Did You Know?
Forty million Americans suffer from chronic disorders that may make it difficult to fall asleep or maintain sleep. These sleep disorders may cause daytime sleepiness at work and at home. It may put them and others at risk of injury. One out of every 5 Americans has a sleep disorder. Many of these people suffer needlessly, simply because they are unaware that a problem exists.
A good night's sleep is important to your well-being. Since most people spend roughly one third of their lives asleep, it's easy to see how the quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your life. It is estimated that sleep related accidents cost $46 billion annually. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimates that 38,000 cardiovascular deaths due to sleep apnea occur annually.
Some sleep disorders increase the risk for hypertension, stroke, heart attack, injury, troublesome sleepiness, and sexual dysfunction.
Diagnosis
Diagnostic testing involves spending 1 or 2 nights in a state-of-the-art sleep center with the most advanced equipment available. Patients will stay in large, comfortable, home-like private rooms. While you sleep, an experienced sleep technologist will record information about the quality of your sleep. A board certified sleep specialist will prepare a report from the information that was gathered from the test.
Treatment
Once your sleep disorder is diagnosed, your doctor at the Woodlands Sleep Evaluation Center will form a treatment plan to fit your needs. Treatment of your sleep disorder can include use of a simple medical device, medication, lifestyle changes, or corrective surgery. The treatment depends on what the sleep disorder is.
Common Sleep Disorders:
An adequate amount of sleep should leave you feeling refreshed. Sometimes people find themselves drowsy or sleepy throughout the day. This may be a problem and can have a variety of causes:
Sleep Apnea
If you snore loudly, awaken short of breath, or find it hard to stay awake during the day, you may be suffering from Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Sleep Apnea Syndrome is characterized by recurrent pauses in breathing during sleep. The number of times these pauses occur varies with the severity of the disorder. A person with a severe case of sleep apnea could stop breathing 40 times per hour or 300 times per night. Sleep Apnea is most prevalent in males between 35 to 60 and females 45 to 55. Symptoms may include daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, and memory problems.
Periodic Leg Movements
Periodic leg movements during sleep are involuntary movements (or jerks of your legs) that occur at intervals during the night. This may disturb a restful sleep and results in daytime sleepiness.
Narcolepsy
People with narcolepsy have uncontrollable urges to sleep at inappropriate times. These ?sleep attacks? can be accompanied by muscular weakness. Strong emotions (laughter, anger, surprise, sadness) may trigger these attacks.
Insomnia
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning, you could be experiencing insomnia. An irregular sleep schedule, depression, medications, caffeine, anxiety, and stress may contribute to the insomnia, which may also be symptom of an undiagnosed medical problem.
Other Sleep Disorders
Other sleep disorders that may cause excessive daytime drowsiness or sleepiness are sleepwalking, night terrors, teeth grinding, bed wetting, and shift work.