| Women's Center Evening Lecture: Have You Been Having Trouble Sleeping? Tri-City Voice, May 14, 2008 Are
you unable to get a good night’s sleep
because you wake up frequently during
the night? Are you tired during the day
or feel excessively sleepy? Have members
of your family complained about your
loud snoring? If so, it’s possible you
have a common disorder called sleep
apnea.
"People who have sleep apnea have pauses
in their breathing while they sleep,"
says Dr. Jason Van Tassel, an
otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat)
physician with Washington Township
Medical Group who treats many patients
with sleep apnea. "The most common
symptoms of sleep apnea are loud
snoring, frequent awakenings and daytime
fatigue. Other signs of sleep apnea
might include morning headaches and dry
throat, an inability to concentrate and
feelings of irritability or depression."
If
you think you or someone in your family
may be suffering from sleep apnea, plan
on attending a free evening lecture by
Dr. Van Tassel on Tuesday, May 20 from
6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Washington Women’s
Center.
The
most common type of sleep apnea is
"obstructive" sleep apnea, in which the
airway collapses or is blocked during
sleep. Any air that squeezes past the
blockage can cause the loud snoring.
Since sleep apnea occurs only during
sleep, most people who have the
condition aren’t aware of it. It’s often
the case that a family member or bed
partner is the first person to note the
loud snoring that can be a sign of sleep
apnea.
"Women often ask their male partners to
see a doctor to do something about their
snoring, because it disrupts the women’s
sleep, too," Dr. Van Tassel says. "Sleep
apnea, in fact, is more prevalent among
men, but a significant proportion of
women suffer from sleep apnea, too –
although they often don’t like to admit
that they are snoring."
Even
children can have sleep apnea,
especially if they have large tonsils
and adenoids that block air flow. In
adults, the most common cause of sleep
apnea is obesity because the extra soft
fat tissue can thicken the wall of the
windpipe, but it can also be caused by
structural problems with the nose,
throat or base of the tongue.
In
addition to resulting in daytime
fatigue, untreated sleep apnea can lead
to more serious complications, including
high blood pressure, heart attack,
stroke and irregular heartbeats. It also
can increase your risk for obesity and
diabetes.
Because there are no blood tests or
other simple means of diagnosing sleep
apnea, it usually requires a sleep
study, including a polysomnogram (PSG)
that electronically transmits and
records specific physical activities
while you sleep.
"People who are diagnosed with mild
cases of sleep apnea can sometimes solve
the problem by making some lifestyle
changes such as losing weight, avoiding
alcohol and sleeping pills, stopping
smoking and avoiding sleeping on their
backs," Dr. Van Tassel notes.
"Some
other people may be helped by using a
special nighttime mouthpiece that
adjusts the lower jaw and tongue to help
keep the airway open while they sleep,"
he adds. "The most common treatment for
moderate to severe sleep apnea is a
continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
mask that fits over the nose or the nose
and mouth and gently blows air into the
throat. Unfortunately, many patients
find the CPAP mask too uncomfortable or
too noisy to wear. In those cases,
surgery may be required."
Dr.
Van Tassel evaluates the benefits of
various surgical options for his
patients on a case-by-case basis.
"Years ago, the surgical treatments for
sleep apnea worked only about half of
the time," he says. "There have been
some dramatic improvements in surgical
techniques lately, however, and we now
have procedures that work very
effectively. For example, we can perform
surgery on the base of the tongue to
prevent it from collapsing into the
throat. We also can trim back excess
tissue at the back of the soft palate,
which increases the width of the airway
at the throat opening."
Dr.
Van Tassel also performs a new procedure
called the Pillar Palatal Implant, which
reduces the movement or vibration of the
soft palate with implants that stiffen
it. "Many people are opting for the
implant procedure because they don’t
want to live with using a CPAP mask
indefinitely."
To
register for the "Have You Been Having
Trouble Sleeping?" seminar or to obtain
more information about the Women’s
Center programs and support groups, call
(510) 608-1356. The Washington Women’s
Center is located at 2500 Mowry Avenue,
across the street from Washington
Hospital. For more info on the Women’s
Center, visit the Washington Hospital
website at
www.whhs.com,
click on the link for Women’s Health
under "Programs and Services," and then
click the link for Wellness Classes and
Services.
Seminar:
Have You Been Having Trouble Sleeping?
Location: Washington Women’s Conference
Room, First Floor
Date: Tuesday, May 20
Time: 6:30 to 7 p.m. – A time to share,
network and trade tips for living well.
7 to 8 pm. – Guest speaker: Dr. Jason
Van Tassel
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