How much sleep do you need?
That depends on many factors, especially your age.

• Newborns generally sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day.
• Preschoolers usually get between 10 and 12 hours of shuteye a night. 
• To be fully rested, older children and teens need about nine hours of sleep. 
• For most adults, seven to eight hours appears to be the right amount.

“But this can vary. Some people may need as few as five hours sleep; others, as many as 10,” says Amy Blanchard, MD, a sleep specialist with MCGHealth Sleep Disorders Center.

Watch for these sleep disorders
Unfortunately, millions of Americans experiences sleep problems. The most common of these is insomnia, or the inability to sleep. This can be caused by stress, depression, anxiety, caffeine, medications or other physical or emotional factors. Whatever the cause, it can lead to tiredness, irritability and poor work performance.

Insomnia can also be a symptom of more serious sleep disorders including: 

• Sleep apnea is a serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during the night. The condition is characterized by loud, habitual snoring. According to Dr. Blanchard, sleep apnea is under recognized. "The symptoms often develop slowly, so many people have simply forgotten what it feels like to have a good night's sleep," she says.
       
• Narcolepsy is characterized by overwhelming daytime drowsiness, sudden unwanted sleep and episodes of sudden muscle weakness.
      
• Restless leg syndrome causes uncomfortable stimulation in the legs or an urge to move the legs that keeps a person awake.
      
• Parasomnias involve sleepwalking, talking in the sleep and night terrors. 

Depend on MCGHealth
If you experience problems sleeping, the MCGHealth Sleep Disorders Center can help. It is the only sleep center in the area to be fully accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 

The center’s pulmonary medicine physicians, neurologists, otolaryngology physicians and other specialists diagnosis and treat the full range of sleep disorders in both adults and children.

Monitoring sleep to diagnose disorders
Patients generally spend a nine- to 10-hour night at the center. During that time, electrodes that cause no pain are attached to their bodies. While patients sleep in darkened rooms, these electrodes monitor various physical parameters including brain activity, airflow, eye movement, heart rate, muscle activity in the legs and chest, belly movement and other factors. "Patients are also videoed with infrared cameras, and microphones monitor their sounds. The physicians then review the data to diagnose the disorder and its severity. Treatments are prescribed if needed," Dr. Blanchard says. 

If you're experiencing trouble sleeping, see your primary care physician for a referral to the MCGHealth Sleep Disorders Center. A good night's sleep may be just a phone call away.  

Symptoms of Serious Sleep Disorders
See your physician if you experience the following:

• excessive snoring
• extreme daytime drowsiness
• irritability
• decline in job performance, concentration and attention span 
• kicking, moving and frequent turning during sleep 
• chronic insomnia
• early morning headaches
• uncomfortable or restless legs

Sleep … to Your Heart’s Content 
Did you know that sleep is good for the heart?

Chronic sleep deprivation, on the other hand, changes metabolic functions in ways that promote weight gain and diabetes, two risk factors for heart disease. What’s more, sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. This makes treating sleep disorders important for heart health.

 
Dr. Amy Blanchard

For more information
on sleep disorders,
call 706-721-0793.