St. Luke’s Sleep Institute
Sleep Disorders

More than 100 million Americans of all ages regularly fail to get a good night’s sleep. At least 84 disorders of sleeping and waking lead to a lowered quality of life and reduced personal health. Some sleep disorders can lead to trouble staying awake during the day, contributing to traffic and industrial accidents. Some problems involve difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, and some sleep disorders can be life-threatening.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects an estimated 5-10 percent of the population. When asleep, the muscles that stiffen and open the throat relax. This relaxation leads to slight sleep-related narrowing of the throat. In people with OSAS, the sleep-related throat narrowing is so great that breathing becomes difficult. The brain senses that there is a problem and briefly awakens in order to increase the effort to breathe. Once awake with a fully open throat, the effort to breathe decreases. The person resumes sleep and the cycle repeats itself throughout the night. This cycle can disturb sleep dozens or hundreds of time each night. The episodes are so brief that they are not remembered.

Obstructive sleep apnea can put you at risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. It can cause excessive daytime sleepiness that affects both your work and/or social activities and may lead to accidents while driving.

Warning Signs!

• Loud, disruptive snoring
• A snoring pattern interrupted by pauses, then gasping
• Inappropriate daytime sleepiness
• Trouble with concentration, forgetfulness, depression, irritability
• Morning headaches, frequent nighttime urination, sexual dysfunction

Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) can be experienced in many different ways, but for most people it is described as a "creepy, crawly" sensation that occurs in the legs when the person is sitting or lying still, especially at bedtime. For some, RLS can be a painful or burning sensation. These feelings occur most often in the calves and can be temporarily relieved by stretching and moving the legs.

The daytime sleepiness that results from a restless night is the primary problem; however, RLS can limit your activities by interfering with travel by any kind of transportation that requires you to sit still for long periods of time. It can also limit your participation in business meetings and disturb your enjoyment of movies or concerts.

Narcolepsy
While rarer than other sleep disorders, narcolepsy affects an estimated one in 2,000 people. Its impact on a person’s life can be significant and even disabling. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder defined by sleepiness and sleep "attacks" that occur without warning and are virtually impossible to stop. Narcolepsy is not caused by psychiatric or psychological problems. Sometimes it runs in families, although many people with narcolepsy do not have relatives who are affected. The symptoms of narcolepsy can appear all at once or can develop gradually over many years.

Symptoms

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Sudden weakness or loss of strength in muscles, usually triggered by emotion (laughter, anger, surprise, etc.)
• Sleep paralysis (paralysis that occurs when falling asleep or waking up)
• Hypnogogic hallucinations (hallucinations that occur just before falling asleep, during naps, or when waking up)