Sleep Medicine

Sleep disorders disrupt your ability to get good quality sleep. They can also increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. To help protect your heart, we treat a wide range of sleep disorders, including:

• Sleep apnea: Breathing slows or stops multiple times during sleep
• Upper airway resistance: Causes excessive snoring from collapsed airways
• Insomnia: Difficulty staying asleep or falling asleep
• Restless legs syndrome: Urge to move the legs and uncontrollable nighttime movements
• Parasomnia: Talking, dream enactment, walking or eating during sleep
• Narcolepsy: Sudden periods of uncontrollable sleep during daily activities
• Circadian rhythm disorders: When your internal clock doesn’t match external time

Sleep disorders affect your quality of life and can contribute to serious heart issues. You may benefit from our services if you:

• Feel sleepy during the day or need frequent naps
• Get 7–8 hours of sleep but still feel tired
• Stop breathing while asleep
• Snore excessively and loudly
• Routinely take longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep
• Wake up repeatedly at night or too early in the morning

If sleep disorders affect your quality of life and put your heart health at risk, talk to your physician about adding sleep medicine to your care plan.

We begin with a review of your personal and family health history, a physical exam, and a detailed questionnaire to evaluate your sleep habits. You may be asked to keep a sleep log.

If necessary, we may recommend a sleep study — either onsite or at home — to monitor brain activity, breathing, snoring and movement during sleep.

Your treatment plan will depend on your diagnosis and lifestyle. Options include:

• CPAP therapy (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) for sleep apnea
• Medication for restless legs syndrome or hypersomnolence
• Lifestyle education and guidance to improve sleep habits

CPAP Benefits Include:

• Lower risk of heart attack or stroke
• Reduced blood pressure
• Slower heart rate
• Reduced risk of heart failure