A long-term pattern of difficulty sleeping. Insomnia is usually considered chronic if a person has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least three nights per week for three months or longer. Some people with chronic insomnia have a long-standing history of difficulty sleeping. Chronic insomnia has many causes and is the most common sleep disorder. Call our office in San Antonio, Texas so we can get to the root of your sleeplessness. 

Maintenance Insomnia is the inability to stay asleep. People with maintenance insomnia wake up during the night and have difficulty returning to sleep. This sleep disorder is more common in the elderly than chronic insomnia. If you are suffering from maintenance insomnia, give us a call at our San Antonio, Texas office.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease, is a neurologic sensorimotor disorder that is characterized by an overwhelming urge to move the legs when they are at rest. The urge to move the legs is usually, but not always, accompanied by unpleasant sensations. This sleep disorder can sometimes be confused with insomnia as the person feels like they can never feel "settled in" and get adequate rest. If you think you have RLS, feel free to call our office in San Antonio, Texas and set up an appointment with our board certified sleep specialist.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep. The "apnea" in sleep apnea refers to a breathing pause that lasts at least ten seconds. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open, despite efforts to breathe. Another form of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea, in which the brain fails to properly control breathing during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common than central sleep apnea.  Apnea is a complete or near complete cessation of airflow for at least 10 seconds followed by an arousal and/or 4% oxygen desaturation; hypopnea is a 30% or greater decrease in airflow for at least 10 seconds followed by an arousal and/or 4% oxygen desaturation, If you are concerned that you or a loved one has sleep apnea, call our San Antonio, Texas office to schedule a consult with our board certified sleep specialist.

Dr. Morales will diagnose Narcolepsy but does not treat the condition.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that is characterized by excessive sleepiness, sleep attacks, sleep paralysis, hallucinations and, for some, sudden loss of muscle control (cataplexy). It affects roughly 1 in 2,000 to 3,000 people but can go undiagnosed for many years. Narcolepsy with cataplexy has a known cause, related to a loss of cells in the brain that secrete hypocretin (also called orexin). Hypocretin is a chemical in the brain that is important for regulating wakefulness.

Shift work disorder is a chronic condition that is directly related to a person’s work schedule. Shift work disorder is considered a “circadian rhythm sleep disorder” by the International Classifications of Sleep Disorders—meaning there is a misalignment or de-synchronization in sleep patterns. With shift work disorder, you have a hard time sleeping when sleep is desired, needed, or expected.