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Alaska Sleep Education Center

Diagnosing and Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Therapies & Surgeries

Posted by Jennifer Hines on Sep 25, 2019 9:32:00 AM

So you've done your research and discovered that you may have the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). You've even come to the conclusion that your snoring, nocturnal breathing cessations, daytime drowsiness, and restless sleep may be causes for concern, but you're still not quite sure if it's worthy of a visit to the doctor's office.

AtThe Alaska Sleep Clinic, we want to help you on your road to healthier sleeping habits. That's why we've created a guideline to help you through the steps from when to contact a doctor to methods of diagnosing OSA, and treatment options. 

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Topics: obstructive sleep apnea, children, CPAP, BPAP, therapies, treatment

Sleep Management for Shift Workers: Avoiding Sleep Troubles

Posted by Kevin Phillips on Mar 30, 2019 7:02:00 PM

 

We are living in a 24/7 global society in which many businesses, industries, and services around the world operate non-stop, which is great for production, customer satisfaction, and even safety.

We can hop on a jet at 1:00 a.m. to fly halfway around the world, we can visit a hospital at 1:30 a.m. to seek treatment for a bad case of the flu, we can head down to a convenient store at 2:00 a.m. to pick up a box of diapers, we can call tech support at 2:30 a.m. when our internet stops working, we can even hit the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant to get a late night snack at midnight.

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Topics: sleep disorders, treatment

Simple Sleep Breathing Exercises to Help You Relax

Posted by Jennifer Hines on Jan 27, 2019 1:41:00 PM

Sometimes falling asleep is difficult. It’s hard to unwind from a long day of work, chores, kids, and other responsibilities. We lie in bed awake thinking of what we have to do tomorrow, toss and turn in our beds trying to get comfortable, and when we do finally manage to fall asleep, we have stress dreams about the next day’s activities and responsibilities. It’s a dangerous, exhausting cycle that pushes many to invest in sleep masks, earplugs, and over the counter medicine to help us fall asleep, all of which lose their effectiveness over time

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Topics: Sleep, Snoring, tired, treatment, exercises, breathing, techniques

The Comprehensive Guide to Sleep Deprivation: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment: Chapter 7

Posted by Guest blogger: Joe Smith, www.YooHealth.com on Oct 18, 2018 3:00:00 PM

Chapter 7

Precautions Regarding Treatment of Sleep Deprivation

The Comprehensive Guide to Sleep Deprivation: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment - Yoo Health

If you are using sleep aids, as prescribed by your doctor, it is important that you know how to use them safely so that you can take any necessary precautions when treating your sleep deprivation.

You must first consult with your doctor about which sleep deprivation medications to use, the correct dosage, and the best treatment plan for you. At this point, a number of factors will be taken into account, including:

  • Your age
  • Other health factors
  • The underlying cause of your insomnia (if applicable)

This information is an essential part of learning how to use your sleep medication properly and responsibly.

You should also make sure that you do not grow to rely on sleep aids forever, and the majority of doctors will agree that they are not supposed to be used permanently.

Instead, it is up to you and your doctor to figure out long you should take the sleep aid for, and other potential treatments (like CBT) that might be able to help you get back into a good sleeping routine.

While there are some over the counter sleep aids that might help you in the short-term, it is important to remember that they are not supposed to be used for prolonged periods of time, or to fix insomnia.

You should also make sure you follow the safety guidelines on all medication you receive, and that you read the packaging carefully so that you understand potential risks and side-effects. You can also talk to your doctor about any precautions you need to take, especially if they are related to your personal health.

Tomorrow, come back here for Chapter 8: Diagnosis of Sleep Deprivation and sign up for Alaska Sleep Clinic's blog.

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Topics: treatment, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm, remedies

The Comprehensive Guide to Sleep Deprivation: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment: Chapter 8

Posted by Guest blogger: Joe Smith, www.YooHealth.com on Oct 18, 2018 7:20:00 AM

Chapter 8

Diagnosis of Sleep Deprivation

As we have already discussed, sleep specialists state that the most tell-tale sign of sleep deprivation is feeling drowsy during the day. Even if a task is very uninteresting, you should be able to stay alert if you are not sleep deprived. If you fall asleep within five minutes of lying down, you are likely to have very severe sleep deprivation.

Those who have sleep deprivation also tend to suffer from micro-sleep,  a brief period of sleep experienced during waking time. A person is rarely aware that they have experienced micro-sleep and will simply view it as a few lost seconds. If you are driving while fatigued, you may not remember how you got to your destination.  This is an example of micro-sleep.

There are occasions it is a more serious, even life-threatening, sleep disorder like sleep apnea. If this is even a possibility, a sleep specialist may decide to conduct a sleep study to monitor your breathing, heart rate, and other vital signs over the course of the night. It also provides an excellent amount of information to help diagnose and treat your underlying conditions.

For the diagnosis process to begin, your doctor will perform a physical exam, including asking you for symptoms so that they can match them up with the ones we have already discussed. We’ve already mentioned much of the diagnosis process, and here are some of the tests your doctor might order:

Polysomnogram: a sleep study that evaluates oxygen levels, body movements, and brain waves to determine how they disrupt sleep.

Electroencephalogram: a test that assesses electrical activity in the brain and detects any potential problems associated with this activity.

Genetic blood testing: a blood test commonly used to diagnose narcolepsy and other underlying health conditions that might be causing sleep apnea. 

If you believe you or a loved one is suffering through sleep apnea, call Alaska Sleep Clinic today to speak with one of our board-certified sleep specialists for your free sleep evaluation.

Tomorrow, come back here for Chapter 9: Complications of Sleep Deprivation and sign up for Alaska Sleep Clinic's blog.

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Topics: home sleep test, treatment, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm, cpap mas, remedies

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Our weekly updated blog aims to provide you with answers and information to all of your sleeping questions.
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