Common Sleep Disorders
Take Your Insomnia Seriously
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Do you experience difficulty sleeping? Snoring? Daytime sleepiness?
Common Sleep Disorders
At Clayton Sleep Institute, we consider detailed health and lifestyle information, as well as individual patient evaluations, as we seek solutions to your sleepless nights. The disorders listed below can give you a name for the sleep problems you’re having.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
In this common sleep disorder, a sleeper’s breathing is repeatedly interrupted, for more than 10 seconds and sometimes up to a minute. These interruptions occur because the sleeper’s throat “collapses” and obstructs the airway. The sleeper’s breathing interruptions can happen five to thirty times per hour, or more!
Left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can result in high blood pressure, heart attack, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. It can also worsen diabetes.
Other symptoms can include difficulty concentrating, irritability, depression, sexual dysfunction, memory problems, and more. Sleep apnea is often under diagnosed and can be life threatening. If you think you or a loved one has sleep apnea, consult a medical professional.
If you have any of the following characteristics or symptoms, you may be at higher risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea:
Chronic Insomnia
About 10 to 15% of Americans report chronic insomnia – that is, the inability to fall asleep, remain asleep, or get adequate restorative sleep for more than one month.
When there is a repeating pattern of poor sleep for several nights, followed by adequate sleep for a few nights, and then a return to poor sleep – this is termed chronic intermittent insomnia.
In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired cognitive function, and irritability, insomnia may lead to depression or other mood disorders, contribute to automobile accidents, and may suppress the immune system.
People suffering from insomnia often do not seek help or professional treatment and may try a range of over-the-counter aids or self-medicate to try to address the insomnia. Often, these tactics don’t work and may actually worsen the problem.
At the CSI Insomnia Center our sleep professionals can help you. With proper diagnosis, insomnia can be treated successfully and result in a much higher quality of life for the insomnia sufferer.
RLS & PLM Disorder
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder that causes the overwhelming urge to move the legs that is often accompanied by burning, itching, tugging, or creeping sensations in the legs.
RLS, which can occur at any time, generally starts or becomes worse when the person is at rest or lying down. RLS can cause difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and the lack of high quality, restorative sleep can exacerbate the RLS symptoms and have a serious impact on health and quality of life.
RLS and PLMD are often treatable with a combination of modified lifestyle and medications. It is important for anyone who suspects they may have RLS or PLMD to consult medical professionals and get a proper diagnosis and plan of treatment.
The twitching or jerking movements of PLMD typically occur every 15 to 40 seconds, sometimes throughout the night. The symptoms cause repeated awakenings and severely disrupted sleep. The lack of sleep or of restorative sleep can result in daytime sleepiness, fatigue, irritability, and mood disorders.
RLS and PLMD are often treatable with a combination of modified lifestyle and medications. It is important for anyone who suspects they may have RLS or PLMD to consult medical professionals and get a proper diagnosis and plan of treatment.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder defined by excessive sleepiness and the tendency to fall asleep at inappropriate times. Typically, an individual with narcolepsy suffers “sleep attacks” as well as continual sleepiness that is not relieved by any amount of sleep.
Other symptoms may include sudden loss of muscle strength, the inability to move when waking or falling asleep, vivid and often frightening dreams that occur when the person is drowsy, and disturbed nighttime sleep.
If not identified and appropriately managed, narcolepsy can drastically affect wellbeing with devastating results.
At Clayton Sleep Institute we can evaluate your condition, perform sleep tests that help diagnose narcolepsy and develop a treatment plan for you to manage yourself and your environment and improve your quality of sleep and life.
Sleep Phase Syndrome
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders that affect the timing of sleep and wake periods required for normal social needs.
Some sleep phase challenges are caused by external circumstances, such as Jet Lag and Shift Work Sleep Disorder.
Other sleep phase disorders are caused by internal issues that might be hormonal, age-related, genetic predispositions, or other elements. Of these, Delayed Sleep Phase syndrome is a pattern, lasting more than three months, of delay of two hours or more from the desired time to fall asleep, which results in the inability to wake up at the desired time.
Advanced Sleep Phase syndrome is the pattern of being very sleepy in the early evening—from 6:00 – 8:00pm—and going to sleep which results in very early awakening times (1:00 – 3:00am). Other sleep phase disorders include shifting sleep-wake cycles that move consistently forward in the 24-hour cycle and irregular sleep-wake rhythm where sleep occurs at very irregular times.
Sleep Phase disorders can manifest a host of symptoms from confusion, cognitive dysfunction, impaired judgment, fatigue, loss of coordination, pain, mood disorders and weight gain, among others.
Most important for Sleep Phase disorders is the proper diagnosis so an appropriate plan of treatment can be designed for the specific individual. Not treating Sleep Phase Disorders can severely affect quality of life, and with lack of sleep over time, can contribute to serious health issues such as heart attack and stroke.
Our Sleep Studies Can Give You the Diagnosis You Need for Better Sleep
There is hope. Sleep disorders are treatable. If you believe you are suffering from one of the conditions listed above, don’t wait. Respecting what your mind and body are telling you, acknowledging the serious nature of insomnia, and asking for help are the first steps toward better sleep and better health.
Our process is comprehensive and gives you a clear diagnosis and treatment plan to restore healthy sleep.
Step One:
Speak to your doctor or call us directly at (314) 645-5855 for information about a sleep study.
Step Two:
Your physician and insurance program may require home sleep testing or in-clinic sleep testing as the first step for a diagnosis. We provide detailed instructions on how to prepare for a sleep test and what you can expect.
Step Three:
A CSI staff physician will discuss final evaluations with you and forward these results to your physician. Our clinical staff is always available for consultation about your diagnosis and treatment.
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