Sleep disorders disrupt our everyday functions and vary from suddenly falling asleep, like narcolepsy, to hardly being able to sleep at all, like insomnia. Dr. Richard Bogan or Bongan Sleep Consultants, specializes in treating sleep disorders at his Columbia, SC, office.

Here are common sleep disorders and a few treatment options:

1. Snoring, one of the most common sleeping disorders, is when soft tissue blocks airway passages while a person sleeps. Treatment options include using an oral appliance, like a CPAP machine, to keep air passages open. Take into consideration that snoring can be an indicator of a bigger underlying disorder.

2. Sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing while sleeping. intermittent cessation of breathing during sleep. These episodes lead to oxygen reduction in the blood. The obstruction in breathing requires a CPAP machine, like snoring, to keep air passages open.

3. Insomnia, another common sleep disorder, is when someone has difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. If the condition occurs multiple times a week for three months, it is chronic insomnia and requires treatment, like sleeping pills and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI).

4. Narcolepsy is the opposite of insomnia. They have a hard time staying awake for too long because of low levels of a neurochemical hypocretin. There's no cure but there are ways to manage by adopting good sleeping habits, avoid allergy medicine and/or use prescribed medication.

5. Sleep paralysis is when a person is unable to move their body when waking up. They can't speak or move for a few seconds, and the preferred treatment options your Columbia doctor may use includes counseling and medication.

6. Chronic fatigue syndrome is prolonged fatigue that does not subside even after full rest. It can be a result of a viral infection, psychological stress, or a combination of factors. Treatment helps manage or relieve symptoms.

Do you need to speak with a doctor?

Dr. Richard Bogan at Bogan Consultants in Columbia, SC, can help. Just give him a call at (803) 251-3093 for more information.