SLEEP DISORDER STUDIES

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Approximately 33% of the general population suffers from sleep disorders. Insomnia being the most prevalent followed by sleep apnea and others.

There are several symptoms that may indicate a sleep disorder. They include:

daytime sleepiness and generally tired all the time
restless sleep at night
bed covers are all over when you awake
snoring that wakes you or others in your household
you wake up gasping for breath

If you can identify with any, some, or all of these symptoms you may have a treatable sleeping disorder. At Memorial Hospital, we can provide you with a diagnostic sleep study that can help explain your symptoms. Talk with your physician about your symptoms and ask him or her to order a sleep study test at Memorial Hospital. We'll give the results of the study to your physician and appropriate treatment can be prescribed.

What can you expect when you come in for a sleep study? There is a comfortable, private room where you will spend the night. Your sleep disorder test will be scored and interpreted by a physician who is board certified in sleep medicine and a treatment plan will then be provided to your family physician. A second sleep study may be necessary to assure the treatment has eliminated your symptoms and to assure you can finally get a good nights sleep.

It is important that you understand that a lifetime of sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems. This is the best method toward treating the symptoms that can lead to these health problems. We want to help you get the sleep your body needs to stay healthy.

About 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep problem, nearly 60 percent of them have a chronic disorder

The second most common sleep disorder is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea affects about 20 million Americans

Sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke, mental impairment, and injury from accidents

Each year, sleep apnea accounts for about $42 million in hospital bills n An estimated 250,000 people suffer from narcolepsy

More than 50 percent of Americans aged 65 and older have a sleep problem

The prevalence of sleep disorders appears to increase with advancing age, and as Americans age, an estimated 80 million Americans will have a sleep problem by the year 2010

Sleep disorders add an estimated $15.9 billion to the national health care bill

About 25 percent of American children aged 1-5 have a sleep disturbance

WHAT IS INSOMNIA? Insomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep; waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep; waking up too early in the morning; and unrefreshing sleep.

WHAT IS SLEEP APNEA? Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. First described in 1965, sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. It owes its name to a Greek word, apnea, meaning "want of breath."

WHAT IS NARCOLEPSY? Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder with no known cause. The main characteristic of narcolepsy is excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness, even after adequate nighttime sleep. A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places. Daytime sleep attacks may occur with or without warning and may be irresistible. These attacks can occur repeatedly in a single day. Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time. In addition, nighttime sleep may be fragmented with frequent awakenings.

WHAT IS RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME? Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences unpleasant sensations in the legs described as creeping, crawling, tingling, pulling, or painful. These sensations usually occur in the calf area but may be felt anywhere from the thigh to the ankle. One or both legs may be affected; for some people, the sensations are also felt in the arms. These sensations occur when the person with RLS lies down or sits for prolonged periods of time, such as at a desk, riding in a car, or watching a movie. People with RLS describe an irresistible urge to move the legs when the sensations occur.

SLEEP DISORDER SYMPTOMS

I have been told that I snore.
I have been told that I hold my breath while I sleep.
I wish I had more energy.
I get morning headaches.
I often wake up gasping for breath.
I am overweight.
I often feel sleepy and struggle to remain alert during the day.
I frequently wake with a dry mouth.
I have difficulty falling asleep.
Thoughts race through my mind and prevent me from getting to sleep.
I often wake up and have trouble going back to sleep.
I wake up earlier in the morning than I would like to.
I lie awake for half an hour or more before I fall asleep.
I have trouble concentrating at work or school.
I have fallen asleep while driving.
I often feel like I am in a daze.
I have fallen asleep in social settings such as movies or at a party.
I have "sleep attacks" during the day no matter how hard I try to stay awake.
I can't keep my legs still at night, I have to move them to feel comfortable.
Even though I slept during the night, I feel sleepy during the day.

If you have symptoms of a sleep disorder please call one of our specialists today. Help is available!

For more information about Memorial Hospital's Sleep Disorder Studies, please call 570-268-2243.

Related Pages:

SLEEPLESSNESS