Good sleep is vital for healthy living. If you are not getting good sleep, your daytime functioning can be significantly affected. One common sleep disorder, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, affects 20 million Americans. Most people don’t know they have it. A family member and/or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first. Most of the time it is discovered because your bed partner is kept awake by your symptoms.
Snoring - More Than Annoying
Heavy snoring is a common sleep apnea symptom, but the associated breathing problems are more serious. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour. The pauses in breathing cause you to move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night, resulting in poor sleep quality. Your partner suffers too, by staying awake, waiting to hear you breathe again!
Daytime symptoms of sleep disorders include:
morning headaches
sleepiness
fatigue
inability to concentrate
irritability
mood swings
personality changes
depression
Recent research has shown that there may be a correlation between sleep apnea and strokes. One study showed that 80% of stroke victims had sleep apnea. In other cases, there was increased percentage of diabetes in sleep apnea patients.
No Typical Age Range
Even more surprising is we now know the disorder isn't limited to older, overweight men, as once thought. It can affect people of all ages and body-types--even children.
One thing is certain, Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a serious, life-altering, and potentially life-threatening condition that we all need to be more aware of.
The good news - it's easily identified and effectively treated.
The Sleep Laboratory at Alegent Creighton Health provides complete evaluation of sleep apnea and includes the diagnostic monitoring of both obstructive and central neurological sleep apnea.
Comfortable, hotel-like, study rooms are designed to make patients feel right at home.
Once the problem is isolated, a treatment program will be designed to get you the vital rest you need.
