Week brings awareness to sleep problems

An annual public education and awareness campaign will promote the importance of quality sleep and how to avoid sleep-related illnesses and sleep-related death. Although there is a week to recognize the health threats that lack of quality sleep pose, community sleep health leaders will continue to raise awareness throughout the month of March and the year.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS?
•Insomnia: Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. Complications of insomnia include poor immune system function, slowed reaction time, risk of depression, risk of anxiety disorder, obesity, high blood pressure, risk of heart disease and risk of diabetes.

•Sleep apnea: Complete obstruction of the airway (obstructive apnea) or partial obstruction which can cause a person to literally stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes for a minute or longer and up to hundreds of times during a night’s sleep. More than 18 million people in the U.S. suffer from sleep apnea. Complications from sleep apnea include heart disease, stroke and post-surgical occurrences.

•Drowsy driving: This is more of a symptom than a disorder, but it affects so many people, and is caused by a number of existing sleep disorders.

PROMOTING BETTER SLEEP
What can you do to promote better sleep without changing your health lifestyle?

•Turn off the computer or laptop or keep them in a room other than the bedroom.

•Turn off the phone or keep it turned away from you. The light from the phone’s screen can be distracting to your sleep patterns. You need to rest your eyes before going to sleep.

•Avoid alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. Stimulants can disrupt your sleep patterns, and can be more restrictive for those with obstructive sleep apnea. Even though alcohol helps you fall asleep faster, your quality of sleep will be diminished.

•Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime. Your heart rate should be not be elevated before you fall asleep.

•Children and pets should not sleep in the same bed or bedroom as you.

•Select a relaxing bedtime ritual – calming music, a warm bath, stretching.

If these steps are already being taken and quality sleep is still not possible, a sleep study can help a patient or their loved one. Sleep studies can diagnose a possible sleep disorder, so the root of the problem can be determined, sleep quality will improve and provide a better quality of life.

Patients may schedule a sleep study at The Sleep Center at Barrow Regional Medical Center in Winder by calling 706-286-7047. HMP Diagnostics provides the sleep services at The Sleep Center at Barrow Regional Medical Center seven days a week, and board-certified sleep physicians read all sleep studies.