Sleep Disorders
West Jefferson Sleep Disorders Center
Sleepless nights are nothing to take lightly. The whole body suffers without sleep, and it can even lead to serious health complications like high blood pressure, which increases risk of heart attack and stroke. Sleep disorders come in many forms. Identifying the cause of your sleeping problems is a key factor in creating a treatment plan.
Our Sleep Disorders Center is designed with special rooms for daytime diagnostic sleep studies. During a sleep study, our sleep specialists can observe your behaviors when trying to rest and help you figure out what’s causing your sleep disorder.
The following are some common sleep disorders:
- Insomnia – Perhaps the most well-known sleep disorder, insomnia is condition where a person cannot fall asleep or has trouble staying asleep. There are many possible causes of insomnia, including arthritis, asthma, and muscle pains, but it can also be caused by psychological conditions that require cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment.
- Sleep apnea – This is a very common and serious sleep disorder where a person stops breathing periodically while asleep. Many patients with sleep apnea have abnormally loud snoring, but this symptom is not present in all cases. Severe cases of sleep apnea are treated with a C-pap device patients wear while sleeping.
- Restless leg syndrome – Feeling an itchy or uncomfortable feeling in the legs when trying to sleep is something most people will experience at some point in their lives, but if this happens to you on a regular basis and prevents you from sleeping you should seek treatment. This condition could be caused by a disease or an adverse reaction to medication. Treatment is aimed at helping your body feel more at ease so you can sleep in peace.
- Narcolepsy – This sleeping disorder is different from most in that it causes excessive feelings of drowsiness. Narcoleptics can fall asleep involuntarily at various times throughout the day. It is thought to be caused by the absence of the chemical hypocretin in the brain. There is no cure for this condition, but it can be managed through medication and behavioral treatments.
- Abnormal circadian rhythm – The circadian rhythm is your body’s internal sleep schedule. Depression, night shifts at work, and other factors can shift this rhythm out of place. A sleep medicine specialist can help you create a plan to get your rhythm back in sync.
Contact the West Jefferson Sleep Disorders Center today by calling 504.349.6966 and tell us more about your difficulty sleeping.
