Problems
What Is the Impact of Sleep Disorders
Getting diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea has been life-changing. For years I struggled with constant fatigue and grogginess, never knowing the cause. Now, with proper treatment, I finally wake up feeling refreshed and energized. I can fully engage in daily activities without feeling drained.
Getting diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea has been life-changing. For years I struggled with constant fatigue and grogginess, never knowing the cause. Now, with proper treatment, I finally wake up feeling refreshed and energized. I can fully engage in daily activities without feeling drained.
Do I Have a Sleep Problem or Sleep Disorder?
The most commonly encountered sleep disorder is insufficient sleep.1 Whether it’s FOMO, hustle-life mentality, or time-management struggles, many of us are running on less sleep than we need. In fact, a 2023 Gallup Poll demonstrated that almost two-thirds of US adults regularly don’t get enough sleep.2 There are more than 70 types of sleep-wake circadian rhythm disorders (SWCRD) found in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition, text revision. (ICSD 3-TR).3 When left untreated, these disorders can take a serious toll on your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Can I have more than one sleep problem?
Yes. And being aware of this can make it more likely for you to have the right treatment. Experiencing multiple sleep problems (also known as comorbid sleep problems) is not uncommon. For example, up to 40% of people living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) world-wide were found to also have features of insomnia (COMISA).4 Of all insomnia symptoms, people with COMISA have the most difficulty with staying asleep. Compared with men with COMISA, women with COMISA have more difficulty falling asleep and waking up too early.5 Another study found that people living with narcolepsy were up to 18 times more likely to also have OSA (had an excess prevalence of 45.6%), as compared with people without OSA.6
When is a sleep problem a disorder?
Sleep specialists are often asked, “When is a sleep problem actually a disorder?” Well, we all should expect that at one time or another we may have a less than optimal night of sleep. However, it is when that bad night of sleep is repeatedly or chronically occurring or there is a disturbance or consequence associated with it that your sleep problem might actually represent a sleep disorder. These consequences can be during the day or night.
For instance, at night you may experience restless, poor-quality sleep that feels nonrestorative, or during the day you may have impaired wakefulness, ADHD-like symptoms, moodiness, or cognitive challenges. If you are uncertain, keep track of your patterns with a Symptom Diary, and discuss with your healthcare provider the best next steps and possibly a sleep medicine referral.
Are Sleep-Wake and Circadian Problems Common?
Sleep-wake & circadian problems are a global pandemic!
Don’t sleep on the opportunity to be the best version of you! Sleep-wake and circadian disorders are common. However, common does not mean normal! The “hustle harder” or “sleep when I’m dead” mentality leads many of us to think that we can get away with less or erratically scheduled sleep to do more. This could not be farther from the truth.
Since 2007, the World Health Organization has warned that shift work at night, a form of circadian disruption, is probably a carcinogen. That’s right, a likely cancer-causing agent!7
In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared sleep deprivation in the United States as a public health epidemic!8 At that time, 40% of adults in the United States reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. Ten years later, a 2024 Gallup Poll found that the number had increased to almost two-thirds of US adults reported getting insufficient sleep.2
Although sleep deprivation is the most common sleep disorder, those numbers are only the tip of the sleep disorders iceberg. Combined, hundreds of millions of people worldwide have a sleep disorder.
Are Sleep-Wake and Circadian Problems Common?
Sleep-wake & circadian problems are a global pandemic!
Don’t sleep on the opportunity to be the best version of you! Sleep-wake and circadian disorders are common. However, common does not mean normal! The “hustle harder” or “sleep when I’m dead” mentality leads many of us to think that we can get away with less or erratically scheduled sleep to do more. This could not be farther from the truth.
Since 2007, the World Health Organization has warned that shift work at night, a form of circadian disruption, is probably a carcinogen. That’s right, a likely cancer-causing agent!7
In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared sleep deprivation in the United States as a public health epidemic!8 At that time, 40% of adults in the United States reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. Ten years later, a 2024 Gallup Poll found that the number had increased to almost two-thirds of US adults reported getting insufficient sleep.2
Although sleep deprivation is the most common sleep disorder, those numbers are only the tip of the sleep disorders iceberg. Combined, hundreds of millions of people worldwide have a sleep disorder.
Are Sleep-Wake and Circadian Problems Common?
Sleep-wake & circadian problems are a global pandemic!
Don’t sleep on the opportunity to be the best version of you! Sleep-wake and circadian disorders are common. However, common does not mean normal! The “hustle harder” or “sleep when I’m dead” mentality leads many of us to think that we can get away with less or erratically scheduled sleep to do more. This could not be farther from the truth.
Since 2007, the World Health Organization has warned that shift work at night, a form of circadian disruption, is probably a carcinogen. That’s right, a likely cancer-causing agent!7
In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared sleep deprivation in the United States as a public health epidemic! At that time, 40% of adults in the United States reported getting less than the recommended amount of sleep.8 Ten years later, a 2024 Gallup Poll found that the number had increased to almost two-thirds of US adults reported getting insufficient sleep.2
Although sleep deprivation is the most common sleep disorder, those numbers are only the tip of the sleep disorders iceberg. Combined, hundreds of millions of people worldwide have a sleep disorder.
What is the Impact of Sleep-Wake and Circadian Disorders?
Have you ever stayed up too late, even knowing that you had a jam-packed day ahead of you? Maybe you were reading a great book that was too good to put down or, ugh, perhaps your child woke up with a stomach bug in the middle of the night? The next day, keeping your eyes open—let alone your brain engaged—might have been a huge challenge. You likely felt the effects of acute sleep deprivation, the most common sleep problem.
Unfortunately, many people with a sleep disorder have that same experience night after night, struggling to wake up the next morning. Their quality of life, work and academic performances, and social and personal relationships may all suffer. The financial cost of sleep disorders has been estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars, with not only costs to the affected person, but cost to society in general.9,10
How are Sleep-Wake and Circadian Disorders Diagnosed?
If you think you might have a sleep disorder, you may wonder where to go to get help or answers? A trip to your primary care provider is often the place to start. Screening for sleep disorders using validated questionnaires is often the first step in reaching a diagnosis of a sleep disorder. By combining information from questionnaires and a thorough sleep and health history, primary care providers can diagnose and treat a number of sleep disorders, including insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and some parasomnias.
However, obstructive sleep apnea and central disorders of hypersomnolence require additional objective testing that requires referral to a sleep specialist. The sleep specialist may order actigraphy to capture your sleep timing and duration over an extended period of time. Sleep apnea testing may be performed in the home or the sleep laboratory. Diagnosing central disorders of hypersomnolence requires both overnight and daytime testing in the sleep laboratory.
Sleep-Wake and Circadian Disorders
For more than 35 years, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and other major international sleep societies have collaborated to publish the nosology (or classification) of sleep, called the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD). The latest version (the third edition, text revised—ICSD-3-TR)3 was published in 2023. This nosology divides sleep disorders into general categories and provides the criteria required to make the diagnosis for each of more than 70 sleep disorders. Information on the most common of these sleep disorders is highlighted in the following pages.
difficulty falling or staying asleep
Sleep-related breathing disorders:
abnormal breathing patterns during sleep
Central disorders of hypersomnolence:
excessive daytime sleepiness despite getting the recommended amount of sleep
Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders:
disruptions in the body’s internal clock that impact the timing and quality of sleep
Parasomnias
unusual behaviors during sleep, like sleepwalking or night terrors
Sleep-related movement disorders:
involuntary movements during sleep
References
- Chattu VK, Manzar MD, Kumary S, Burman D, Spence DW, Pandi-Perumal SR. The global problem of insufficient sleep and its serious public health implications. Healthcare (Basel). 2018;7(1).
- Fioroni S, Foy D. Americans sleeping less, more stressed. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/642704/americans-sleeping-less-stressed.aspx. April 15, 2024. Accessed April 30, 2025.
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd ed, Text Revision. American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2023.
- Solelhac G, Wachinou AP, Goyal A, et al. Prevalence and clinical significance of comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA) in three population-based cohorts from Benin, Switzerland and India. Sleep Med. 2025;131:106526.
- Zhang Y, Ren R, Lei F, et al. Worldwide and regional prevalence rates of co-occurrence of insomnia and insomnia symptoms with obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2019;45:1-17.
- Black J, Reaven NL, Funk SE, et al. Medical comorbidity in narcolepsy: findings from the Burden of Narcolepsy Disease (BOND) study. Sleep Med. 2017;33:13-18.
- Straif K, Baan R, Grosse Y, et al. Carcinogenicity of shift-work, painting, and fire-fighting. Lancet Oncol. 2007;8(12):1065-1066.
- Pinholster G. Sleep deprivation described as a serious public health problem. American Academy for the Advancement of Science. https://www.aaas.org/news/sleep-deprivation-described-serious-public-health-problem. Published March 14, 2014. Accessed April 30, 2025.
- Hafner M, Stepanek M, Taylor J, Troxel WM, van Stolk C. Why sleep matters—the economic cost of insufficient sleep. Rand Health Q. 2017;6(4):11.
- Streatfeild J, Smith J, Mansfield D, Pezzullo L, Hillman D. The social and economic cost of sleep disorders. Sleep. 2021;44(11).
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