Do you ever find yourself waking up exhausted? You felt like you slept through the night, yet you don't have that rejuvenated feeling and you know it's going to be a long day before your feet even hit the floor? The first thing you should know is that this isn't normal. After 8-10 hours of sleep, your body has had time to repair tissues, digest food, and rest your brain for another day. But if this isn't happening, and your body can't complete these tasks, you may find yourself wondering what's going on at night? Let's see if we can figure it out! 

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent and uncontrollable desire for sleep. This can result into sudden instances of sleep at any time and place, regardless of what's happening. This results in the distortion of normal sleep patterns and rhythms causing excessive daytime sleepiness and a dangerous amount of sleep deprivation. 

What is Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent, and sometimes uncontrollable, desire for sleep. This can result in sudden lapses into sleep any time, any place. The result is that normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping become abnormal. For example, someone suffering from narcolepsy may end up sleeping several times during the day and then having trouble sleeping at night. If you think you may have Narcolepsy, here are five signs that can help you determine if you need to see a sleep specialist or not. 

What is Narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent, and sometimes uncontrollable, desire for sleep. This can result in sudden bouts of deep sleep at any time and place, regardless of what is going on. This disrupts normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping. For example, a normal sleep pattern is the ability to sleep through the night with minimal awakenings, and then you may find yourself taking a nap during the day. However, someone suffering from narcolepsy may have trouble staying asleep during the night, but find themselves falling asleep several times throughout the day, feeling refreshed after each nap, but soon feeling overwhelming sleepy again. 

If you've ever had trouble sleeping, a sleep diary may be a great way for professionals to gain some insight into what may be the cause and how best to help you. Sleep is really important for your overall health, but if you’re struggling with your sleep, then you may begin to experience other health issues. Weight gain, stress exhaustion,  depression, skin issues, etc., may be some of the issues that you experience if you are having trouble sleeping. 

One of the things you can do if you are having trouble sleeping is to keep a sleep diary that you can take to a sleep specialist. This way you can get a better idea of your sleep patterns and they have an idea as well. Let's talk a little bit more about what a sleep diary is and how it can help you and your sleep issues. 

What do Sleep Studies Monitor?

Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.

It may seem like identifying sleep deprivation would be obvious, or that the only symptom of is being tired. This list is intended to help you take measured stock of some of the most common symptoms of sleep deprivation and to help you identify whether or not you may be operating at a suboptimal level due to chronic sleep deprivation.

What are Types of Insomnia

If you’ve had insomnia, or are dealing with it right now, then you know how frustrating it is and how challenging it can be to live a normal, happy life. Insomnia can make life extremely miserable. You may start to you feel and act like a different version of yourself, or be less productive in all areas of life. Insomnia can shorten your lifespan and lower the quality of life. So yes, taking steps to avoid it is well worth the effort.

Lack of Restful Sleep Is a Symptom

There are two kinds of sleep, and the question you need to ask yourself is: which kind are you getting? One kind of sleep involves closing your eyes at night, maybe rolling around at night, waking up in the morning, and feeling like you could have slept another 3 hours. Another kind of sleep involves falling asleep, sleeping deeply, and waking up feeling mostly or completely refreshed. Which one sounds familiar to you?

What is a Sleep Diary?

A sleep diary is a record of your sleeping, including all of the aspects of your sleep. This includes data about your sleep, patterns of sleep, and sleep habits in order to identify potential problems that could signal an underlying sleep disorder. Sleep diaries are generally kept over a period of at least two weeks, but the longer the better. 

Sleep diaries might be requested of you by your doctor or a sleep center in order to get more accurate data about your sleeping.