What’s A Sleep Disorder?

A sleep disorder is a health condition that significantly changes and impairs your sleep habits, leading to chronic fatigue and exhaustion. The longer these health issues go untreated, the more they can negatively affect your overall health and quality of life.

What Are Examples Of Specific Sleep Disorders?

There are many different types of sleep disorders, each with different causes and symptoms. Some common types of sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia, which makes it hard to fall asleep and/or stay asleep 
• Sleep apnea, which results in abnormal breathing patterns during sleep
• Restless legs syndrome (RLS), which causes discomfort and an urge to move the legs while you try to fall asleep
• Narcolepsy, which causes extreme sleepiness during the day, often to the point of falling asleep suddenly

What Is The Treatment For Sleep Disorders? 

Sleep disorder treatments vary from condition to condition and are heavily based on the underlying cause of one's sleeping issues. In general, however, treatments include a combination of lifestyle changes and medical care. This might include:

• The use of sleeping pills or melatonin supplements
• medications for any underlying health issues
• A breathing device or surgery (usually for sleep apnea)
• An improved diet
• Stress management techniques
• Adjusting one’s use of caffeine, tobacco, and/or alcohol
• Developing a regular, strict sleeping schedule

How Will I Know I’m Having Trouble Sleeping?

Some sleep disorders are more obvious than others. Insomnia, for example, may be more noticeable as it keeps you awake for periods of time. Sleep apnea and narcolepsy, however, can be harder for patients to recognize without medical intervention, as their symptoms are more subtle overall and are easily brushed off as the result of generally restless nights.

In general, people’s first alert of sleeping difficulty may include: 

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• An inability to focus during the day
• Frequent headaches
• Irritability
• Daytime fatigue
• Waking up too early
• Waking up throughout the night
• Taking several hours to fall asleep

What Should I Do If I’m Having Trouble Sleeping?

While anyone can experience sleeping issues from time to time, there are signs you can watch for that often indicate a sleeping disorder (vs. a temporary issue). These signs include:

• Regularly experiencing difficulty sleeping
• Often feeling tired during the day even when you have slept at least seven hours the night before
• Experiencing a reduced or impaired ability to perform regular daytime activities
• Reports from family/friends/partners that you snore loudly and/or sometimes seem to stop breathing
• Exhaustion and drowsiness that affects your ability to watch TV, read, work, or engage with others
• One or more incidents of falling asleep while driving
• Sudden difficulty with memory
• Difficulty with and slowed responses during conversation
• Struggling to manage your emotions and experiencing increased irritability 
• Feeling a need to take naps almost every day

When you experience issues and symptoms such as these, it is important to explore the possible medical causes of your difficulty with sleeping and/or your excessive daytime sleepiness.

Which Doctor Should I See?

If you're having trouble sleeping or are struggling with sleepiness during the day, you may consider speaking with your primary care doctor to rule out obvious sources for your symptoms. Chronic sleep issues can be handled by a sleep specialist, whose training focuses on helping diagnose and treat sleep disturbances. Based on your primary care office’s notes - and your feedback - sleep specialists often rely on a sleep study to determine the source of your symptoms.

What’s A Sleep Study And How Does It Work?

A sleep study is a test that monitors and records your body's vitals and functions while you're asleep. Sleep studies are non-invasive and record things such as your brain activity, your blood oxygen levels, your heart rate, and even your eye and leg movements. These sophisticated tests allow doctors to test for different sleep disorders, which are often identified through specific characteristics and physical symptoms that only present while you're asleep.

What Does A Sleep Study Cost?

Your out-of-pocket sleep study cost will depend heavily on your testing needs and insurance coverage. To discuss this prior to your testing, please bring your questions to your medical facility, as well as contact your insurance company to confirm your coverage details.

What Should I Expect From A Visit With Your Team?

Premier Medical Associates, an affiliate of the Allegheny Health Network, is the largest multi-specialty physician practice in the Greater Pittsburgh area. When you meet with our primary care providers and sleep specialists, you’ll meet with professionals who are ready to take the lead in determining the benefits of a sleep evaluation in your care. As needed, our consulting physician for our own sleep laboratory will provide you with a diagnosis and treatment of sleep disturbances and disorders of all types.

Our sleep studies are performed seven nights a week, excluding holidays, at our One Monroeville Center location.