This week’s health alert is a two parter focusing on sleep disorders and how to treat them. Not getting enough sleep or not getting the right kind of sleep can lead to serious health problems. I think one of the big concerns with sleeping issues is people will try to diagnose and medicate themselves without knowing exactly what the problem is. The most common sleep disorder is called sleep apnea – a disruption in your breathing while you sleep. Every time you stop breathing - even if just for a second – you wake a bit, preventing you from getting the deep sleep you need. Other things that can keep you from sleeping well; restless leg syndrome – where your legs jerk periodically throughout the night, a poor sleeping environment – such as too much light or noise, habits that keep your body from properly shutting down at night so you can rest – too much caffeine or exercise too close to bedtime, or snoring.
The best way to diagnose these problems is to undergo a sleep study. Although I’ve never had much problem sleeping I volunteered for the study at Northside Hospital’s sleep disorder center. It was an interesting night. I was checked into what was really like a nice hotel room, just with a few extra wires! A technician wired up my head, eyes, mouth, arms, legs, and chest so while I was sleeping, someone could monitor my every move. A night vision camera also caputured my moves on tape. It felt like it took forever to go to sleep but the next day I learned I was asleep in 8 minutes. I only slept about 4 and a half hours – which is not enough – and I didn’t get enough of the deep REM (rapid eye movement) sleep I need to feel rested. The good news is I didn’t have any breathing problems and my body remained fairly still all night. I was told to get more sleep but otherwise there weren’t any problems.
The average adult should get between 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. You should be getting enough of the deeper stages of sleep to help your body re-charge for the next day. Getting properly diagnosed can help you pinpoint the exact problem and work with a doctor on how to fix it. Please feel free to contact Northside Hospital’s sleep disorder center for more information.
Stephany,
Sleep Apnea appears to be more common than most people realize and it affects many different areas beyond simply getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep Apnea is associated with a dramatic increase in stress hormones which can lead to hypertension, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol values. As many as 1/3 of overweight individuals with high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol may have sleep apnea. A significant association with obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome must also be considered.