For an estimated 70 million Americans who suffer from sleep disorders, even Mr. Sandman can’t seem to bring peaceful rest.

Many disorders disrupt sleep, including narcolepsy, insomnia and sleep apnea.

Narcolepsy, a disorder consisting of excessive daytime sleepiness, can bring on “dreamlike visions and sensations of momentary paralysis,” according to Science News.

Insomnia causes people to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Maria Khoobyar, a senior from Sterling, Va., has experienced insomnia for years.

“I would go days and days without sleeping at all,” Khoobyar said. “Falling asleep has always been a problem for me.”

Khoobyar has found effective medications that help her to sleep.

Another disorder, sleep apnea, is defined as the “cessation of breathing during sleep,” according to Occupational Health. The sleeper snores severely until they stop breathing. After a few minutes, their body wakes them up and they begin breathing again.

Florence Ward, a junior from Rexburg, has suffered from sleep apnea for 11 years.

“I just started having problems sleeping,” Ward said. “It was like I was cat-napping through the night.”

Ward is now on medication for her disorder and has used a pump that keeps her airway from collapsing.

Sleep apnea is common at BYU-Idaho, as is insomnia, said Dr. Jud Miller of the BYU-Idaho Health Center.

Miller explained many sleep disorders, especially insomnia, are triggered by poor routines.

“People get into sleep habits and it becomes a fear that they won’t be able to fall asleep,” Miller said, adding these fears often become self-fulfilling prophecies.

While Khoobyar and Ward have found effective treatments, Miller has alternative ideas for preventing less serious disorders.

“Train your body to go to sleep when you go to bed,” Miller said. To do this, he suggests taking the TV out of your bedroom or breaking the habit of watching it to fall asleep.

Miller advises controlling your weight, because overweight people are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.

If sleep trouble continues, Miller recommends being evaluated for depression.

Finally, Miller suggests exercise, because it will make you physically tired and relax your mind.