Sleep Doctors Can Help You Determine What is Disrupting Your Sleep
When you are suffering from a sleep disorder, it can be hard to know where to turn and what type of help you need. These conditions are very hard to detect and sometimes require specific treatments to be resolved. Sleep problems can be very infrequent or occur nightly. The symptoms may not be so obvious because they happen while you are asleep. Common things to look for include being very tired during the day, mood changes, decreased health, and the inability to perform as you normally would. You could be having trouble getting to sleep every night or waking up frequently. These are all signs of a problem that needs to be evaluated and fixed.
Not all sleep problems are due to a sleep disorder. The normal routine you perform before bed or other things you do during the day can affect sleep as well. Drinking a lot of caffeine or consuming alcohol before bed can prevent sleep and cause frequent awakenings. Eating specific foods, your sleep environment, and bed time habits all determine how well you sleep. Before assuming you have a disorder, take a thorough look at what you consume and do each day. Incorporate exercise get rid of additional energy. Make sure your bed room is comfortable and promotes healthy sleep. It needs to have comfortable bedding, a good temperature, and as little light and noise as possible. Change your nightly routine so you have time to relax and unwind from the day. These little adjustments can make a big difference.
Medical conditions and medications may be altering your sleep. See your regular doctor and discuss what is going on and the changes you have made to try to remedy the issue. They will perform tests to see if a medical issue is preventing you from getting the amount of rest you need. Check the medications you are taking to see if sleeplessness is a common side effect. Then discuss this with your doctor to see if another medication can be taken or something else can be done to reduce how the medication affects your sleep. Your regular doctor may be able to help you fix the situation. If they cannot then they may recommend that you see a specialist or be evaluated by a sleep facility.
Sleep doctors are available all over the country. Sleep medicine itself is an emerging field that is more common due to the increased concern over disorders and how they affect overall health. What do sleep doctors do? They often use specialized facilities to perform tests while you sleep. These facilities have controlled environments that have all the comfort of a bed room. Monitors are attached to various parts of the body to record brain activity and other responses during each phase of sleep. A technician does the monitoring and takes note of any visual symptoms that occur during the testing. The doctor takes a look at the test results and determines if a disorder exists and possible treatments. They go over the results and explain each treatment option giving you the opportunity to ask questions and choose what remedy works best for your situation.
A specialist can help you determine if a sleep disorder is causing your sleep problems. These doctors are familiar with the various types of disorders and their most common symptoms.
