Monday, May 25, 2015
More sleep can mean better health
It’s hard to think of any health issue more important to
everyone than getting a good night’s sleep. Almost everyone I talk to has some kind of sleep issues,
whether the problem is waking up frequently during the night, insomnia, a
snoring bed partner, sleep apnea or all of the above.
According to Dr. Olimpia Radu, a member of the Backus
Medical Staff and Director of the Norwich Sleep Center, 35 percent to 50 percent of the general
population has complaints of insomnia. Many other people have leg movement
disorders. Many children and some adults also suffer from parasomnias such as
sleep walking, sleep talking, night terrors, and bed wetting. Sleep doctors are
trained to help diagnose and treat all sorts of sleep problems besides the more
common problems such as insomnia and sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a serious but often undiagnosed condition. It
is caused by reduced airflow to the lungs due to blockage of the throat during
sleep. This causes snoring, low oxygen levels, high heart rate and blood
pressure. The brain sleep waves are disrupted with each episode of apnea.
How do you know if you have sleep apnea? Your bed partner may tell you that you
snore, or you just feel that you have disrupted sleep and wake up suddenly,
several times each night. Going to the bathroom frequently at night may also be
linked with sleep apnea besides bladder or prostate issues. Feeling tired and
sleepy during daytime, some mood irritability, and poor attention could all be
seen patients with sleep apnea.
Patients with existing heart disease, high blood pressure,
atrial fibrillation, diabetes, emphysema, and congestive heart failure have a
very high chance of having sleep apnea. Treating sleep apnea may help better control
these other disorders.
Not getting enough sleep is a major health problem in the United States.
It is linked with obesity and a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Smartphones in the bedroom, binge watching of TV shows, social media
notifications, and 24-hour news channels all lead to disrupted and shortened
sleep time.
Sleep studies are tests that record what happens to your
body during sleep, and are usually done in a sleep lab or at home in selected
cases. The studies are done to find out what is causing your sleep problems,
whether it is excessive snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, or narcolepsy.
Sleep apnea can be treated with weight loss, a machine with
a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask, or with an oral appliance
therapy made by a sleep dentist. There are other options available as well such
as throat surgery and a new muscle stimulator. Talk to your sleep doctor about
these options.
Dr. Setu Vora is a board-certified sleep and lung doctor at
the Pulmonary Physicians of Norwich and he is the Medical Director of Critical
Care at Backus Hospital. Dr. Carina Vora is a general dentist in Norwich with special
interest and training in sleep dentistry. She is board certified by the
American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. She treats many patients with sleep
apnea with FDA-approved custom made oral appliances.
In summary, Dr. Setu and Carina Vora recommend that we all
have at least seven hours of uninterrupted, snore-free sleep at night. They
recommend good sleep hygiene — use your bed only for sleep and sex. Avoid
coffee, tea and soda in the afternoon, and don’t drink alcohol before bedtime.
Avoid food, TV, smartphones or laptops in the bedroom. And remember — better
sleep can mean better health.
Alice Facente is a community health nurse for the Backus Health System. This advice should not replace the advice of your personal health care provider. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy Living blog at www.healthydocs.blogspot.com or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
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