Understanding The Differences Between Central Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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There are a lot of factors that contribute to a good night’s sleep, and the way we breathe is definitely one of them. Sleep apnea is one of the sleeping disorders that affect our ability to breath during the night, and it’s a lot more serious than most believe.

Despite its commonality — affecting about 22 million Americans — sleep apnea is still not well-understood. Many don’t even realize that there are two different kinds of sleep apnea: central and obstructive.

Each type of sleep apnea is caused by different factors, and without proper diagnosis and treatment, they can lead to a variety of serious health complications. That is why it is so important to understand the differences between central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea.

What Is Central Sleep Apnea?

Central sleep apnea (CSA) is not as common as it’s counterpart, obstructive sleep apnea, but it is just as serious. Central sleep apnea is caused by the brain failing to send signals to the muscles associated with breathing. This causes a patient’s breathing to be interrupted and as a result, the body and brain do not receive a normal amount of oxygen during sleep.

Central sleep apnea may occur as a result of other conditions, including metabolic diseases, trauma, brain tumors, heart failure, or stroke. The symptoms of central sleep apnea are similar to those of obstructive sleep apnea, although patients with central sleep apnea usually do not display the same level of snoring as patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Risk Factors include:

  • Old age: Unfortunately, simply being middle-aged or older can trigger CSA.
  • Heart disorders: Congestive heart failure elevates the risk for CSA.
  • Narcotic Pain Medications: Long-term use of opioids, such as methadone, increases risk of CSA
  • Stroke: Having a stroke can cause your brain signals to deter, raising the risk of CSA.

What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

As the name suggests, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is when a person’s breathing interruptions are caused by blockage of the airway. Typically, the cause of this blockage is the muscles of the throat intermittently relaxing during sleep and constricting the airway. This muscular collapse recurs throughout the night and often causes people to be aroused from their sleep cycle, although not always completely. Obstructive sleep apnea is the more common of the two kinds of sleep apnea conditions.

Some symptoms of sleep apnea occur at night during sleep, and others affect patients during the waking hours. The most distinctive symptom of obstructive sleep apnea is loud snoring.

Risk Factors include:

  • Excess weight: Being overweight make you four time more likely of developing OSAS.
  • Neck circumference: Fatty deposits around the neck can lead to the obstruction of airways.
  • A narrowed airway: This can be genetic. Also can be caused by enlarged tonsils or adenoids.
  • Being male: Men are twice as likely to develop OSAS
  • Older age: People middle-aged and older are more likely to develop OSAS
  • Family history: If your relatives suffer from OSAS your risk is greater.
  • Use of alcohol, sedatives, or tranquilizers: Since tend to relax the muscles in your throat.
  • Smoking: Smokers are three times more likely to develop OSAS. Smoking also leads to inflammation and irritated airways.
  • Nasal Congestion: Either because of your anatomy or allergies, you are more at risk for developing OSAS.

What Is Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome?

While there are only two kinds of sleep apnea syndromes, there is a third that describes when a person suffers from both Central and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome presents itself like Obstructive Sleep Apnea but also holds characteristics of Central Sleep Apnea, which show that there is a miscommunication between brain signals. Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome is still being researched and much is still being learned.

Diagnosis

If your partner or family members complain about your loud snoring, or if you suffer from other sleep apnea symptoms, then you may want to consider undergoing a sleep study. At, Pulmonary Associates of Brandon, we offer sleep studies on-site and use state of the art equipment to diagnose our patients’ sleep disorders. To learn more about the differences between central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea, or to make an appointment, contact us today!

Stress Awareness Month: How Stress Impacts Sleep

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Losing sleep is a casualty of life, as is stress! Despite being normal as an occasional experience, frequent and severe stress can lead to pretty devastating health effects. One of the very first things affected by stress is your sleep quality, that’s why this Stress Awareness Month we want to discuss the links between stress and sleep.

Here are some facts about how stress impacts sleep.

1. Severe stress can cause Hyperarousal. Hyperarousal is most common in people who suffer from PTSD, but it is also seen in people with severe stress and chronic insomnia. The disorder causes one to go into “fight or flight” mode or to be on guard and overly alert. This level of anxiety impedes the mind from relaxing and welcoming sleep.

2. Less sleep equals more stress hormones. High stress and little sleep can quickly turn into a vicious cycle where one thing leads to the other and vice versa. Stress can often lead to poor sleep or wakefulness, which in turn causes the mind to overexert itself. When our brain lacks rest, it produces more stress hormones to allow the body to remain alert. This, in turn, will also make it more difficult to fall asleep the next night, despite being tired.

3. Stress increases the risk of Insomnia. Not everyone that experiences stress has trouble falling or remaining asleep. Nonetheless, chronic stress and periods of high stress can make someone more at risk of developing temporary insomnia, while major or long-lasting stress can lead to chronic insomnia.

4. Stress reduces your quality of sleep. Even if someone with a lot of stress can fall asleep, they may find that their sleep is unsatisfactory and unfulfilling. They may wake up tired, fatigued, and irritable. These symptoms can go on to affect daily tasks and their work and personal life.

5. Stress can trigger sleep disorders. Stress and sleep deprivation is a common risk factor for many sleep disorders, such as Parasomnias like Restless Leg Syndrome, Sleep Paralysis, Confusional Arousal, and Sleep Talking. All of these types of sleep disorders can result in poor sleep quality and deteriorate your health.

Being in a constant state of stress is a lot more damaging to health than most people realize, and losing sleep only exacerbates your stress. Don’t let these become a cycle you have to escape from this Stress Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is suffering from poor sleep due to stress, it may be a good idea to seek treatment from a sleep specialist. To book an appointment or to learn more about how stress impacts sleep, contact us today.

National Sleep Awareness Week: 5 Tricks For A Better Night’s Sleep

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Daylight Savings Time began last Sunday, which for most of us meant losing an hour of sleep. Spring’s wind-back on the clocks is notorious for throwing people off their sleep schedule and ruining everyone’s internal clock, as well as their mood. This is why the National Sleep Foundation has deemed March 11 – 17 as National Sleep Awareness Week.

Don’t let this year’s time change take you for a loop. Daylight Savings Time is a challenge, but it’s also a great opportunity for us to reevaluate our sleeping habits. To help you adjust, we’ve gathered some tips and steps that you can take to make this year’s time shift a little easier.

Make A Sleep Pact

Regardless of whether the clocks turn forward or back, the point remains that you need a given amount of sleep to feel rested and refreshed. So, make a pact with yourself to go to bed whenever necessary to still get the hours of sleep your body needs. This may be difficult at first, but rather than shooting for an hour earlier, try going to bed just 15 minutes earlier than the day before. Soon enough, you’ll have caught up with the time. (Pro Tip: Don’t let the late sunrise fool you). 

Set Up Your Bedroom Environment

National Sleep Awareness Week is the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your sleeping habits as well as your sleep environment. Your bedroom should be reflective of what you are trying to achieve when you go to it: peace, quiet, relaxation, and tranquility. To set up a room that is reflective of these things just use your senses! Make sure it’s cool, dark, quiet, clean and fragrant. If you are very sensitive to sounds during the night, it may be helpful to keep a device that produces white noise on, such as a fan.

Make Relaxation Your Goal

If you’re one of those people who have trouble falling asleep, this tip will probably help you out. Many times, when we’re trying to fall asleep, we concentrate on just falling asleep when in reality we should be focusing on relaxing. Pushing ourselves to fall asleep is often counterproductive. What actually leads us to fall asleep is being relaxed! So, next time you’re trying to fall asleep, focus on loosening all your muscles and slowing your breath. You’ll be asleep before you know it — and without having to even think about.

Avoid Naps

Naps may be appealing when you aren’t getting a good night’s sleep, but they may not be doing you any favors. Daytime naps deregulate your body’s internal clock and often take the bulk of your sleepiness, so when it’s time to actually go to sleep you are restless and awake. It may be difficult, but staying awake throughout the day will benefit you enormously, even if you end up falling asleep early.

Exercise Daily

Unwinding at night is as much a mental thing as it is a physical thing. You may find that you’re mentally exhausted but you can’t stop moving. This is normal if your body has not been given enough exercise throughout the day. Adding at least 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine can go a long way towards tiring your body and allowing you to relax and fall asleep at night. If you’re considering starting a workout regime, you may also want to consider working out outside (at least in part). Getting sunlight during the day is also an important factor in regulating your internal clock and allowing your body to slow down once it gets dark.

Daylight Savings Time is upon us and the National Sleep Awareness Week is all about helping you get through it. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to our health so, don’t let this Spring’s time change take you for a loop! For any questions on how to adjust to the time change or about your sleep disorder, contact us to book an appointment!

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Your Insomnia

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Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, affecting 6 to 10 percent of the world’s population. Despite its commonality, though, the sleep disorder often goes undiagnosed and/or untreated. One of the reasons is because insomnia is oftentimes experienced differently from person to person, and many believe that their lack is sleep is nothing serious.

In reality, not being able to sleep (for whatever reason) is enough to put anyone on edge and it can quickly cause other serious health problems such as depression, diabetes, and heart failure. If you suspect that your sleeping problems are becoming chronic, or if you have been diagnosed with insomnia, then you probably ought to know about the dangers of ignoring treatment and how insomnia can affect you long term.
 

What Are The Symptoms Of Insomnia?

Though this may change from person to person, people with insomnia generally experience:

  • Difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Very early waking hours despite when they went to sleep
  • A lack of restorative sleep
  • Daytime symptoms such as fatigue, trouble concentrating, mood disturbances, and/or memory loss.

Long-Term Effects Of Insomnia

  1. Increased Anxiety and Depression: When you can’t sleep, inevitably, your brain cannot rest or recover. Over time, your body and your mind start to become slower, fatigued, and depressed. Your body/mind may try to fight back by putting you on high alert, which causes you to become anxious. This can quickly become a vicious cycle as anxiety and depression can actually prevent you from achieving a good night’s sleep.
  2. Weight Gain: Lack of sleep has been found to affect your “hunger hormones,” known as leptin and ghrelin. Leptin signals satiety to the brain and suppresses appetite, while ghrelin stimulates hunger. When you don’t sleep well, levels of ghrelin increase, while levels of leptin decrease. When this happens, a person may crave high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods.
  3. Type 2 Diabetes: With weight gain comes the risk of diabetes. Many people who have insomnia already have type 2 diabetes, but those who do not should definitely guard against it by staying conscious of their diet and exercise.
  4. Congestive Heart Failure: Insomnia affects 10 to 15 percent of the population in the U.S. but it’s estimated to as high as 44 percent among cardiac patients. Many of the same side effects of insomnia (high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, poor circadian rhythm) can also cause cardiac problems and result in heart disease, a heart attack or stroke, and/or heart failure.
  5. Low Testosterone/Estrogen: With low energy, sleepiness, and increased tension comes low hormone levels. This not only means a lower sex drive, but also shifts in weight, loss of muscle and bone mass, moodiness, fatigue, and more.

Insomnia is nothing to take lightly, and if you’re experiencing its symptoms, it may not be too hard to admit that treatment may be a welcome experience if it helps you return to a having a good night’s sleep. Even if your symptoms are not severe or frequent, over time a lack of sleep will threaten your health and even shorten your lifespan. Book an appointment to discuss your sleeping habits with one of our sleep specialists today.

 Parasomnias 101: Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS)

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My head is going to explode!” Sounds familiar, right? We’re all guilty of using the expression from time to time when our kids are getting hyperactive and we can’t manage that, or when work stress takes over and it seems like there are not enough hours in a day to complete all our tasks.

For some people, though, an “exploding head” is a legitimate syndrome they have to live with. Unfortunately, not many people pay proper attention to the exploding head syndrome (EHS) and simply write it off as the result of a stressful day or some other issue. Let’s get it straight: exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a serious parasomnia, which needs to be addressed by a doctor appropriately.

What is Exploding Head Syndrome?

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a type of parasomnia in which person hears extremely loud noises when going to sleep or waking up. The sounds are often described as a bomb explosion, gunshot, thunder and lightning, fireworks, or gunfire. One patient described exploding head syndrome like “this sudden crescendo of noise, then a profound and jarring explosion of sound, electrical fizzing and a bright flash in my vision, like someone has lit a spotlight in front of my face”.

No matter what type of sound a person hears, it’s almost always painless and short, but very disturbing and confusing. Additionally, people suffering from exploding head syndrome may have tachycardia and palpitations associated with the parasomnia condition.

What causes exploding head syndrome?

Unfortunately, scientists and researchers don’t have a univocal response to that question. Some scientists state that EHS is linked to minor temporal lobe seizures, while others claim that the syndrome is caused by ear dysfunctions or by good (not really) old stress and anxiety. That being said, variable and broken sleep can certainly be considered as a highly prominent cause of exploding head syndrome.

For example, Dr. Brian Sharpless of Argosy University, Northern Virginia explored that exploding head syndrome is actually linked to isolated sleep paralysis, that is another parasomnia in which a sufferer can’t move or speak when falling asleep or awakening. In the study of 211 undergraduate students Dr. Sharpless was conducting, he and his team found out that one-third of all EHS sufferers also experience sleep paralysis.

Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS) risk groups:

Scientists claim that exploding head syndrome only affects 1/10 of the entire population. On top of that, the researchers say that women are more prone to the condition than men and the average age of those obtaining the syndrome range between 50 and 65 years old.

Exploding Head Syndrome treatment:

 Due to its benign nature, in most cases, EHS doesn’t require medical treatment. However, if a person is experiencing a disturbed sleep as a result of EHS or has any other disturbing consequences, a treatment may be required. Although there’s no specific treatment existing, a number of medications ranging from anti-seizure drugs to calcium-channel blockers can be used to relieve the symptoms in addition to other therapies like relaxation, improved sleep routine, and counseling. Beyond that, a sleep study may help to identify the underlying causes and find an appropriate treatment for each particular case.

What to do if you suffer from Exploding Head Syndrome?

 While there’s no clear EHS treatment out there, a sleep study may help to identify the underlying causes of the condition and fight the seizures with an appropriate treatment. If you find yourself having EHS attacks, don’t wait until it turns into a complete nightmare -just contact our sleep center and ask for help. Our sleep doctors have an outstanding experience in all types of parasomnias and will be able to find the right treatment for you.

Parasomnias 101: Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED)

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You probably won’t find a person who’s never been caught eating late at night, especially if the fridge is full of scrumptious food and kind of beckons you to check it out. However, if you are regularly binge-eating at night and can’t fully control your nighttime routine, it’s time to seek professional help. Many people don’t know this, but the urge to binge-eat at night may signal a sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) that can be very dangerous for your overall health. Never heard of a sleep-related eating disorder? Don’t feel bad, most people haven’t. Here are the ins and outs:

What Is A Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED)?

Sleep-related eating disorder is classified as parasomnia and is characterized by abnormal eating habits during the night time. Unlike nocturnal eating syndrome (NES), sleep-related eating disorder mostly affects people when they are partially or fully asleep and can’t control their actions.

During a sleep-related eating disorder attack, people can consume abnormal combinations of foods in substantially large amounts. On top of that, a person suffering from a sleep-related eating disorder will only partially remember that they were eating something at night.

Sometimes it may be challenging to wake up a person during an episode of SRED; instead, there’re high chances to arouse aggression and resistance.

Who Is At A Higher Risk For Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (SRED)?

While both males and females can suffer from SRED, women are often at higher risk, with 70% of all sufferers being female.

Additionally, people who suffer from any eating disorders like bulimia or purging disorder are just as exposed to the risk of getting a sleep-related eating disorder as other sleep disorder sufferers. For example, around half of SRED sufferers have had at least one other type of sleep disorder prior to obtaining a sleep-related eating disorder. Most often people who are exposed to sleepwalking, another type of parasomnias, have the highest chances to obtain SRED in the future.

Finally, some types of medications like hypnotic sleep medications, antidepressants, or antipsychotics may significantly increase the risk of developing a sleep-related eating disorder. 

Complications That May Arise From Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

If your sleep-related eating disorder occurs frequently enough, it can cause a number of unpleasant—and even dangerous—conditions. Some examples of the most common are:

  • Sleep-related injury
  • Stomach pain
  • Food poisoning
  • Weight gain
  • Increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes
  • Daytime tiredness from poor sleep

Symptoms Of Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

All sleep-related eating disorder attacks occur at earlier stages of your sleep cycle and can include:

  • Nighttime eating and drinking out of control
  • Partial or no memory of the episode the next day
  • Trouble being awakened during SRED episodes
  • Injuries during SRED episodes
  • Eating bizarre food combinations that a person’s body is not used to

How Are Sleep-Related Eating Disorders Treated?

After an initial interview with your doctor, who will ask detailed questions about your daily and nightly routine, you’ll probably be invited to stay one or more nights at a sleep center in order to monitor your brain activity at night. Once your brain activity is measured and analyzed, your sleep doctor will find an appropriate treatment aimed at addressing the factors that trigger your sleep-related eating disorder. For example, if you suffer from another food-related disorder, your treatment will include a therapy towards both disorders, which will help mitigate the effects of each.

Sleep Disorders 101: Parasomnias

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Parasomnias, just like most other sleep disorders, are always underrated. Ideally, if your sleep is normal and you don’t experience any sleep disorders, you should always wake up rested and full of energy. Yet, many of us complain about feeling sleepy every single day, blaming anything and everything – work, kids, those noisy neighbors, stress – but never consider that there could be a medical reason for our fatigue. The sad fact is that many of us have one type of parasomnia or another without even knowing it.

What Are Parasomnias?

The term “parasomnia” refers to an entire group of sleep disorders that cause numerous troubles while you are falling asleep, sleeping, or waking up. Parasomnias include irregular physical or verbal activities and can be disruptive to both the person experiencing parasomnias and the bed partner.

The most dangerous aspect is that you remain asleep during all activities and don’t recall anything disturbing in the morning. Most common parasomnias are sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sleep-related eating disorders, confusional arousals, nightmare disorders, sleep paralysis, bedwetting, sleep hallucinations and sleep talking.

When Do Parasomnias Occur?

Parasomnias can be experienced at all stages of sleep and have different symptoms depending on which sleep cycle they occur during. If they occur while you are falling asleep, you may experience hallucinations or sleep paralysis, where you still feel awake but can’t really move. Once you are already asleep, parasomnias often present as abnormal dream-enacting behaviors. When you are waking up, you might have hallucinations or sleep-related eating disorders.

What Causes Parasomnias?

There are a number of different risk factors that might contribute to parasomnia development. Some of the most common are the following:

  • Age: Age would certainly be an important factor since parasomnias like bedwetting and sleepwalking often occur during childhood.
  • Stress: Stress is also a heavy contributor to different types of parasomnias like sleepwalking, night terrors, sleep-related eating disorders, sleep paralysis and more. 
  • Genetics: Additionally, genetics can play a huge role. If your parents struggle with any types of parasomnia, you are most likely to have them as well.
  • Drug and alcohol abuse: It will not only ruin your liver but also cause a whole bouquet of new parasomnias and definitely worsen any existing ones.
  • Medicine: No matter how effective your medications are, some of them may have various types of parasomnias as a side effect.
  • PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is frequently associated with a type of parasomnias like nightmare disorder. Almost ⅘ of PTSD patients would experience nightmare disorder during at least 2-3 months after the trauma.

What Are The Types Of Parasomnias?

There are two main types of parasomnias, which are classified by sleep cycle they occur at: NREM and REM parasomnias. NREM parasomnias occur earlier at night, while REM parasomnias occur at later stages of the sleep cycle.

NREM parasomnias include, but are not limited to:

REM parasomnias include, but are not limited to:

  • Sleep paralysis
  • Breath-holding (catathrenia)
  • REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)
  • Nightmare disorder

When Should I Visit The Doctor?

Although it’s not uncommon to experience some type of sleep disorder from time to time, especially during a time of extreme stress, some symptoms require immediate medical attention. Make sure you visit the doctor if your sleep behavior is negatively affecting you or others.

In addition, you can take a short Epworth Sleep Scale test to figure out if your sleepiness is beyond the normal range of healthy adults. And, of course, if you experience any abovementioned symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact our Florida Sleep Disorder Center. For over 30 years of practice, our team has helped thousands of patients with sleep disorders and will be happy to help you!

5 Ways A Sleep Specialist Can Change Your Life

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It has been drilled into our brains since we were young that getting eight hours of sleep a day is not just ideal but very important. However, actually getting eight hours every night is easier said than done. When some people have constant trouble falling asleep or find themselves having other sleep problems such as insomnia or sleep apnea, they make their way to a sleep specialist to find a solution.

What is a sleep specialist in Brandon?

A sleep specialist underwent extensive training to diagnose and treat sleep-related disorders which enable the specialist to observe irregularities that occur during your sleep. When these problems are recognized and diagnosed, the patient’s life can be changed completely, not only because he or she will finally be able to get a good night’s sleep, but because of the effects sleep causes on the rest of our lives. The time we spend asleep is just as important as the time we spend awake.

How can a sleep specialist and sleep disorder treatment change my everyday life?

1.     Sleep specialists can answer the questions your restless mind has been looking for in between tosses and turns. During a sleep study, a specialist can observe all the things a sleeping patient can not see on their own. Once these problems are pointed out and diagnosed, the solutions can start.

2.     Snoring, which happens when so many people fall asleep, can actually be a symptom of a bigger problem. Snoring is not as normal as most people believe and should be observed if it gets to a certain point. Sleep specialists can help find the cause of snoring and put it to an end.

3.     Not getting enough sleep can cause fatigue and stress during the hours the patient is awake. This can lead to constantly feeling distracted, tired and weak. A sleep specialist can help pinpoint the issues that cause a patient to not be able to fall asleep and, once these issues are taken care of, the patient will be more lively, awake and rested for the daytime.

4.     Sleep and heart disease can be linked very tightly. Not getting enough sleep can lead to high blood pressure or stress on the cardiac system. Overtime, constantly not getting enough sleep can lead to much larger cardiac issues. Sleep specialists can help resolve issues before they get out of hand.

5.     Getting enough sleep can actually help with weight management. For people who are constantly struggling with their weight and getting control of it. Sleep specialists are able to help patients manage their sleep and because of this, manage their weight.

Sleep issues are known to cause domino effects in patients’ health. The first step to stopping these dominos before they begin is to set up an appointment with a sleep specialist in Brandon. If you are searching for a sleep specialist in Brandon, simply schedule an appointment online with Pulmonary Associates of Brandon.

5 Common Myths About Sleep Disorders

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Sleep is a major cornerstone of good health and wellness; yet according to the National Sleep Foundation, nearly 7 in 10 Americans experience frequent sleep problems. And even less have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder. Lack of sleep and common sleep disorders can affect everything from your workplace productivity to causing strained relationships at home. Sleep disorders come in many varieties, including sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy.

Though sleep disorders are relatively common, there exists a significant amount of confusion or misinformation regarding them. Below, we list and debunk a few of the most common myths about sleep disorders. This way, if you’re experiencing any sleep disorders, you can learn what’s really contributing to your condition and get the treatment you need.

Myth #1 – Sleep Disorders Aren’t Related to Health Conditions

Despite some beliefs that health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and obesity are not related to the quality of sleep, our sleep studies and research show that this is false. An abundance of scientific studies has also shown correlations between insufficient or poor-quality sleep and a variety of diseases, including those listed above. Lack of sleep can also contribute to health conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

Myth #2 – the Older You Are, the Less Sleep You Need

You’ve probably heard someone say they are completely “fine” running on 5 hours of sleep. But even though they may feel okay, they probably aren’t noticing the subtle strains a lack of sleep is putting on their life, whether it’s an absence of motivation or irritability. Sleep experts agree that most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night for best health and performance. Do keep in mind that it is healthy for sleep patterns to change as you age. When you may have once gotten your 8 hours sleeping 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., you may now sleep 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. and feel no difference.

> Read More: Treating Lung, Breathing & Sleeping Disorders

Myth #3 – You Can Make Up for Fewer Hours of Sleep at Night with Naps

While many people enjoy a power nap in the afternoon to recharge, studies show anything more than that during the day can affect your sleep patterns by putting you into the deeper stages of REM sleep. Don’t bank on trying to “make up” for lost sleep time with naps, as these can disrupt your normal sleep patterns and leave you more tired than you were to begin with. Instead, just plan on getting to sleep earlier the next night.

Myth #4 – Stay in Bed When You Can’t Sleep

Getting out of bed when a bout of restlessness kicks in may sound counterintuitive, but many sleep experts attest to the fact that forcing sleep when you don’t feel tired may cause stress and keep you awake even longer. Instead, doing something relaxing like reading a book or listening to calm music may help induce sleep. Avoid looking at the clock, turning on bright lights, watching TV or checking your phone, as the light may impede melatonin production.

Myth #5 – Snoring Doesn’t Cause Health Problems

Snoring can be indicative of a number of sleep disorders and health conditions, such as sleep apnea or heart disease. Gasping for breath or gaps in breathing are other alarming signs of sleep disorders and that it’s time to reach out to a sleep specialist to discuss treatment options. If you or a loved one experiences prolonged snoring or breathing issues while sleeping, speak with your doctor about it.

Be sure to consult your physician if you are experiencing sleep issues. There are many options when it comes to alleviating sleep disorders.

The Dangerous Side of Sleep Apnea

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Sleep apnea is a very serious sleep disorder that interrupts how you breathe during sleep, but sleep apnea treatment options are available.  When you stop breathing, your brain and body do not get enough oxygen. People with obstructive sleep apnea often snore through the night, even more than the average person snores. These people don’t know how to stop snoring and will probably keep other family members awake.  Unfortunately, an annoyed spouse is the least of their problems.

The most common type of sleep apnea is caused by a blockage in the airway. Often, the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses while breathing at night. Another type of sleep apnea is Central Sleep Apnea, which is when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe when you are sleeping.

The symptoms of sleep apnea include sore, dry throat, loud snoring, lack of energy, headaches, mood changes and insomnia. Left untreated, you could face some serious health risks including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain, asthma, and acid reflux. Pulmonary Associates of Brandon offers several treatment options for patients suffering from sleep apnea depending on type and severity.

Here are some of the dangers of sleep apnea:

High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease

Obstructive sleep apnea causes high blood pressure due to hormonal changes in the body.  Lack of oxygen at night contributes to increased levels of hormones.  Individuals with high blood pressure that are treated for sleep apnea, will often see improved symptoms and often reduce their need for blood pressure medications.

When obstructive sleep apnea occurs, it directly impacts your heart’s functionality. The lack of oxygen when being woken up, causes increased stress on the heart.  This stress can lead to a stroke or heart attack over time.

Type 2 Diabetes and Weight Gain

Not getting enough sleep causes the body to not process insulin properly, which is why sleep apnea is often linked to Type 2 Diabetes.  Being overweight often leads to symptoms of sleep apnea. This is because excess weight can result in fatty deposits forming in your neck, which makes it hard to breathe.  It is estimated about 40% of those with sleep apnea also have diabetes.

When you have sleep apnea, the body often releases the hormone ghrelin. This hormone makes you crave sweets and sugar and also inhibits your body’s ability to burn food correctly and turn it into energy. When you treat sleep apnea it can lead to more energy and weight loss.  

Acid Reflux and GERD

Acid reflux disease is very common in people that have sleep apnea.  When these individuals are sleeping, their throat opens and closes in a way that is not ideal. As air flows in and out during the night, it can cause symptoms of GERD. The pressure sucks the contents of the stomach back into the esophagus causing heartburn which is an initial symptom of GERD.  Weight loss often helps relieve the symptoms of reflux as a result of sleep apnea, but when you treat the sleep disorder, you could kill two birds with one stone.

Mood Disorders and Headaches

Lack of sleep from sleep apnea can cause frequent headaches in the morning. If you’re waking up every morning with a pounding headache, it will undoubtedly cause your moods to become erratic. You may get angry or feel like crying over nothing, and who could blame you? Sleep is integral to emotional stability which is why sleep apnea can impact how you function every day.

Contact The Florida Sleep Center or Pulmonary Associates of Brandon for a sleep evaluation and study if you believe that you’ve been suffering from symptoms of sleep apnea. Our sleep center in Brandon can diagnose your condition and help you on the road to good health. Our doctors offer treatments including behavior modification, surgery, CPAP treatment, medications, and oral/dental devices, but our physicians can help you determine the best option for you. Learn more today.