Other sleep disorders management

Sleep Disorders 

Sleep disorders are a major public health concern. The most recent data in the literature on the prevalence of sleep disorders has found significant increases among some of the most common sleep disorders in the US. 

There has been a significant rise in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, owing to rising obesity rates and increased testing as well as narcolepsy. Large increases in prevalence have also been seen for hypersomnia, periodic limb movement disorder and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder. We can speculate that that the prevalence of other disorders, such as restless legs syndrome, non-REM sleep arousal disorders and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders also increased.

It has also been shown that office visits for insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, have increased several fold over the last two decades, Insomnia management is costly; an earlier study of a managed care population found an 80% increase in healthcare costs after an insomnia diagnosis. Importantly, sleep disorders affect members of every race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age and sex.

Despite the high prevalence of sleep disorders, most go undiagnosed and untreated. For example, although obstructive sleep apnea affects about 20% of US adults, 90% remain undiagnosed. A review of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation found that more than 60% of adults have never been asked about the quality of their sleep by a physician, and fewer than 20% have ever initiated such a discussion.

Sleepiness affects vigilance, reaction times, learning abilities, alertness, mood, hand-eye coordination, and the accuracy of short-term memory. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) has been identified as the cause of a growing number of on-the-job accidents, automobile crashes and multi-model transportation tragedies. The impact on American life and economy is enormous. 

On the positive side, and in keeping with the mission of this website, adopting good sleep-health behaviors can help prevent or lessen the symptoms and consequences of poor sleep and sleep disorders. Our site also provides information on additional treatments that work for specific sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea.

At Hope Pulmonary Associates, we can also take care of you with issues such as complex sleep apnea, narcolepsy, chronic insomnia and others.