SleepCare™
Center of Southern New Jersey
an affiliate of Kessler Memorial Hospital
CALL 1-800-SLEEP RX

Do you have trouble sleeping?

Feel excessively tired during the day?

Fall asleep at inappropriate time?

Snore to beat the band?

YOU MAY HAVE A SLEEP DISORDER.
AND YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

    The effects of sleep disorders range from mere annoyances to those that are life-threatening.  Sleep disorders have been found to play a role in high blood pressure, heart disease, poor work performance and strained family relationships.  They cannot only affect your health, but can interfere with a happy and productive life.

    It is important that persons with sleep problems get an appropriate evaluation to determine the underlying cause.

    Because there are so many different types and causes of sleep problems, an evaluation includes a medical and sleep history and physical examination.

    Some patients will then be asked to undergo a nocturnal polysomnogram, or nighttime sleep study.  This provides information about sleep stages and cycles, awakenings, and abnormal movements.  It also identifies any breathing and/or heart irregularities.

    Testing is only done by certified sleep disorder technicians.

    Once an evaluation is completed, a diagnosis is made and a treatment plan is established.  Treatment may include nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a dental appliance, or surgery for sleep apnea.  Other treatments may include medications, counseling and/or changes in sleep habits and routines.

Most sleep disorders fall into 3 categories.

EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS

    Excessive daytime sleepiness often indicates a serious underlying medical disorder such as sleep apnea, a condition in which a patient actually stops breathing.

Periodic leg movements (PLMS) during sleep, which are characterized by small muscle jerks (often unnoticed by both patient and spouse), can also disturb sleep.

Other causes of excessive daytime sleepiness include some neurologic diseases and narcolepsy, in which sleep attacks occur at inappropriate times.

SLEEP-RELATED PHENOMENA

Sleep-related phenomena refer to things such as sleep waling, bed-wetting, night terrors, frequent nightmares, sleep paralysis, and REM sleep behavior disorder, in which people act out their dreams, often inflicting injuries on themselves and others.

SNORING

Loud, chronic snoring is not funny, nor is it normal.  People who snore may have difficulty during the day with memory and concentration.  Often they fall asleep when engaged in quiet activities.

For an estimated one in 100 persons--typically overweight, middle-aged men--extremely loud, habitual snoring is the first indication of a potentially life-threatening disorder called sleep apnea.

CALL 1-800-SLEEP RX

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