ANCSLEEP BLOG

What is Sleep Apnea?

According to The National Sleep Foundation, sleep apnea is defined as “a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep.”

The three most prevalent types of sleep apnea are:

• Obstructive sleep apnea: The most commonly known type of sleep apnea marked by the relaxation of the throat muscles (accounting for about 85% of all cases)
• Central sleep apnea: A rarer condition wherein the the brain fails to send the correct signals to muscles that control breathing (accounting for less than 1% of cases)
• Complex sleep apnea syndrome: Diagnosed when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea

Improving Sleep Time/Quality Takes Effort in 21^st Century

As great as modern technology and global access to goods and services are, they have made it significantly harder to get a good night’s rest. It’s reasonable to assume that people 100 years ago probably slept better and longer than people today.

Why? Common reasons people don’t get quality sleep or sleep long enough are:

• Media before bed time
• Diet
• Too much light
• Too much noise
• Too much energy
• Medical conditions (insomnia, sleep apnea)

All of these points affect our ability to regulate melatonin production (the hormone that regulates sleep). In practical terms, this list points out that in our environment, we are surrounded by things that keep us from getting the sleep we need:

• Phones, laptops, tablets, and TVs in the bedroom;
• Unlimited access to coffee;
• Alcohol;
• Lights and noise from gentrified; and
• Sitting in a chair all day at work.

In the 21^st century, you need to make a concerted effort to get better sleep. Let’s look at 5 easy ways to improve sleep time and quality.

What is Insomnia?

“Insomnia” is a word that most people frequently toss around to describe cases of sleeplessness. However, the disorder is actually a complicated umbrella term that includes multiple conditions varying in severity.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person has the chance to do so.

No matter the type of insomnia, those who suffer from the condition commonly complain of the same symptoms:

• Waking during the night

• Waking too early

• Fatigue during the day

• Irritability

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Difficulty concentrating

• Increased worry

• Increased accidents

Sleep apnea is a group of sleeping breathing-related sleep disorders that cause low levels of oxygen to circulate through the body at night. There are three types of sleep apnea: 

• Obstructive or obstructive sleep apnea
• Non-obstructive or central sleep apnea
• Mixed: called complex sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by obstruction from the upper airway becoming blocked during sleep. This blockage greatly reduces or completely stops airflow, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring.

Central sleep apnea is caused when the brain does not send signals needed to breathe during sleep. This type of sleep apnea is not accompanied by snoring, does not involve obstruction, and is far less common than OSA.

Complex sleep apnea is accompanied by characteristics of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.

In all cases, the common consequence is the inability to get restful sleep.

What is Insomnia (Symptoms)

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by having trouble sleeping and/or staying asleep [1]. People with insomnia may spend hours rolling around in bed before falling asleep, or wake up in the middle of night wide awake.

Insomnia comes in two forms:

• Chronic insomnia: long term, such as from a few weeks or longer
• Acute insomnia: short-term, such as from one night to a few weeks

It’s important not to confuse natural sleep cycles with insomnia – some people naturally go to bed earlier, some people naturally go to bed later. Insomnia is characterized by the following symptoms that interfere with natural function:

• Very hard time falling asleep
• Waking up and having a hard time falling back asleep
• Waking up very early in the morning (when you would rather be sleeping)
• Waking up completely exhausted

The best way to determine the severity of insomnia and begin the process of recovery from insomnia are to get a sleep study. Untreated long term insomnia can have physical, mental, and or mood effects that range from minor to life-interfering.

Signs That I Need a Sleep Study

For many of us, the idea of having a sleep study is an exotic “wouldn’t that be interesting?” kind of thing. However, countless examples of recent research on the importance of sleep are bringing sleep studies into the mainstream. I personally know several people whose lives have been changed by sleep studies. Sleep quality is critical for everything, from peak athlete performance to heart health to brain health.

However, sleep time does not always equate to sleep quality. There are numerous signs that you might need a sleep study, regardless of what time you go to bed and wake up. Some signs that your sleep quality is poor are:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness

• Unexplainable, consistent malaise and fatigue

• Daily irritation, anxiety, or mood swings for no clear reason

• Difficult concentrating, such as “brain fog”, or cognitive impairment

• Decreased sex drive

• Poor performance at work (regardless of the occupation, as sleep affects performance at every output)

• Stress without a clear reason

• Obesity without clear reason

• High blood pressure

• Heart disease

• Heart attack

• Irregular heart beat

• Diabetes

• Morning headaches

In other words, if you have generally been feeling down and out for no clear reason, it might be time to do a sleep study. Quality sleep means you are there for your spouse, family, and friends. They want the happy you, not the crabby, tired you.

We are so excited to let you know about the latest technology for people with sleep apnea. Ultra-portable, compact, seamlessly integrated, and superior quality are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the NEW DreamStation Go by Philips. Anchorage Sleep Center is proud to introduce you to a new portable CPAP machine which delivers on all of the features sleep apnea patients desire in a unit. The newly released Philips DreamStation Go is the perfect size and portable without lacking in effectiveness or functionality. Here are some advantages of the DreamStation for individuals who have sleep apnea.

Most people don’t get enough sleep. We are a society that burns the candle at both ends, a nation where people stay up all night to study, work, or have fun. However, going without adequate sleep carries with it both short- and long-term consequences.

Everyone knows that lack of sleep can make a person grumpy and foggy. However, not everyone knows that sleep deprivation can significantly affect your health, safety, and performance.

These are the top seven dangers of sleep deprivation:

Do you wake up earlier than you’d like or have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep? Are you excessively tired throughout the day and/or having difficulty concentrating at work or school? Do you rely heavily on caffeine to keep you awake? Does the sleep you do get feel restorative, or does it feel inadequate? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, there is a chance that you suffer from a sleep disorder.

If a sleep disorder is suspected, there will likely come a time when you will have a sleep study performed to get to the root of your sleep problems. Talking to your doctor, or one of the sleep specialists at the Anchorage Sleep Center, about your sleeping challenges is the first step in getting a sleep study performed and discovering what exactly is disturbing your slumber. Your doctor will likely have you keep a sleep diary for at least two or three weeks. This will help them better understand your symptoms and help them with their diagnosis. It wouldn’t hurt, however, to start a sleep diary as soon as you recognize that there is a problem with your sleep. Good documentation will help accelerate the process leading up to diagnosis and treatment.

It’s not surprising that the week of Thanksgiving was chosen as GERD awareness week, especially with our tendency to indulge in a little too much of everything!  GERD. or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is a common disease that affects millions of Americans.