National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Sleep Disorders is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Sleep Disorders
Is it hard for you to fall asleep or stay asleep through the night? Do you wake up feeling tired or feel very sleepy during the day, even if you have had enough sleep? You might have a sleep disorder. The most common kinds are
- Insomnia - a hard time falling or staying asleep
- Sleep apnea - breathing interruptions during sleep
- Restless legs syndrome - a tingling or prickly sensation in the legs
- Narcolepsy - daytime "sleep attacks"
Nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking, head banging, wetting the bed and grinding your teeth are kinds of sleep problems called parasomnias. There are treatments for most sleep disorders. Sometimes just having regular sleep habits can help.
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Start Here
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At-a-Glance: Healthy Sleep(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- PDF
- Sleep and Sleep Disorders(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Sleep Disorders
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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At-a-Glance: Healthy Sleep
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
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Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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In Brief: Your Guide to Healthy Sleep(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- PDF
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Sleep(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
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Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Your Guide to Healthy Sleep(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- PDF
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Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep
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Latest News
- Drowsy Young Drivers Have Increased Crash Risk(05/21/2013, Reuters Health)
- Health Tip: What's Keeping Your Child Awake?(04/15/2013, HealthDay)
- Do Teens Who Sleep In Stay Slimmer?(04/13/2013, HealthDay)
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Melatonin and Diabetes
(04/03/2013, HealthDay)
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Benefits of Slumber: Why You Need a Good Night's Sleep(04/01/2013, National Institutes of Health)
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Sleep and the Scale(03/25/2013, HealthDay)
- More News on Sleep Disorders
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Polysomnography (Sleep Study)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Sleep Studies(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Treatment
- How Is Narcolepsy Treated?(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Sleep Team(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
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Alternative Therapy
- Melatonin(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
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Sleep Disorders and CAM: At a Glance(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
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Valerian(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements)
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Disease Management
- Sleep Tips: 7 Steps to Better Sleep(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Specific Conditions
- Bruxism/Teeth Grinding(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders(American Academy of Sleep Medicine) - PDF
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Hypersomnia(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Short Summary
- Jet Lag Disorder(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Kleine-Levin Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Short Summary
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Narcolepsy(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
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Narcolepsy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Also available in Spanish
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Narcolepsy(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Short Summary
- Nightmares(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Parasomnias(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
- Sleep Terrors (Night Terrors)(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Sleepwalking(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Related Issues
- Employees with Sleep Disorders(Office of Disability Employment Policy)
- Foods That Help You Sleep(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Napping: Do's and Don'ts for Healthy Adults(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Nocturia(National Association for Continence)
- Shift Work: Improving Daytime Sleep(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Side Effects of Sleep Drugs(Food and Drug Administration)
- Sleep and Chronic Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Sleep and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)(National Center for PTSD)
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Health Check Tools
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Interactive Sleep Quiz(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Sleepiness Scale(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
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Interactive Sleep Quiz
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Tutorials
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Sleep and Aging
(National Institute on Aging)
- Sleep Disorders(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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Sleep and Aging
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Videos
- Alcohol and Sleep(Harvard Medical School)
- Caffeine and Sleep(Harvard Medical School)
- Considering Medication vs. Behavioral Approaches for Treatment of Sleep Problems(Harvard Medical School)
- Discussing Sleep with Your Doctor(Harvard Medical School)
- Drowsy Driving(Harvard Medical School)
- Jet Lag and How to Mitigate Its Effects(Harvard Medical School)
- Over-the-Counter Sleep Medications(Harvard Medical School)
- Shift Work and Ways to Improve Sleep(Harvard Medical School)
- Sleep Deprivation and Cardiovascular Risk(Harvard Medical School)
- Sleep Problems in Older Adults(Harvard Medical School)
- Sleep Strategies Later in Life(Harvard Medical School)
- Sleep, Learning, and Memory(Harvard Medical School)
- Smoking and Sleep(Harvard Medical School)
- To Nap or Not?(Harvard Medical School)
- What to Expect from a Sleep Evaluation(Harvard Medical School)
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Games
- Sleep for Kids: Games and Puzzles(National Sleep Foundation)
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Anatomy/Physiology
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Circadian Rhythms - Keeping Times(National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
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Circadian Rhythms - Keeping Times
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Narcolepsy(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Sleep Disorders(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Narcolepsy
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Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: Narcolepsy(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Narcolepsy
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Research
- Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
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Tick Tock: New Clues about Biological Clocks and Health(National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Directories
- Find a Sleep Center Near You(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
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Organizations
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Statistics
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Prevalence of Insufficient Sleep: Statistics by State(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Sleep Data and Statistics(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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MedlinePlus Magazine
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Children
- All about Sleep (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Bruxism (Teeth Grinding or Clenching) (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
- Naps (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
- Night Terrors (For Parents)(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Nightmares(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Sleepwalking(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- What to Do if You Can't Sleep(Nemours Foundation)
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Teenagers
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Awake at the Wheel(National Center on Sleep Disorders Research)
- PDF
- Common Sleep Problems(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- How Much Sleep Do I Need?(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Teen Sleep: Why Is Your Teen So Tired?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Awake at the Wheel
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Men
- Sleep and Men(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
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Women
- Sleep and Women(American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
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Sleep Disorders
(Food and Drug Administration)
- Also available in Spanish
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Seniors
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Good Night's Sleep(National Institute on Aging)
- Also available in Spanish
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Sleep and Aging(National Institute on Aging)
- Sleep Changes in Older Adults(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
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Good Night's Sleep
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Patient Handouts
- Drowsiness
- Also available in Spanish
- EEG
- Also available in Spanish
- Idiopathic hypersomnia
- Also available in Spanish
- Irregular sleep-wake syndrome
- Also available in Spanish
- Isolated sleep paralysis
- Also available in Spanish
- Narcolepsy
- Also available in Spanish
- Night terror
- Also available in Spanish
- Nightmares
- Also available in Spanish
- Polysomnography
- Also available in Spanish
- Problems sleeping during pregnancy
- Also available in Spanish
- Sleep disorders
- Also available in Spanish
- Sleep disorders in the elderly
- Also available in Spanish
- Sleep walking
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
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Sleep Disorders - Multiple Languages
