It’s likely that all of us at some point will have problems sleeping – whether this means having difficulty falling asleep, or waking up in the night from a disturbing dream. These are perfectly normal occurrences and are often resolved after a few days.

However, these problems may end up lasting weeks, months,  or even years, and can have a significant impact on a person's day-to-day life, relationships, social life and work. They may find that their energy levels are lower than they should be, that they are more prone to mood swings, and that they are having trouble concentrating.

The most common sleep problems include:

Insomnia

This usually means you have difficulty falling asleep, getting back to sleep if you wake in the night, or waking very early. You will probably find yourself lying awake for long periods at night but can also finding it hard to nap during the day, despite feeling tired.

Oversleeping

Oversleeping usually happens at weekends when we try and make up for ‘lost’ sleep from the week, but in fact you can end up sleeping more than your body needs. Although this won’t necessarily effect you day-to-day as much as other sleep disorders listed here, some studies link sleeping too much with health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. You may also end up feeling more tired than if you were to sleep a little less.

Nightmares and night terrors

These are often only associated with children but adults also experience these kind of disturbances at night as well. Nightmares are often described as dreams with vivid and frightening content, and leave you feeling scared. Night terrors often have common characteristics and cause a deep sense of fear, sweating, and an increased heart rate.  Sometimes night terrors are combined with sleepwalking, screaming or crying out in sleep, and often the next day the individual will have no memory of what has happened.

Sleep paralysis

This causes the temporary inability to move or speak and although it can happen when you are waking up in the morning, it usually occurs in the middle of the night. Sleep paralysis doesn’t cause you any harm, but it can last from a few seconds to a few minutes which for many can be a frightening experience.

Sleep walking

Formally know as somnambulism, sleepwalking usually involves much more than just walking during sleep and in fact often involves performing complex behaviours. These can include simply sitting up in bed and looking around, walking around the room or house, tidying up, or even leaving the house and driving long distances.

If you are experiencing any of these problems for more than a month or so, it is most probable that you will be diagnosed with a sleep disorder. These disorders are usually caused by physical disturbances such as pain in a particular area, medical issues such as asthma, mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, or environmental issues such as alcohol use. You should make an appointment to visit your GP and talk through with them what help is available to you. 

Learn more about the importance of sleep in our blog on the health benefits of sleep and the NHS Choices page on how to get better sleep.

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