COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS

Snoring
Snoring is a common problem. Snoring can interrupt sleep patterns and even harm your health. Nightly snoring may lead to hypertension. In mild snoring, simple self-help measures may suffice. They may include: keeping your nose clear, avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills, maintaining a side sleep position, and/or losing weight. Heavy, habitual snorers may need a detailed evaluation of the nose and throat and a sleep study in order to plan effective treatment. We offer all the treatment options, including the less invasive, less painful, radiofrequency ablation technique, known as somnoplasty.
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Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea (a pause in breathing) is a common sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is present when an obstruction of the airway during sleep is severe. This condition is characterized by the presence of heavy snoring, disturbed sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness and tiredness. The victim of this disorder is usually unaware that their breathing actually stops many times during the night. The pauses in breathing, or apneic episodes, are usually quite alarming to the bed partner. During the periods of apnea, blood oxygen levels fall, adversely affecting the heart and circulation. Sleep apnea can be a serious medical problem that demands accurate diagnosis and aggressive treatment. Heart attack and heart failure, high blood pressure or stroke may result. The severity of this condition is quite variable but in some instances may be life threatening. The treatment of choice has been nasal continuous airway pressure (CPAP) but, with the addition of the somnoplasty option, more patients will benefit from a surgical approach.
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Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is characterized by daytime sleep attacks, uncontrollable sleepiness and a persistent lack of energy. It is often accompanied by cataplexy; a sudden brief loss of voluntary muscle control, often triggered by strong emotions. While falling asleep, vivid hallucinations and sleep paralysis ( inability to move while partially awake) may occur.
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Insomnia
Insomnia is a common sleep problem that requires accurate diagnosis. The causes of insomnia are numerous, ranging from psychological factors to sleep related medical illnesses such as apnea and nocturnal myoclonus (leg jerking during sleep). Sleeping pills often are not the answer. Research shows that withdrawal from certain drugs may cause insomnia or increased severity of sleep difficulties. A full evaluation is needed if insomnia is persistent for longer than a few weeks.
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Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a neurologic sensorimotor disorder that is characterized by an overwhelming urge to move the legs when they are at rest. Symptoms of RLS are most severe in the evening and nighttime hours and can profoundly disrupt a patient's sleep and daily life. Symptoms include an urge to move the legs often associated with uncomfortable feeling in the legs (e.g. tingling, creepy, itching, pulling or aching) during periods of inactivity, including both sleep and wakefulness. Symptoms may also include involuntary jerking of the limbs that intensifies in the evening or at night and is relieved by movement. People with RLS tend to have difficulty falling or staying asleep and suffer from chronic sleep loss, leaving them with the cognitive and tired feelings that occur with sleep loss. - http://www.sleepfoundation.org
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Other Related Disorders
The St. Petersburg Sleep Disorder Center evaluates and treats other related disorders including sleepwalking, violent behavior during sleep, and circadian rhythm disturbances. Referrals to a sleep center are made for the following problems:

Poor quality of nighttime sleep in patients with heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, hypertension, and neurological disorders that might affect the muscles;

Recurrent and abnormal episodic events during sleep such as sleepwalking, nightmares, nocturnal seizures, and violent behavior.
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