With a Board certified Sleep Medicine Specialist, our practice can diagnose and treat a wide array of sleep disorders.
Weight gain and obesity have become an epidemic in our country. With this, obstructive sleep apnea has increased in prevalence. An Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist has a clear advantage in this evaluation. OSA is related recurrent airway blockage that goes on throughout the night’s sleep. This is often related to increasing weight and a narrowed airway.
The consequences of sleep apnea include hypertension, poor control of diabetes, as well as increased risk of stroke and heart attack. What people laugh about in snoring may be a serious and potentially deadly cardiovascular risk factor. As the person snores, there are actually multiple breath-holding episodes occurring. Oxygen levels are dropping to dangerous levels over and over again.
Through a simple overnight sleep study, this can be evaluated. A common consequence of OSA is daytime sleepiness or tiredness, which is evident with a score above 10 on the Epworth Sleep Scale (See below).
How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations, in contrast to just feeling tired. Use the following scale and choose the most appropriate number.
0= would never dose 1= slight chance 2= moderate chance 3= high chance of dosing
| Sitting and Reading | _____ |
| Watching TV | _____ |
| Sitting inactive in a public place (movie theatre, meeting) | _____ |
| As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break | _____ |
| Lying down to rest in the afternoon | _____ |
| Sitting and talking to someone | _____ |
| Sitting quietly after lunch without alcohol | _____ |
| In a car, stopped for a few minutes in traffic | _____ |
|
Total |
_____ |
A large number of other sleep disorders are evaluated, to include:
Insomnia –> trouble falling asleep, frequent awakenings, early awakenings
Hypersomnia and daytime sleepiness
Snoring in children -> often due to enlarged tonsils
Restless Legs Syndrome
Periodic Limb Movements