What Does a Good Night’s Sleep Feel Like?
The Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic Can Help
STANFORD, Calif. (Business Wire EON) April 30, 2008 --
Bill Marshal, owner of a general contracting business in Half Moon Bay,
had snored for years. He knew that he woke up often in the night, but it
took an observant friend and a trip to the Sleep Medicine Center at
Stanford Hospital & Clinics for Marshal to understand that in his case,
the snoring wasn’t normal.
“My friend was visiting; we were in the family
room watching a football game I guess, and I dozed off and stopped
breathing for a while,” Marshal said. The
friend, who suffers from sleep apnea, recognized Marshal’s
break in breathing as the same condition. “He
told my wife Linda that she’d better have me
checked out. We made an appointment with Stanford.”
Sleep apnea affects approximately 7% to 10% of the US population, and is
more commonly found in men than women. Many people suffering from sleep
apnea don’t even know they have it. However,
the effects of untreated sleep apnea can be very serious, including
hypertension, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, and diastolic heart failure.
How do you know if you suffer from sleep apnea? There are a few signs
that may indicate snoring might be a bigger problem than you or your
loved ones think, most notably regular loud snoring, choking sounds or
gasps while sleeping.
Sleeping pills are not the best treatment choice for people suffering
from sleep apnea. Because a bad night’s sleep
in their case is actually the result of a restricted airway, these
patients are often treated with a device called a continuous positive
air pressure (CPAP) machine. This treatment involves sleeping with a
nasal mask through which air is gently blown. The air acts as a splint
to keep the airway from collapsing and prevents the airway blockages
that seriously disrupt sleep (unbeknownst to the sleeper) and severely
stress the heart and lungs. Additionally, there are different surgical
treatments for the treatment of snoring and apnea, ranging from new,
high-tech outpatient treatments using radiowaves to shrink excess tissue
in the airway to surgeries that dramatically open the airway. Oral
appliances, or mouthguard-like devices that displace the tongue or lower
jaw forward, can also treat snoring or mild-to-moderate cases of apnea.
“Getting a CPAP has made all of the
difference in the world in two obvious ways,”
said Marshal. “One being my ability to stay
awake all day driving and functioning, and the other being able to get a
good night’s sleep and not endangering my
health by not breathing for a minute or two at a time.”
It takes a little time for patients to fully adjust to sleeping with a
CPAP device, and treatment compliance can become an issue because the
device can seem cumbersome at first. New patients often need support and
continuing information, so the Sleep Clinic now offers monthly group
meetings for sleep apnea patients at 6:15 P.M. on the first Wednesday of
each month. These Alert, Well, And Keeping Energetic (AWAKE) group
meetings provide a place for new patients to ask questions and to learn
from other more experienced CPAP device users. The useful tips shared by
other patients bolster the resolve of new users to persist with their
treatment until it becomes more comfortable and effective. Newcomer
meetings are followed by a general meeting, where a doctor gives a
sleep-related presentation and addresses any unanswered questions about
the CPAP device.
“Some fit better than others, and you
constantly have to adjust them somewhat. I don’t
know that you ever get to the point where it totally becomes second
nature to you,” Marshal said. “But
when I started using it, the result after a few days or a week was
obvious. It’s the difference between being
able to stay asleep or not, and breathing is, of course, important.”
The Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic
The Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic was founded in 1970 by Dr. William
Dement and Dr. Christian Guilleminault. The Clinic was founded to
diagnose and treat patients who have difficulties falling asleep at
night, problems with excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea, or other
medical problems that may occur or exacerbate during sleep.
An overnight visit to the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center allows
clinicians to fully monitor and assess a patient’s
sleep pattern. Connected to machines that measure brain waves, heart
beat, eye movement and more, the information gathered in an overnight
assessment provides a more complete picture for clinicians than a
subjective self-report of a night’s sleep
might.
The Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic is located on the Stanford campus at
401 Quarry Road, and appointments for clinical evaluations and sleep
studies are open to the public and through physician referrals.
Did You Know…
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-- 40% of adults are so sleepy during the day that it interferes
with their daily activities
|
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-- 18% experience this level of daytime sleepiness at least a few
days a week or more
|
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-- 34% of adults report snoring a few nights a week or more
|
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-- 16% of men and 10% of women report having had pauses in their
breathing during sleep a few nights a week or more during the past
year
|
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-- 56% of adults in the U.S. report one or more symptoms of insomnia
a few nights a week
|
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-- 62% of adults who experience frequent difficulty in sleeping say
they are concerned
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About Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of
complex disorders in areas such as cardiac care, cancer treatment,
neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. Ranked #15 on the U.S.
News and World Report annual list of “America’s
Best Hospitals,” Stanford Hospital & Clinics
is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into
the care of patients. The Hospital is part of the Stanford University
Medical Center, along with the Stanford University School of Medicine
and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at
Stanford. For more information, visit www.stanfordhospital.com.
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