Sleep disorders

We treat a variety of sleep disorders, including:

• Hypersomnia (chronic or abnormal daytime fatigue)
• Insomnia (chronic trouble falling asleep, chronic trouble staying asleep or unrefreshing sleep)
• Narcolepsy (daily episodes of excessive, inappropriate sleepiness combined with sensations of a sudden loss of muscle tone)
• Parasomnia (abnormal behaviors during sleep, including sleep talking, night terrors, nightmares, sleep paralysis, sleep schedule disturbances, sleep-related eating and/or teeth grinding)
• Restless leg syndrome (unusual feelings in the legs, such as creeping, crawling or pulling that causes an urge to move)
• Sleep apnea (breathing stops during sleep)

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when breathing stops repeatedly during sleep. This happens because the airway collapses due to factors such as a large tongue, extra tissue in the airway or decreased muscle tone that cannot hold the airway open. As a result, air cannot reach the lungs.

These pauses in breathing can happen 30 times or more per hour. When healthy sleep is interrupted in this way, it puts a strain on the heart and can lead to a number of serious conditions. Sleep doctors work with other specialists at our hospitals to provide comprehensive ear, nose and throat care for conditions that affect sleep, such as OSA.

Signs and symptoms of OSA

OSA can occur in men, women and children of all ages. Most people who have this condition do not realize there is a problem until someone else notices certain issues during sleep. If you snore regularly and experience any of the following symptoms, consult with your doctor:

• Crowding of the upper airway
• Depression and irritability
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Frequent urination at night
• Gasping or choking during sleep
• Grogginess and morning headaches

People who experience OSA may be at an increased risk of:

• Cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
• Driving or work-related accidents
• Heart attack or heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Irregular heart rhythms

If you have any of the following symptoms, you may have a sleep disorder:

• Abnormal breathing
• Anxiety
• Daytime sleepiness
• Depression
• Difficulty sleeping
• Drowsy driving
• Fatigue
• Forgetfulness
• Frequent napping
• Gasping for air
• Hallucinations
• Headaches, especially in the morning
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• History of stroke
• Ischemic heart disease
• Loss of energy
• Moodiness
• Obesity
• Palpitations
• Restless sleep
• Sleep apnea
• Sleep paralysis
• Snoring
• Trouble concentrating
• Waking frequently to urinate

A sleep disorder is a medical condition that affects your ability to fall asleep or sleep soundly through the night. This disruption can cause difficulties staying awake and functioning. Some sleep disorders can result in long-term health problems if left untreated.

Sleep disorders can arise from physical and emotional issues. Meeting with a sleep specialist can help determine the cause of a sleep condition and what type of testing is most appropriate for diagnosis and management. Patients most at risk for sleep disorders include:

• Elderly patients
• People with certain medical conditions, including:
  • Heart disease
  • Hypertension
  • Obesity
  • Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• Women in menopause

We offer day and night sleep studies to identify issues as they occur throughout the night. Our highly skilled team of physicians and registered polysomnography (sleep study) technologists perform a wide range of diagnostic tests and services. Once a diagnosis is formed, we work with patients to find the best solution to their sleep problems.

Your doctor may prescribe an overnight diagnostic sleep study called a polysomnogram (PSG). This is a painless, noninvasive overnight test performed in a sleep lab to determine the type and severity of your sleep disorder as well as appropriate treatment.

During a PSG, a sleep doctor will watch you while you sleep and measure your:

• Blood oxygen saturation
• Brain wave activity
• Breathing depth
• Eye movements
• Heart rate and rhythm
• Muscle activity
• Nasal air-flow

Our sleep labs offer a unique setting where patients can be studied as they sleep. Patients are continuously monitored throughout the night to track their sleep patterns.

Our labs provide comfortable amenities to match your home setting as closely as possible. While the laboratories are located in our hospitals, there is nothing clinical about the experience. You can enjoy a relaxing evening as though you were staying in a hotel for the night. Showers are available in each room, and patients can even be at work the next morning. Your results will be communicated promptly to the referring physician.

Our sleep labs feature:

• Comfortable beds
• Individual temperature controls
• Private rooms and bathrooms
• State-of-the-art sleep testing equipment
• Walk-in showers
  

After diagnosing a disorder, your physician can recommend treatment options to help you get better sleep. You may take medication to treat symptoms, or your doctor may recommend surgery. We also offer certain types of sleep therapy. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, for example, uses pressurized air to keep your throat open and reduce pauses in breathing.

If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, please discuss your symptoms with your physician to see if a sleep study would be helpful:

• Are you a post-menopausal woman?
• Are you forgetful?
• Are you gasping or choking while asleep?
• Are you groggy in the morning, or do you have headaches upon waking?
• Are you having difficulty sleeping?
• Are you overweight?
• Do you doze off periodically throughout the day and struggle to stay awake when driving?
• Do you feel tired when you get up, even though you've had a full night's sleep?
• Do you get up during the night to urinate?
• Do you have a history of stroke?
• Do you have a large neck that may be crowding your upper airway?
• Do you have diabetes?
• Do you have heart palpitations?
• Do you have high blood pressure or heart disease?
• Do you snore? Is your snoring loud or disruptive to you or your partner?
• Do you suffer from depression or irritability?
• Do you suffer from ischemic heart disease?
• Do you suffer from loss of energy?
• Do you suffer from sleep paralysis?
• Do you toss and turn?

Patients scheduled for a sleep study at Overland Park Regional Medical Center can print and fill out the following forms to prepare for their appointment. Patients doing a sleep study at our other locations will be given their forms directly.

• Sleep Diary
• Sleep Disorders Questionnaire
• Sleep Registration Form
• Sleep Study Patient Instructions