in children, but it can occur in the elderly, and adults. Sleepwalking appears to run in families, and it can be dangerous because the sleepwalker is unaware of his or her surroundings. The National Institutes of Health do not currently recommend any specific treatment for sleepwalking, but recommend making sure to try and keep a sleepwalker safe by removing any hazards, waking them up, or guiding them back to bed, to prevent injury.

6. “The Sleeping Beauty Syndrome” or Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) is a rare sleep disorder that involves falling asleep for long periods of time. Unlike narcolepsy, sufferers from KLS will sleep for days, weeks, months and sometimes years without waking up. Symptoms of KLS generally manifest in adolescents. A study conducted by the KLS Foundation found that out of the 186 people who had the disorder, 68 percent were male. There have also been reports of hypersexuality (unusually high or excessive interest in sexual activity), and hyperphagia (over-eating) when someone with KLS awakes. Currently, no cure exists for KLS, but experimental drugs like Provigil are showing increasingly positive results.

7. Sleepsex- You read it correctly. Sleepsex, or, Sexsomnia is a type of parasomnia first recorded in a 2002 and more recently the topic of study in the December 2009 edition of The Journal of Sexual Medicine. People suffering from sexsomnia can make sexual movements, noises, gestures and advances during sleep, without knowing what they are doing. Those suffering from sleepsex have no recollection of their behavior upon waking. Researchers are looking into treatment options for this condition through medication.

This article was originally published by Life Quotes, Inc.

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