If you find yourself tossing and turning during hot summer nights, or even not-so-hot summer nights, you are not alone. On average, Americans sleep 10 minutes less during the summer months—equating to more than one hour of sleep loss per week. Plus, our sleep efficiency, the ratio of the time we sleep compared to the total time in bed, dips 7 percent below the optimal level. As we all know, poor sleep can lead to all kinds of issues, from physical health and emotional well-being to lower concentration and increased risk of accidents and injuries.
Certain seasonally related contributions to poor sleep do exist. For example, the increase in daylight hours that allows us to extend our leisure time on Cape May beaches and explorations of the area’s many outdoor sports, shopping, entertainment, and other activities, can shift our circadian rhythms (a natural process that impact living beings and follow a 24-hour cycle) and alter sleep quality.
High temperatures and humidity can also make it more challenging to fall, and stay, asleep. For some people, getting better sleep may just require closing the blinds or using a sleep mask and adjusting the thermostat. However, for many people poor sleep—any time of year—can indicate underlying problems that are best identified and cared for by professionals.
At the AtlantiCare Heart and Lung Institute’s newly opened sleep clinic, the team and I work to get to the root of patients’ sleep problems. We then develop a personalized treatment plan that can lead to a better quality, more consistent, nightly rest, as well as help prevent moderate or serious health issues down the road.
When my colleagues and I treat patients—including those I see at AtlantiCare Physician Group’s Pulmonology and Cardiology offices in the AtlantiCare Health Park in Cape May Court House—we assess their sleep quality. Pulmonary issues often compromise sleep and this can cause even more problems. Similarly, when patients come to us with sleep issues or related symptoms—such as feeling tired or feeling that their mental, physical, or emotional health is suffering—we assess if there is an underlying respiratory problem.
Some of the more common sleep disorders we look for include:
- Sleep apnea—the upper airway becomes blocked many times during sleep
- Hypoxemia—oxygen levels in the blood become abnormally low
- Hypersomnia—excessive tiredness during the day
- Narcolepsy—overwhelming tiredness during the day
- Insomnia—persistent trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and/or getting a quality sleep
- Circadian rhythm disorder—when your sleep cycles are “out of synch” with the environment
- Periodic limb movement disorder—repeated leg cramping or “jerky” movement during sleep
- Seizures
Typically, we recommend that a patient having sleep issues participates in a personal sleep study at AtlantiCare’s sleep clinic. Here we create a “homelike,” comfortable, private, and relaxing sleep environment that allows us to observe and monitor our patients sleeping in as natural a state as possible. Depending on the patient and issue, an at-home sleep study may also be possible. Sleep studies provide critical information by giving our specialists an opportunity to examine a patient’s breathing, heartbeat, limb movements, and brainwaves while they sleep. Then, using all this information, we can arrive at a diagnosis, start a treatment plan, and refer them to pulmonary specialists if the cause is breathing-related.
Getting serious about your sleep
If you experience poor sleep that goes beyond the occasional “bad night” that we all have now and then, it’s important to consult with professionals. Doing so isn’t only the best course of action for your own health and wellness, but also for your relationships and the health and wellbeing of other members of your household whose sleep may also be disrupted. Here are some common signs that you or a loved one may suffer from a sleep disorder needing professional care.
- Loud snoring
- Stoppage of breathing during sleep, often followed by a loud gulp and resumed breathing
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Sudden movements or cramping while asleep
- Dry mouth upon waking up
- Morning headaches
- Daytime drowsiness or difficulty staying awake and or paying attention
- Emotional symptoms such as irritability or depression
- “Sleep divorce”—a person sleeping in a different room from their partner in order to get a good night sleep
So, remember, it is possible to sleep “sleep tight” even if right now the thought of going to bed makes you “uptight”! AtlantiCare’s sleep clinic team is here to help—offering advanced technology paired with years of experience and compassionate care.
To learn more for more information, visit atlanticare.org/pulmonology or call 1-888-569-1000.
