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.

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder that prevents you from falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up at an appropriate time. This can be due an underlying cause or seem idiopathic. If you struggle with sleep and are concerned you're the only one, it may help to know that you're not alone in your quest for better sleep. Research studies demonstrate that approximately 25% of people suffer from some form of sleep disorder. This statistic is daunting as sleep deprivation can impose detrimental effects on individuals and the people around them.

Stress is a natural part of everyday life. However, too much stress can interfere with daily activities, including sleep. Stress and sleep are a vicious cycle because too much stress impacts sleep, and too little sleep worsens stress.  

One thing that can help to relieve stress that interferes with sleep is yoga. Yoga is a soothing practice that can calm the mind and relieve tension in the body. It can help lower stress and is often an effective sleep remedy. Certain inversion and resting poses are especially helpful in combatting restlessness, especially when done in the evening before attempting to get some shut-eye. Continue reading to learn 6 yoga poses that are great for sleep!

Forty percent of Americans report having symptoms of insomnia at some point within a given year, according to the National Sleep Foundation. This alarming statistic identifies a common problem across the country affecting millions of adults. Not only does being tired detract from you quality of life, poor sleep is also detrimental for your health, causing or exacerbating conditions like heart disease and depression.

Before reaching for a prescription drug, there are some lifestyle factors that may actually improve your sleep outcomes. One lifestyle factor is diet. Revamping your diet can go a long way towards improving your sleep quality, provided you opt for foods rich in the right sleep-inducing ingredients. Continue reading to learn about 7 foods that can help you sleep better. 

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a waxing and waning disease characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, affects as many as 1.6 million Americans, most of whom are diagnosed before age 30. Since there is no cure for these diseases, patients are relieved when they enter remission.

What is Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent, and sometimes uncontrollable, desire for sleep. This can result in sudden lapses into sleep at any time, any place. Normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping become abnormal. For example, someone suffering from narcolepsy may end up sleeping several times during the day and then having trouble sleeping at night.

Irregular sleeping patterns are not only inconvenient, they can have medical, emotional, and psychological consequences.

Are you or a loved one a CPAP user? They are the mainstay treatment for significantly improving sleep apnea, but up to 50% of people stop using them within one year. Why? One reason is how daunting the maintenance of their equipment is. At first, it might seem overwhelming but understand with time it will become as routine as brushing your teeth. 

What is a Sleep Diary

A sleep diary is a record of your sleep that includes all of the aspects of your sleep. Sleep diaries might be requested of you by your doctor or a sleep center in order to get more accurate data about your sleeping habits. They can be extremely important in identifying the causes of sleep problems or conditions.

Sleep diaries includes data about:

• Your sleep quality
• Your patterns of sleep
• Your pre-sleep habits

Even if not requested by your doctor, it's a good idea to keep one if you are struggling with sleep - it really only takes a few minutes each day.

Is it time to upgrade your CPAP?