Sleep Disorders

Do you find it hard to fully wake up during a typical day? Are you tired before you even step out of bed each morning? Feeling tired happens to all of us; however, if it persists daily it can have a negative impact on your quality of life. The first step is to track how much of your sleepiness is self inflicted. Sometimes it’s just a matter of correcting your bad sleep habits to start feeling more refreshed. Other times, even if you’re sleep habits are good, you might be feeling tired because of a sleep disorder. Ask your bed partner about your sleeping behaviors and talk with your doctor before you purchase that over-priced (and often unnecessary) new bed!

This is one of America’s most commonly diagnosed sleep disorder. Sleep apnea has left more than 18 million adults trying to catch their breath at night. Sleep apnea is a dangerous disorder that occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat collapse, blocking the airway and causing a person to choke and gasp for air at night. This can happen as little as a few times a night to more than a 100 times per hour! This breathing pause can last a few seconds to even a few minutes. People with sleep apnea often complain of its symptoms but do not recognize that they have the disorder. People with sleep apnea are tired because the apnea disrupts their sleep and inhibits the body’s ability to comprehensively go through each of the stages of sleep multiple times per night.

If you’re lying awake in bed for longer than 20 minutes at nights on end, unable to sleep, you could be experiencing insomnia. According to an abstract approximately one in four people report occasional episodes of insomnia. Insomnia is the reported inadequate quality and/or quantity of sleep. It’s important to find out when your insomnia first occurred so that you can understand how best to deal with it.

Do you act out unusual behaviors while you’re sleeping? The word “parasomnia” refers to an abnormal behavior during sleep. People who experience a parasomnia sleep disorders complain of things like eating in their sleep to sleep-walking or acting out their own dreams while asleep. The cause of a parasomnia sleep disorder could be genetic, neurological or even related to another sleep disorder. All of which is diagnosed at Sleep Tech, so give us a call for your free sleep consultation today!

Do your legs ever feel like they’re covered in little creepy crawly ants and the only thing to provide any relief is to shake your legs? This is one of many descriptions for what is known as restless legs syndrome. Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects up to 10% of the population. People who experience restless legs syndrome describe a “tugging” or “pulling” feeling in their legs that cause an uncontrollable urge to move them.

Snoring is caused by a blockage of airflow through the mouth or nose. It is the flapping of tissues in the nasal or throat passageway (uvula and soft palate) that create the noise that you hear. Contrary to popular belief, habitual snoring isn’t normal. According to the National Sleep Foundation, snoring affects 37 million adults on a regular basis. Snoring habitually is a sleep disorder, and can be an indicator of another serious sleep problem like sleep apnea. Over one half of those who snore loudly also have obstructive sleep apnea.

Do you have uncontrollable urges to sleep? Do these urges have you dreaming less than 20 minutes into closing your eyes? If so, you might be a victim of a neurological disorder called narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes excessive daytime sleepiness and inhibits a person’s ability to control their sleep and wake states. The actual cause of narcolepsy is still unknown, but research suggests that it may be due to a chemical deficiency of the brain’s production of a chemical called hypocretin.