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What to Expect From Sleep Disorder Treatments
There are a number of sleep disorders that a person might suffer from. Depending on what kind you might have, your physician might order a series of tests designed to help pinpoint just exactly what it is you have and how best to treat it.
Polysomnographic testing which includes video recording is the single most important diagnostic test available to persons with sleep disorders. This test is usually conducted in a sleep study center. The person undergoing testing is required to sleep at the center while the following elements are monitored:
- Electrical activity of the brain (electroencephalogram [EEG])
These are monitored by specialists as the person passes through the various stages of sleep. Characteristic patterns from the electrodes are recorded during the time the person is awake and while asleep. Continuous video recording is done to observe various behaviors during sleep. This will show if you get out of the bed and do anything unusual during the night, like see if the patient moves, wakes often, or exhibits difficulty in breathing.
Depending on what the technicians observe, a person may be diagnosed with any one of the following sleep disorders:
Rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD) is an uncommon sleep disorder which is characterized by acting out dramatic and/or violent dreams during the REM stage of sleep and could lead to possible injury to both the patient and their sleep partner. Since this disease can be a precursor to such things as Parkinson's disease, further tests by someone like a neurologist may be required is a follow-up should other symptoms like dementia or physical tremors present themselves. The most common treatment for this disorder is the prescription of Clonazepam, an anti-convulsant medication that suppresses RBD behaviors in 90 percent of patients. Patients are also comes to maintain a normal total sleep time since sleep deprivation will increase RBD. They should monitor for any sleepiness. and avoid certain medications and alcohol because they can cause or increase RBD.
Somnambulism which is walking or moving about that occurs during sleep. The onset typically occurs in children prior to the start of puberty.
Features of sleep walking include such things as difficulty in arousing the patient during an episode, amnesia following an episode, and can be triggered by a sleep related breathing problem in the first third of stage 3 or 4 sleep. Other medical and psychiatric disorders can be present but do not account for the symptom, and the ambulation is not believed to be due to other sleep disorders such as REM sleep behavior disorder or sleep terrors. Patients may be given drugs, a small dose of diazepam or lorazepam eliminates the episodes or considerably reduces them, but are also counseled to practice precautions like
Making sure you get plenty of rest as being overtired can trigger a sleepwalking episode.
Develop a calming bedtime ritual. Some people meditate or do relaxation exercises. Stress has been found to be another trigger for sleepwalking.
Remove anything from the bedroom that could be hazardous or harmful. Move objects away from the patient’s bedside. This includes night stands, lamps, or other objects that could cause injury.
The sleepwalker's bedroom should be on the ground floor of the house, and the possibility of the patient opening windows or doors should be eliminated. Move the bed away from the window, and place a large object such as a dresser in front of it.
An assessment of the sleepwalker should include a careful review of the current medication he is on so that modifications can be made if necessary.
Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea is where the air passage is blocked during sleep by the tongue and other soft tissues. Many people with sleep apnea are snorers. As soft tissues block the airway, the body has to work harder to pull air in; the increase in pressure can make the upper airway collapse so air cannot flow into the lungs, although efforts to breathe continue. Breathing can stop for several seconds to over a minute, and levels of blood oxygen may drop during these times. When blood oxygen levels fall too low, the brain wakes you up enough to tighten the muscles around the upper airways, which opens them enough for air to flow through again. This arousal is so brief, the person likely won't even remember it. The repeated arousals decrease sleep quality, so people with sleep apnea often feel tired during the day.
Not all instances of obstructive sleep apnea are caused by soft-tissue obstruction. The airway can also be narrowed by the complications of obesity or it may just be naturally narrower, making it more prone to collapse.
Central sleep apnea, a much rarer condition, occurs when the brain fails at odd times to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles for respiration.
Treatment for this disorder may be achieved through medications which keep the airways open, corrective surgery, or with the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine the patient wears a snugly fitting nasal mask attached to a fan that blows air into the nostrils to keep the airway open during sleep. Most people sleep with their mouth closed, so the mouth usually does not have to be covered, but a chin strap can be used if necessary.
Periodic limb movement disorder or restless leg syndrome are two disorders where the sufferer is not able to get a compete night’s sleep due to sudden leg movements or sensations. Treatment of the symptom with drugs like Requip and Mirapex have provided relief for those people with the disease so that they can get uninterrupted sleep. So far there have been few reported side effects with these drugs, making them a viable treatment choice.
Insomnia is a disorder where people experience difficulty in falling asleep, waking up too early in the morning, and do not get a refreshing sleep. Eight out of 10 people with insomnia are believed to have secondary (also known as "acute") insomnia which means that the insomnia is temporary (most likely a symptom or a side-effect of some other problem). Some problems that can cause secondary insomnia include pain, anxiety, and depression, medicines that delay or disrupt sleep as a side-effect, the use of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and other substances that have been proven to affect sleep, or the presence of another sleep disorder, such as restless legs syndrome.
While the first type of insomnia is considered to be of a temporary nature which may affect you two or three times a week depending on its cause, chronic insomnia lasts for a long time.
Luckily, insomnia can be easily diagnosed, and usually treating the underlying cause can lead to resolution of its symptoms. It can be as easy as correcting a poor sleep environment, adjusting the dosage of a problem medication, or a change in sleep routine and lifestyle choices such as avoiding bad eating habits and/or discontinuing the use of stimulants like caffeine and nicotine or alcohol which is a depressant that interrupts normal sleep. Anxiety and insomnia resulting from such conditions can be treated with medication and relaxation on consultation with a physician.
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