Waking hours can become extremely hectic, stress from work, tasks that you need to remember to do, those looming deadlines. Truth is, in the society that we live in today stress surrounds us. Beyond the vacation that some of us may take once or twice a year, there is one other escape from this unruly everyday constant. Sleep. However, for some Hamiltonians sleep comes with it, its own problems.
For these individuals, lacking “
beauty sleep” really might affect their appearance, personality, or mood. In truth even minimal
sleep loss can affect several aspects of someone’s life. Sleep disorders and sleeping problems are also fairly common, with at least 40 million Americans reporting chronic, long-term sleep disorders and another 20-30 million reporting the experience of occasional sleep problem. There are numerous sleeping disorders that are fairly common. For some of these disorders, individuals may be unaware that they even have them such as restless legs syndrome,
sleep apnea and the most common type of sleep disorder insomnia.
Although very different these disorders usually get diagnosed the same way…with sleep diaries! Before individuals ask for professional help, these individual monitor their sleep, keeping track of what they know has happened. These incidences include waking up in the middle of the night or something that their partner may have seen. Beyond the self-monitoring, a visit to a doctor is what usually follows and an overnight sleep study is what can be recommended. Some individuals may skip the self-monitoring, however, a
doctor’s referral is required to get into a sleep clinic; where the diagnosis happens.
In Hamilton there are 2 sleep clinics:
One that is run by St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, the Firestone Institute of Respiratory Care Out-Patient Sleep Assessment Program offers diagnosis and treatment services for those who have sleep related medical problems. Consisting of a Sleep Clinic (found on the first floor of the Juravinski Innovation tower) and a Sleep Lab (located on the fourth floor of the Juravinski Innovation tower), patients undergo an assessment before the overnight stay. Containing a fully computerized nine bed lab, and registered polysomnographic technologists and 4 medical specialists with expertise in sleep disorders, this is a program that many individuals who suffer with sleeping disorders can turn to. Please come by
50 Charlton Avenue East, or call 905-522-1155.
A second option for sleep clinics can be found on
55 Frid Street, unit 7. Like the program run by St. Joseph’s Healthcare, a doctor’s referral is required. However, unlike the first program The Sleep Disorders Clinic is able to accommodate 12 patients a night. Besides Hamilton, this clinic also has 2 other locations that can be found in St. Catherine’s and Cambridge.
There are several categories that sleeping disorders can fall into. For instance, with sleep apnea it falls under the category of
breathing problems experienced during sleep. Individuals who suffer from this issue stop breathing for at least 10 seconds during sleep. Due to the cause of the apnea, the individual may suffer from obstructive sleep apnea or central sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common and occurs because the muscles in the back of the throat slack off. This is when the muscles fail to keep the airway open.
Central sleep apnea happens when the brain fails to properly control breathing during sleep. Treatment for sleep apnea may not sound appealing to most people. To manage this sleeping disorder a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP) is used. This is a mask that goes over the individuals nose and mouth, and will softly blow air into the airways throughout the night.
Other categories that sleeping disorders may fall into include circadian rhythm sleep disorders (when natural sleeping patterns don’t match up with waking hours and schedules), excessive daytime sleepiness disorders, sleep related movement disorders, etc.
Sleep can act as a quick and easy escape. You don’t need to take time off, plan anything, and it really does offer you time to get away. Well at least for a couple hours. Sleep is also something that we tend to skip out on, an hour there, a couple minutes here. So do yourself and your body a favor and make sure you get those
recommended hours.
