Thousands of men and women in the United States suffer from undiagnosed sleep disorders, much to the detriment of their health and safety. If you suspect you are one of these people, a sleep study could be your key to overcoming your sleep problem and, ultimately, restoring your overall quality of life.
In this blog post, you’ll learn more about sleep disorders as well as how a sleep study can help you sleep your way to better health – and a better life.
Defining Sleep Disorder
“Sleep disorder” is a blanket term for conditions that primarily affect the amount/duration, quality, and timing of a person’s sleep and render a person unable to function properly when they’re awake.
Left undiagnosed and untreated, sleep disorders can lead to a wide variety of serious health problems, including the following:
- Mental health problems (e.g., anxiety and depression)
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
Of the roughly 80 types of sleep disorders, the most common in the United States are insomnia, habitual snoring, and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by excessively loud snoring and periods of breathing cessation, which occur when the soft tissues at the back of the throat abnormally relax and close.
Other types of sleep disorders include the following:
- Sleepwalking (somnambulism)
- Restless leg syndrome
- Narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness)
- Parasomnia (unusual behaviors prior to and during sleep as well as during arousal)
- Sleep paralysis
Unfortunately, many people are not aware that they have a sleep disorder. Those who are may not be cognizant of the impact these disorders have on their health, daily function, and safety as well as those of their loved ones.
How Can a Sleep Study Improve Your Life?
Knowledge is half the battle. So, if you believe that there is something wrong with your or a loved one’s sleep patterns or behavior, see a sleep medicine expert for proper evaluation and treatment.
Your sleep medicine doctor may recommend a sleep study as part of your comprehensive evaluation. Also known as polysomnography, a sleep study involves you wearing small sensors on your temples, scalp, chest, and legs throughout the night. These sensors record your brain waves, heart rate, and breathing. There will be a technologist on standby.
The results of the study provide your doctor with valuable information to develop a treatment plan that will effectively improve your sleep and reduce your risk for serious problems. Depending on your specific sleep disorder, your treatment plan can include a combination of any of the following:
- Lifestyle changes (e.g., weight loss recommendations, exercise, smoking cessation, etc.)
- Changing your sleep position
- Medication/s
- Continuous positive airwaypressure (CPAP) therapy
Sleep Study in Weatherford, TX
If you live in Weatherford, Texas and are in search of a reputable sleep center, visit ours here at the Lung & Sleep Specialists of North Texas. Combining our state-of-the-art amenities with the expertise of our board-certified sleep medicine physician – Dr. Olusegun Oseni – we have helped scores of patients sleep better and live better.
To arrange a consultation with Dr. Olusegun Oseni, contact our office at (871) 594-9993, or submit an appointment request by filling out this form.
