When should you see a sleep specialist?
Sleep is essential in order for the body to repair itself and work efficiently. According to the sleep foundation, almost 35.2% of Americans get less than seven hours of sleep every and night, and according to Wakefit. co which a Bengaluru-based sleep solutions start-up, around 67% of Indians suffer from sleep deprivation. Inadequate sleep can affect your physical and mental health, decrease productivity, cause inattentiveness, affect your memory and leave you lethargic.
When do I see a sleep specialist?
If you have any of the following symptoms, then you should consider visiting a sleep specialist:
- Persistent loud snoring
- Difficulty in falling asleep or unable to sleep throughout the night
- Gasping for breath in sleep
- Feeling lethargic throughout the day even after sleeping for 7-8 hours
- Uncontrollable urges to move your leg, discomfort in legs at bed time
Who is a sleep specialist?
The sleep specialist is a medical practitioner who diagnoses and treats sleep disorders, often trained in neurology, pulmonology psychiatry, pediatrics, ENT. These specialists study and train in sleep medicine.
Sleep psychologists deal with behavioral aspects of sleep.
Sleep specialists help you with the sleep disorders such as:
- Snoring or Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) may cause pausing of breath or difficulty in breathing during sleep
- Insomnia inability to fall asleep or remain asleep throughout the night
- Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) uncontrollableurges or sensations making you restless at night
- Parasomnia walking or talking while asleep
- Narcolepsy uncontrollable desire to sleep , suddenly falling asleep during daytime
What to expect on a visit to a sleep specialist?
A sleep specialist will help you narrow down the cause of the disruption in sleep and treat it. They might ask you to stay overnight to undergo a sleep analysis or a polysomnogram.
A polysomnogram consists of monitoring one’s sleep throughout the night and measuring the activity of different organ systems. It will include
- Electroencephalogram or EEG to measure your brain activity
- Electro-oculogram or EOG to measure the movement of your eyes
- Electromyogram or EMG to measure activity of your muscles
- Electrocardiogram or ECG to measure your heart rate and rhythm
- Pulse Oximetry test to keep track of changes in oxygen level of your blood
Sleep specialists would help you treat your disorders in the best way based on these tests.
Conclusion
Sleep is the natural way of the body to revive itself. Disruption in sleep is the underlying cause of many problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, brain fog, heart problems, diabetes, etc. A sound sleep is necessary to remain healthy and hearty, which is just a visit away from a sleep specialist.
To seek help or know more about Sleep Issues from a Sleep Specialist, you can visit the Neurology and Sleep Centre, the 1st sleep centre in the country accredited by the Indian Board of Sleep Medicine at L-23, Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi, Delhi-110016 (INDIA)
Or give a call on +91-11-46070321, +91-9643500270,
References:
- R. Gupta, S. Grover et.al (2020) Changes in sleep pattern and sleep quality during COVID-19 lockdown. Indian journal of Psychiatry. Volume 62 issue 4. 370-378.