Sleep Disorders
Sleep is a natural phenomenon and we take it for granted.
Sleep has many functions and helps in mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. Inadequate quality or quantity of sleep can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, stroke, chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or neurological problems such as memory problems, Parkinson’s etc. It can also lead to mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression etc. Middle age good sleep can also help for healthy aging.
Inspite of all this; sleep health is often ignored. This important pillar of health along with a healthy diet and exercise is often ignored by humans and personal, social pleasure or professional work takes priority.
The benefits of restful sleep is understated:
- It helps boost our immune system, at the same time giving our body time to restore itself and replenish energy for the next day
- It helps to consolidate memory for better learning
- It helps with mood regulation
If you experience snoring, gasping for air/choking during sleep, daytime fatigue or daytime sleepiness, difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep, body twitches, jerking of one or more muscles when you are about to sleep, have restless leg syndrome or have the sensation of a numb arm upon waking up, you may want to consult a sleep specialist. Though common and normally harmless, it is wise to rule out any underlying conditions.
Sleep disorders include obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, sleep related hypoventilation, parasomnia, narcolepsy, Circadian Rhythm and movement disorders.
Sleep health screening includes history taking, physical examination, overnight sleep studies to diagnose sleep disorders, to treat them and help individuals live a life of quality.
Reporting of all sleep studies by a qualified technician and diagnosis by the specialist goes hand in hand in the study.