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The first step in managing any sleep disorder is to practice good sleep habits, also known as sleep hygiene. Poor sleep hygiene is among the most common problems associated with disrupted sleep. We stay up too late and get up too early. We interrupt our sleep with drugs, chemicals and work, and we over stimulate ourselves with late-night activities such as television.
Tips for Good Sleep Hygiene
Making the following minor modifications to your bedtime routine can have a huge impact on your quality of sleep:
- Maintain a regular sleep and wake pattern seven days a week.
- Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath, reading a book or listening to soothing music.
- Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.
- Associate your bed with sleep and take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment.
- Finish eating 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime as food can be disruptive right before sleep.
- Exercise regularly and try to finish your workout at least a few hours before bedtime.
- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol too close to bedtime.
However, in some cases practicing good sleep hygiene alone is not enough to manage a sleep disorder. If so, there are many other treatments and strategies to manage the most common sleep disorders including:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
There are several options for managing sleep apnea including:
- Maintaining an ideal weight – People who are overweight are more likely to develop sleep apnea. Therefore, maintaining an ideal weight is important in managing sleep apnea. Before starting a diet or exercise program, talk with your physician about your plan to make sure it’s safe.
- Oral appliances– Custom-made oral appliances reposition the lower jaw and tongue to open the airway, allowing the free flow of air. Patients with mild to moderate OSA may benefit greatly from oral appliances, while patients with severe OSA typically do not respond to this type of treatment. Merit’s network of sleep specialists includes several American Board of Sleep Medicine dentists who are available to provide this type of treatment. Click here to find a specialist in your area.
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)– more severe cases of sleep apnea may require CPAP therapy. In this therapy, a light mask is worn over the nose during sleep. A small, quiet air pump is attached to the mask with a long tube so that air under pressure enters the nasal passages and into the throat. This gentle air pressure holds the throat open and allows normal sleep and breathing. Merit provides state-of-the-art CPAP therapy, comprehensive patient education, equipment setup and supplies through its sleep medical equipment company, Merit Sleep Technologies. Click here
- Surgery– Surgery can sometimes correct physical problems that interfere with breathing during sleep including enlarged tonsils or adenoids, nasal polyps or other growths, a deviated septum or excess tissue at the back of the throat. Merit works in close partnership with physicians who can perform surgery to treat obstructive sleep apnea. Click here to find a specialist in your area.
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Insomnia
The treatment of insomnia depends on its cause and severity. If insomnia results from another disorder, treatment of that disorder may improve sleep. For most people who have insomnia, some simple changes in lifestyle, such as following a regular sleep schedule, can improve sleep. Other behavioral techniques such as limiting the time spent in bed to sleeping only and relaxation exercises may also prove effective.
When a sleep disorder interferes with a person's normal activities and sense of wellbeing, the intermittent use of sleep aids (also called hypnotics) for up to a week may be helpful. If emotional stress is causing insomnia, treatment to relieve the stress is more useful than taking sleep aids. People who have insomnia and depression should be evaluated by a doctor and the depression should be treated. Treating depression often relieves the insomnia, but some antidepressants can improve sleep directly because they have sedating effects.
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Narcolepsy
Therapies for narcolepsy involve the practice of getting sufficient sleep at night, proper sleep hygiene and drug therapy. Patients with narcolepsy often feel refreshed after a short nap. For example, a 15-minute nap after lunch and another at 5:30 p.m. may help diminish the intensity of daytime sleepiness and provide temporary alertness. Stimulants are the mainstay of drug therapy for excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep attacks and may be needed for life.
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Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
Although no cure exists for restless leg syndrome (RLS), different types of treatment can be used to manage the condition and relieve discomfort. There are three treatment approaches for RLS include:
- Self-help – If your symptoms are mild, self-help may be sufficient treatment. Exercise, massage, stretching, wearing compression leggings to bed or applying heat or cold to your extremities may reduce symptoms.
- Medications – For those with severe RLS, where the disorder disrupts sleep or daily activities, medications may be the proper treatment approach.
- Treatment of the underlying condition – If your RLS is caused by an underlying condition, treatment of that condition often cures the RLS.
- Parasomnias - Parasomnias, including sleepwalking and sleep terrors, are more common in children. They usually resolve as the child grows, and do not often require treatment. Other parasomnias, such as REM sleep behavior disorder, can cause major safety risks, and often require treatment. Ask your doctor to determine whether or not treatment is needed.
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