If you take a moment to be truly honest with yourself, would you say you’re getting enough quality, restorative rest on a regular basis? Sleep is essential for good health, and we spend about one-third of our lives doing it, yet one in three people suffer from a sleep disorder and don’t even know it. Often the symptoms go unrecognized and untreated, causing an individual’s quality of life to suffer, and hindering their overall physical and emotional health. These people are at risk of high blood pressure, stroke and sudden cardiac death. March 6-12 is Sleep Awareness Week, and we can’t think of a better excuse to evaluate, address and improve your resting hours.
Defining common sleep disorders
Sleep apnea: A condition in which you have brief pauses of breathing throughout the night, snoring, snorting and gasping for air. Sleep apnea can result in daytime sleepiness and may cause high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
Insomnia: A condition in which you have difficulty falling or staying asleep or you wake earlier than normal. Insomnia can be caused by a variety of medical or behavioral factors such as rotating work shifts, stress, tension or poor sleep habits.
Excessive daytime sleepiness: A condition in which you struggle to stay awake during the day, resulting in reduced productivity, memory problems or depression.
Nocturnal myoclonus and restless leg syndrome: A disorder that causes your arms or legs to thrash or move despite attempts to keep your limbs still or to make them comfortable. You may experience aching muscles upon awakening or unpleasant (creeping, crawling) feelings in your legs when you lie down.
Parasomnias: With this condition, you may sleepwalk, talk in your sleep or have night terrors and severe recurrent nightmares.
Narcolepsy: This disorder causes you to fall asleep suddenly, many times during the day.
Our specialists composed this quick quiz to serve as a starting point for your evaluation and possible treatment plan. Take a moment to review your symptoms and warning signs.
Treating sleep disorders
Our therapists work closely with physicians to recommend appropriate treatments, which they facilitate at convenient sleep disorder labs located at Parkview hospitals throughout northeast Indiana. If you have any concerns, speak to your physician about a sleep study referral. For more information, please call the Parkview Sleep Disorders Center at (260) 373-YAWN (9296).
Take the 7-day Sleep Week Challenge!
Whether you suffer from a sleep disorder or just can’t seem to settle down at the end of the day, we want to offer some easy tools for a peaceful and restorative night. That’s why we worked with Srinivasan Devanathan, MD, Parkview Physicians Group – Sleep Medicine and Pulmonology, to establish a week’s worth of to-dos that are scientifically proven to help you catch more of those illusive Zs. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to try our daily challenges throughout the week ahead and settle in for sweet dreams!
