SOUTHEASTERN NEWS
A good night’s sleep is just what the doctor ordered
1/15/2010
What’s keeping you up at night? If lack of sleep prevents you from functioning normally during the day or interferes with your work, you may need the help of the professionals at one of Southeastern Regional Medical Center's Sleep Centers.
"Almost everyone occasionally suffers from difficulty sleeping or insomnia,” said Dr. Amita Shetty, medical director for two of the centers. “This problem can result from stress, jet lag, diet, or many other factors. Long-term insomnia almost always affects job performance and well-being the next day. Insomnia tends to increase with age and affects about 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men.”
Irene Stuart of Lumberton began experiencing problems during sleep once she began taking medicine for neuropathy, or numbness and pain, in her lower extremities.
“The medicine caused severe strider, or loud breathing, during sleep,” said Stuart. “After a sleep study at the Southeastern Sleep Center located on the campus of SRMC, I was prescribed a C-Pap machine to address sleep apnea. I am now able to get better sleep while taking the medication I need.”
Southeastern recently added a third sleep center to its list of affiliates, Southeastern Sleep Center North Lumberton. The center, formerly Medical Specialists’ Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, is located at 290A Corporate Drive, and complements Southeastern’s existing sleep centers located on the campus of Southeastern Regional Medical Center and at Southeastern Outpatient Center Pembroke.
The centers are available to assist in the investigation of many such sleep problems in adults and children, including sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome with periodic limb movements in sleep, narcolepsy, insomnia, and sleep paralysis.
Dr. Somnath Naik, who recently joined Lumberton Medical Clinic, will serve as medical director for the North Lumberton center. Naik and Shetty are both certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine.
“Sleep related breathing disorders, particularly sleep deprivation and untreated obstructive sleep apnea, are very well known to affect work performance, efficiency and productivity,” said Naik. “Work-related accidents are commonly linked to these disorders, especially fatal or serious injuries while driving. Cognitive dysfunctions related to sleep related disorders may result in serious mistakes on the job.”
Patients being evaluated for sleep disorders come into the center at around 8 p.m. It takes about an hour for one of the two respiratory therapists, specially trained in sleep technology, to secure dozens of different colored wires to the problem sleeper. Then the patient goes about his or her normal bedtime routine, reading or watching TV until sleep finally comes. During the night, an infrared video camera records the patient’s every move. Also recorded are the heart and pulse rates, oxygen saturation, nasal air flow and brain waves.
The next morning one of the therapists “scores” the study. The results are then interpreted by a physician to arrive at a diagnosis for the troubled sleeper.
“If a person snores or is overweight, they need to discuss the possibility of sleep apnea with their primary care provider, especially if they have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, irregular heartbeat or a stroke,” said Shetty. “Sleep apnea can mimic a number of other diseases – including chronic fatigue, depression, irritability, and memory problems among others. Other problems seen with sleep apnea include impotence and early morning headaches.”
Once a diagnosis is made, the physician may recommend medication or surgery to cure the sleeping disturbance. Most patients with sleep apnea are being helped through the use of a compressor that delivers a constant flow of air at a pressure that keeps the airway open. Often wearing a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) mask at night and losing some weight are all that are needed to improve the patient's condition significantly.
“I am very excited to be part of this sleep team,” said Dr. Naik, who has practiced internal medicine and pulmonology here for the past 27 years. “Over the 13 years I have practiced sleep medicine, I have seen so many people with sleep disorders go undiagnosed. I have known of people who lived with chronic fatigue year after year.”
“Sometimes people don't even know they have a sleep problem," Dr. Naik added. "Many times it is the bed partner who notices the severe snoring, the thrashing around or the periods of interrupted breathing.”
If sleep is so troubled that it causes fatigue on a regular basis, interferes with relationships or seems to be causing illness, it's time to see your family doctor and get it checked. Sleep specialists at Southeastern are also available to assess whether or not further testing is needed.
“Being able to have the sleep study done close to home was very convenient, especially since patients typically arrive at night,” said Stuart. “If someone is having sleep issues, a sleep study at Southeastern is an easy way to get help and begin to rest easier.”
If you would like a free sleep disorders questionnaire or for more information about sleep studies at one of Southeastern’s three convenient locations, call 272-1440.
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