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The Sleep Center at Rice

Is your snore too loud to ignore?
Do you fall asleep during the day when you shouldn’t?
Have your kids and spouse threatened to move out?
Snoring and daytime sleepiness are no laughing matter.

While each sleep disorder has its own characteristic symptoms and indicators, if you have a combination of the following factors you could have a serious sleep disorder:

• Loud snoring
• Interrupted breathing while asleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Irritability at work or home
• Overweight (large neck size)
• Male over the age of 40
• Awakening suddenly at night with a choking or gasping sensation
• Morning headaches
• Hypertension
• Depression
• Restless limb movements
• Falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as driving or working
• Difficulty concentrating

If you are concerned about experiencing a combination of these indicators, your physician will be able to help you decide which testing and treatments are best for you.  He or she may ask you to complete a questionnaire about your sleeping and waking behavior before recommending a Sleeping Disorder Study at Rice Memorial Hospital.

Could you have a sleeping disorder?
A sleep disorder is a condition that abnormally affects the quality, duration or behavior of your sleep.  Sleep disorders fall into three general categories:  primary sleep disorders, secondary sleep disorders, and other sleep disorders.
Primary sleep disorders are caused by some sort of internal disturbance in the sleep-wake cycle.  Common primary sleep disorders include:

• Sleep apnea –a condition in which breathing stops during sleep
• Circadian rhythm sleep disorder – which involves a resetting of the body’s sleep clock
• Hypersomnia – which is sleeping too much and sleeping at the wrong times
• Narcolepsy – which involves a sudden, overwhelming need to sleep at all times of the day
• Primary insomnia – which is trouble falling or staying asleep

Secondary sleep disorders involve unusual behaviors or body events associated with sleep.  These include:

• Nightmare disorders – which involve frightening dreams
• Sleep terrors – which involve abrupt awakening and intense fear
• Restless limb movements – a crawling or thrashing movement while sleeping and the inability to hold the legs still while sleeping
• Sleepwalking

Other sleep disorders may also be part of a mental disorder, such as anxiety or depression.  They could also be caused by medical conditions, such as hormonal imbalances, medication, or abuse of substances.

What is the most common sleep disorder?
Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder.  An estimated ten percent of the adult population snores.  For the most part, snoring has no serious medical consequences.  However, for an estimated five in 100 people, snoring is the first indication of a potentially life-threatening disorder called obstructive sleep apnea.  The typical sleep apnea patient is a large, middle-aged man with extremely loud, habitual snoring.
People with sleep apnea don’t breathe properly during sleep, and as a result, don’t get enough oxygen.  This results in extremely poor quality sleep.

 “Diagnosing sleep apnea is a life altering experience for most patients,” says Dr. Patricia D’Aquila.  “They go from snoring at night and feeling fatigued during the day to feeling refreshed after a night’s rest and able to participate in their daily lives with renewed energy.  What they probably don’t realize is that they greatly reduce the likelihood of significant health problems that can occur if they were not diagnosed.  They improve both the quality of their lives and their health when they are diagnosed and treated appropriately.”

"I woke up nightly with my heart racing," said Bob Fader, "During the day I was intensely fatigued with constant headaches. My snoring was reaching legendary decibel levels - something was definitely wrong." Bob was directed to a sleep study at Rice. When he was diagnosed with sleep apnea, he was fitted with a CPAP mask to help him breathe normally during sleep. "With my own CPAP, my quality of life has improved drastically," he reported. "I think more clearly. I no longer have headaches and my wife is finally getting her rest, too. All it took was one appointment to change my life."

Other common sleep disorders include insomnia, restless limb movements, narcolepsy and night terrors.

If your doctor recommends a Sleep Study
If it is determined that you should have a sleep study, you will be scheduled for a special sleep test called a polysomnogram.  You will come as an outpatient to Rice Memorial Hospital and will go to the sleep laboratory which is located in the Respiratory Care Department.  The test takes place in a special sleeping room.  A sleep technician oversees the study.
Before the study begins, you will be attached to several small sensors.  These sensors record your heart rate, chest movement, airflow, oxygen saturation, snoring, body position, leg movements and brain waves.  Most people fall asleep as usual.
After the attending physician has reviewed your sleep study, he or she will suggest a therapy program to your physician.  You may need to return to the sleep study room for treatment at a later date.

What happens if you’re diagnosed with sleep apnea?
One of the most highly effective treatments for obstructive sleep apnea is the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a mask worn over the nose during sleep. Pressure from an air compressor forces air through the nasal passages and into the airway. This pressure holds the airway open and allows the person to breathe normally.  To learn more, visit the Rice Home Medical website.
Surgical procedures may also be effective in removing excess tissue from the throat.
Symptoms and treatment methods can vary depending on the severity of the condition. Check with your health care professional about your sleep apnea cause, diagnosis and treatment plan.

What can you do to reduce episodes of sleep apnea?
In addition to the treatment recommended by your physician, you can take these steps to help relieve the symptoms of apnea:

• Lose weight
• Avoid caffeine
• Reduce or eliminate alcohol use
• Be smoke-free
• Avoid sleeping pills
• Relieve nasal congestion through medications suggested by your health care professional

For more information on sleep disorders, visit www.sleepfoundation.org.

The Medical Director of the Sleep Apnea lab at Rice Memorial Hospital is Patricia D'Aquila, MD.
Affiliated Community Medical Center

For more information please call:
Rice Respiratory Care Diagnostics
320.231.4260