Sleepiness is a normal phenomenon encountered by anyone who is sleep-deprived. Sleepiness is brief and corrected by increasing sleep time. Sleepiness of greater intensity and duration may reflect a serious medical problem. Often, automobile accidents, work problems, family difficulties and social embarrassment are side effects of this type of sleep disorder. Evaluation at the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers will help confirm a diagnosis and establish a treatment program.
Heavy snoring can be a sign of sleep-disordered breathing and is often a problem for bed partners. Sleep Apnea Syndrome affects from 1 to 5 percent of the population, particularly the middle-aged and geriatric, and results in recurrent gaps in breathing. Sleep apnea can cause a reduction in oxygen supply to the body and brain, a strain on the heart and lungs, and profoundly disturbed sleep. Effective treatments are available for snoring and for the various forms of sleep-disordered breathing. Often, a second night of evaluation is required to determine the correct treatment.
Narcolepsy and its variants, neurologic disorders that result in “sleep attacks” (excessive daytime sleepiness) that can be quite disabling, can now be clearly identified with sleep testing. While there is no cure for narcolepsy, the management of this disorder, through lifestyle changes, medication and good sleep hygiene, can mean the difference between disability and productive living.
Chronic sleep deprivation can be caused by underlying disorders of the sleep/wake cycle or an emotional disorder. Using various behavioral and psychological techniques, diagnosis and treatment can help resolve this problem.
Virtually everyone has an occasional bad night of sleep. Short-term stress, jet lag, medical illness or emotional problems can produce a period of disturbed sleep, which usually improves when the problem causing the insomnia is resolved. Unfortunately, many people suffer from persistent chronic insomnia that seems to have no obvious cause.
Emotional problems, particularly depression, may often be present with an insomnia complaint. Through sleep studies and psychological testing, such a psychiatric diagnosis can be made and the appropriate treatment plan or referral implemented.
Frequently, continued poor sleep reflects an expectation or “worry” about not being able to sleep, which is difficult to overcome. Poor sleep habits, misuse of medications, irregular work schedules or specific environmental disturbances may produce chronic insomnia. Persistent emotional difficulties also can produce impaired sleep. Disturbed breathing patterns (sleep apnea) can produce symptomatic poor sleep. Repeated muscle spasm (sleep myoclonus), often in the legs, can also cause insomnia. A sleep evaluation defines the various causes of a patient’s insomnia problem and helps our specialists design an appropriate treatment program.
Childhood and adolescent sleep difficulties, particularly the inability to sleep at usual times or to sleep soundly, may be caused by various factors, including sleep apnea, poor sleep hygiene, and emotional adjustment difficulties. A sleep evaluation, for children ages 6 years and older, can help diagnose the cause. In addition, treatment is available at the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers.
Drug dependence, whether on a prescribed tranquilizer/sedative, or on an illegal drug, is often at the heart of a sleep complaint. A sleep center may be the best place to undertake the education and confrontation necessary to help someone acknowledge a problem and offer a workable alternative.
Sleepwalking, bedwetting, frequent nightmares, night terrors and nocturnal seizures are all “events of sleep” that are upsetting, disruptive and sometimes even dangerous. Most commonly, such events are encountered in children and go away without treatment. Nevertheless, persistent sleep terror, bedwetting or similar events (called parasomnias) can be a serious problem in the family. In adults, they can produce social and psychological difficulties.
REM Behavior Disorders are characterized by a lack of paralysis (muscle atonia) that normally occurs during REM sleep. This may cause the sleeper to “act out,” experience atypical movements, or exhibit aggressive behavior during the REM stages of sleep. These behaviors may be documented by videotape recordings together with polysomnography (sleep testing). The diagnosis is also confirmed by the patient’s medical history.
Effective treatments for parasomnias are available after evaluation at the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers.