Excessive Daytime Sleepiness – Causes and Treatments

Excessive daytime sleepiness can significantly affect the quality of one’s life. The Center for Sleep Medicine is finding solutions for those individuals suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness. 

Insomnia is a condition where an individual has difficulty falling or staying asleep.  Insomnia affects daytime functioning causing fatigue, depressed mood, impaired attention and concentration.  It worsens your ability to cope with stress, lessens enjoyment of social activities and quality of life.

“Acute” Insomnia is a temporary response to factors such as stress or jet lag and normal sleep returns on its own.  As a result your doctor may offer medication as an option for immediate relief.

Insomnia which persists for more than four weeks is referred to as “chronic insomnia”.  One in ten adult’s experiences chronic insomnia which can persist for months, years or even decades.

Causes and Treatments

 Many factors create and sustain insomnia.  All too often people are told to follow “good sleep hygiene” or prescribed medication.  While important they alone are not an effective treatment. Because sleep is a natural physiological process, long term medication use should be done with caution, as it may worsen sleep as patients develop tolerance over time.

A consultation with an insomnia specialist certified in behavioral sleep medicine will assess the psycho physiological, psycho-social, cognitive and behavioral factors that cause insomnia.

Another potential cause of daytime sleepiness is a Circadian Rhythm Disorder.  A person with this disorder may have difficulty sleeping at a time when they need to sleep, difficulty rising when they need to rise and difficulty maintaining alertness when they need to be awake.  Such a disorder can have a profound effect on daily functioning which may include work or school absenteeism, impaired work performance, impeded social schedules and stress on relationships and depression. 

For example, shift work may have a significant effect on individuals who frequently change work hours or who work at night.  In such cases work schedules are out of sync with the body’s internal sleep wake schedule.  Human beings were designed to be awake during the day and asleep at night not vice versa.  The good news is effective treatment for such a disorder is available at The Center for Sleep Medicine.

Snoring Causes and Treatment

Snoring:

The loud snoring some people make while sleeping is no joke. Snoring is often a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  OSA, if untreated, can lead to serious health consequences.  The Center for Sleep Medicine can help those suffering from snoring and sleep apnea. An estimated 17% of the general population has OSA and the numbers are increasing with the obesity epidemic.  

How Occurs?

Snoring occurs when there is a partial collapse of the upper airway during sleep. The flow of air through this partially collapsed airway causes tissue vibration.   

The partial collapse of the airway occurs when the tongue slips backwards into the airway during sleep.  This blockage can be caused by the position of the body at rest and muscle tone that gradually diminishes during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.  

Causes and Remedies

The incidence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea is higher among men than women until women reach menopause. At and after menopause the incidence of OSA is the same in men and women. Approximately 70% of people having OSA are overweight or obese while the remaining 30% are not overweight.  Therefore, not all obese or overweight individuals have OSA and not all people with OSA are obese.

     

Because snoring is so widespread, new consumer products are regularly introduced that promise instant relief. While individual successes have been reported long-lasting solutions may involve physical changes including weight loss and exercise.

Sometimes snoring can be addressed by having a person sleep on their stomach or side.  Nasal strips and antihistamines offer no relief from snoring for those having OSA.  

Snoring may seem funny in a cartoon, but is no laughing matter to those who must deal with the consequences daily.  Taking a snoring treatment from a board certified sleep physician at The Center for Sleep Medicine can put you on a path to end your snoring. 


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How Oral Appliance Therapy Can Alleviate Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Snoring and Sleep Apnea: 

Many people who have sleep disordered breathing do not even realize it. Thankfully, The Center for Sleep Medicine is available to provide help for those in the Chicago area who want to improve the quality of their sleep. Positioning the lower jaw forward can affect getting a good night's sleep.

Why it is happening? 

Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when the throat completely or partially collapses causing interrupted sleep. Snoring occurs when the throat is partially closed and the air passing through causes the throat to vibrate. 

During sleep the tongue which is attached to the lower jaw can fall back into one’s airway cause difficulty in breathing which may not only be dangerous but often result in disturbing sleep throughout the night.

How Oral Appliance Therapy Helps? 

Oral appliance therapy involves the selection, fitting and use of a specifically designed oral appliance that maintains an open, unobstructed airway worn during sleep.  Custom made oral appliances are proven to be more effective than over-the-counter devices. 

                            

Oral appliances are designed to address this problem by re-positioning the lower jaw forward so the tongue is also forward and prevents the tongue from falling back into one’s airway. There are a variety of oral appliances available, which can be tailored to address the specific needs of the individual sleep apnea sufferer. Realignment of the lower jaw forward can have a surprisingly big impact on how well you sleep. Many people having sleep apnea are not even aware there is a problem.

Impact of Oral Appliance: 

Many people who snore severely report that their sleep partners appreciate not having to listen 
to noisy snoring because of the sleep specialist doctor's  treatment. 

As a result the quality of their partners sleep is improved as well. However, it is the task of a professional to study one’s sleep to identify what may be causing snoring or sleep deprivation.

Note:

Some sleep apnea sufferers grind their teeth or tense their jaws during the night. This is another area where an oral appliance may be useful to eliminate these habits.

The difference between going to bed…and going to sleep

General Sleep Problem:

Sleep deprivation increases the risk of poor concentration and fatigue during the day and increases the risk of having a car accident.  Sleep Apnea has been associated with high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.   The Center for Sleep Medicine provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for those affected by poor quality sleep.

Men and women suffer from a number of sleep disorders including but not limited to insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome. These sleep disorders lead to sleep deprivation that impacts the ability to live a full and quality life. It can increase risk of falling asleep behind the wheel and sustaining a serious car accident that may be avoided with the correct treatment for the particular sleep disorder in question.

Sleep Disorder Treatments by Sleep disorder specialist: 

The Center for Sleep Medicine has a multidisciplinary, multi specialty staff of board certified sleep specialists. The Center’s staff has extensive experience in sleep medicine having practiced in other fields including neurology, internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, clinical psychology and pediatrics.

The process begins with a consultation with a board certified sleep specialist. Attended overnight sleep studies are conducted in a secure and clinical environment with the aim of monitoring brain waves, breathing, and behavior while sleeping. Based on a complete assessment, the sleep specialist will diagnose your disorder and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan.  It is not uncommon for a person to have more than one sleep disorder. 

Various treatment options are available that support undisturbed sleep. This includes treatment to address the many causes that may be responsible for insomnia and oral appliances as an alternative to CPAP therapy.  Sleep disorder specialists will discuss the treatment options available to you so you may live a fuller and greater functioning lifestyle.

The purpose of a consultation with a board certified sleep specialist is to develop a tailored approach to wellness and to determine the options available for symptom relief. Consulting with a practitioner can aid in determining the safest and best solutions to help patients experience a state of well-being. Quality sleep is possible with the right treatment.

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