| Health and Wellness Seminar Focuses on Sleep Disorders
Tri-City Voice, January 28, 2009
Learn About Treatment Options at Upcoming Washington Hospital Seminar
Do you wake up in the morning feeling
tired? Do you snore? If so, you could
have sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that
keeps you from getting a good night’s
rest.
Lack of sleep can seriously impact
your health. Yet millions of Americans
walk around each day half asleep or
worse – suffering from chronic illnesses
– because they aren’t getting enough
sleep.
"Sleep apnea is a common problem, but
unfortunately it often goes undiagnosed
and untreated," said
Dr. Nitun Verma, who specializes in
sleep medicine at Washington Hospital.
"Only one in 10 people with obstructive
sleep apnea get help. There are a lot of
people suffering from depression, high
blood pressure, diabetes and other
health problems that are really being
caused, or at least exacerbated, by lack
of sleep."
Verma will present an upcoming seminar
at Washington Hospital, titled "Sleep
Disturbances and Sleep Apnea." The
seminar is scheduled for Tuesday,
February 3, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at the
Conrad E. Anderson, MD Auditorium at
Washington West, 2500 Mowry Avenue, in
Fremont. To register, call (800)
963-7070.
Apnea is a Greek word that means
"without breath." People with sleep
apnea actually stop breathing repeatedly
during their sleep, in some cases
hundreds of times a night. A common
symptom of sleep apnea is snoring.
"We used to think some people just
snore," Verma said. "Spouses would joke
about it. But now we know it’s no
laughing matter. It’s not very common
that people snore and don’t have sleep
apnea."
Anyone can have sleep apnea,
including children. Untreated sleep
apnea can cause high blood pressure and
other cardiovascular disease, memory
problems, weight gain, impotency and
headaches.
"If you are a restless sleeper, tired
during the day or snore, or have chronic
health problems, you should attend this
seminar," said Verma, who will explain
how the airways work and what causes
sleep apnea, as well as the subtle signs
to look for in sleep and during waking
hours. "I am a fan of teaching people
how their bodies work. That way they can
tell when it’s not working properly."
Anyone who thinks they could have
sleep apnea should take Washington
Hospital’s quiz at
www.washingtonsleep.com. The
one-of-a-kind quiz was created by
experts and can accurately assess your
chances of having sleep apnea.
Getting a Good Night Sleep
While sleep is necessary for good
health, scientists still don’t know
exactly why we sleep.
"We used to think sleep is a way for
the brain to rest," Verma said. "But as
we do more research, we find the brain
is very active during sleep."
Sleep apnea occurs when the airways
become blocked during sleep. The brain
kicks the body into the "fight or
flight" mode so the body will take a
breath. That means people with sleep
apnea are being startled awake sometimes
hundreds of times a night, making a
restful night’s sleep impossible.
"Blood pressure and heart rate are
supposed to drop when we sleep, but they
don’t for people with sleep apnea,"
Verma said. "That can really take a toll
on the body."
He will also talk about treatments
for sleep apnea, which include dental
devices that help prevent obstructions,
surgery to remove obstructions and open
the airways, and the Continuous Positive
Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, which
gently blows pressurized room air
through the airways.
Because sleep apnea so often goes
undiagnosed, it’s important to see a
sleep specialist like Verma if you think
you may have a sleep disorder.
Washington Hospital will open its new
sleep clinic at the end of January to
better diagnose and treat those who may
have sleep apnea or other sleep
disorders. The sleep clinic will allow
doctors to actually monitor patients
while they sleep to determine how their
brain and other body functions act
during sleep.
In fact, Verma himself went for years
with undiagnosed sleep apnea. The doctor
wasn’t diagnosed with the disorder until
he decided to specialize in sleep
medicine and was monitored in a sleep
lab as part of his training.
"So when you consider that with all
my medical training up until that point,
I still didn’t recognize it in myself
until I actually had the testing done,
you can see why so many cases go
undetected," he said. "If there is any
possibility your fatigue or health
problems are due to lack of sleep, you
should get tested for a sleep disorder."
To take the online sleep apnea quiz
or to learn more about sleep services
offered at Washington Hospital, visit
www.washingtonsleep.com.
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