Sleep Medicine
Did you know your sleep can be unhealthy? There are 85 known sleep disorders, and one in three people has a sleep disorder. However, 95% of these disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated.
The following may be signs of a serious condition.
- Chronic loud snoring
- Gasping or choking episodes during sleep
- Daytime fatigue or sleepiness
- Jerking or crawling sensations in legs and limbs
- Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
- Difficulty concentrating at work or school
- Morning headaches
- Moodiness and/or easily irritated
One of the most common sleep disorders is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Without treatment, OSA can reduce blood oxygen levels causing the heart to pump harder, and may lead to serious cardiovascular consequences such as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Obesity, hypertension and diabetes increase the risk of these serious conditions in patients with OSA.
We Can Help
If your healthcare professional orders a sleep study, a visit to a sleep disorders facility is likely to be a new experience. Sleep studies evaluate the quality and quantity of sleep and are performed by specially trained technicians. Test information is then forwarded to a sleep specialist. Careful interpretation of all results is then undertaken, which leads to a diagnosis of the sleep problem, as well as recommendations for treatment.
Sleep Disorder Screening Questions:
- Snoring – do you snore loudly?
- Tired – do you often feel tired, fatigued or sleep during the daytime?
- Observed – has anyone observed you stopping breathing during sleep?
- Pressure – do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
- Neck size – is your neck size greater than 17" (men) or 16" (women)?
If you answer "yes" to two or more questions, you should speak to your physician about a possible sleep disorder.