Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Narcolepsy,
Insomnia and Other Sleep Disorders.

THE SLEEP SITE

BRINGING SECRETS OF THE NIGHT TO THE LIGHT OF DAY...

Understanding the symptoms of sleep disorders.

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SLEEP APNEA, SNORING AND BREATHING PROBLEMS IN SLEEP- 2.

What symptoms and complications can result?

-Daytime sleepiness, often underestimated or not even recognized by the person with the problem.

-A resulting seven to twelve fold increased risk of frequently devastating motor vehicle crashes.

-Irritability, personality change and memory problems.

-Restless sleep, night sweats, headaches and dry throat on awakening.

-In some but not all people, arousals with choking, chest pain or shortness of breath.

-High blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.

-Heart failure, heart attack, accelerated development of coronary disease, strokes, cardiac arrest, sleep-related convulsions and premature death in severe cases.

-Impotence.

-It is crucial to realize that some patients have no symptoms at all, even if they suffer from life-threatening degrees of sleep apnea...and one large recent study suggested that the majority of people with sleep apnea may well be asymptomatic!


Should sleep-related breathing disorders be considered an urgent medical problem?

-In many cases, yes. Severe sleep apnea can represent an emergent condition warranting rapid diagnosis and treatment: because its potentially devastating and irreversible complications can be prevented.


What treatments are available for sleep apnea and other sleep-related breathing disorders?

-OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA:

--is usually best treated with positive airway pressure (CPAP, bilevel PAP).

--some patients respond to surgeries and oral appliances.

--medications are not an adequate treatment in virtually all cases.

--weight loss is vital in overweight patients to prevent worsening of sleep apnea with age, but it usually does not eliminate the problem to an adequate degree. Also, since it cannot occur overnight, specific and effective treatment is vital to protect the patient during the weight loss process.

--positioning during sleep (for example, measures to prevent sleeping on one's back and elevation of the head of the bed) are usually of only partial benefit...but it is advisable to institute these measures to try to reduce the risk of sudden complications while one is awaiting sleep center assessment.

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Columbus, Ohio, Central Ohio, hospitalssleep, wake, insomnia, sleepiness 

COLUMBUS COMMUNITY HEALTH
REGIONAL SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER
Accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Robert W. Clark, M.D., Medical Director
1430 South High Street, Columbus OH 43207

Tel: [614] 443-7800
Fax: [614] 443-6960

e-mail: flamenco@netexp.net 

 © Copyright 2006 Robert W. Clark M.D. Inc.