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Is Sleeping Making You Tired?
If you wake up feeling unrested or have a difficult time staying awake throughout the day, and it's happening to you a lot, don't dismiss it. Listen as Dr. Farooq Sattar, Pulmonologist and Sleep Specialist talks about sleep disorders.
Featuring:
Farooq Sattar, M.D. in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine
Farooq Sattar, M.D., is Board-certified in Critical Care Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Sleep Medicine. Transcription:
Scott Webb: None of us is at our best when we're tired and sometimes a bad night's sleep is to blame. And other times, we may be suffering from a sleep disorder. The good thing is that we have experts to help diagnose our issues and help us. And joining me today is Dr. Farooq Sattar. He's board-certified in critical care medicine, internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and sleep medicine.
This is Sounds of Good Health with Genesis, brought to you by Genesis Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. Doctor, thanks so much for your time. You know, I think all of us have had trouble sleeping from time to time, but that doesn't necessarily, you know, always rise to the level of a sleep disorder. So as we get rolling here, how do you define a sleep disorder?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Yes, you're right. All of us, from time to time have problems with these issues. But if it is affecting your performance during the day, or you're not able to function properly or perform your duties, then it means that something is more serious than just a nuisance and you should seek attention.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And that might mean initially reaching out to our primaries, having a conversation with them and then moving on to some place like the Genesis Pulmonary Center, which we are going to talk more about. But I want to know how common are sleep disorders? How many people are just sort of walking around every day, a little bit like in a zombie-like state, because they have sleep disorders and they haven't reached out to a doctor?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: So sleep disorders are very common. It, you know, includes things like sleep deprivation, insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs, narcolepsy. So I'll just go through these one by one. So as far as insomnia is concerned, one in two people actually have problems with insomnia at some point. And 10% to 15% of adults have insomnia severe enough that it affects, you know, their performance during the day, so chronic, you can see a significant insomnia.
As far as sleep apnea is concerned, about 4% adults have sleep apnea. It is also common in children, but more common in adults. As far as restless legs, you know, about 10% to 15% of adults may have restless leg syndrome. As far As narcolepsy, about 200,000 Americans probably have narcolepsy. So that's kind of the common numbers we have for sleep disorders.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And as you say, they are common and I'm sure that sort of runs the gamut, you know, from sleep disorders that cause us to not be able to function very well and go to school or work or be successful in those things. But then other things like sleep apnea, untreated sleep apnea, can be dangerous, right?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Yeah. Like you can have serious consequences. It is known that untreated sleep apnea can be a risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, driving-driving related accidents. It also has a role in metabolic syndrome, including high blood pressure and high triglycerides and low HDL and all those factors, insulin resistance. So it contributes to a lot of health issues. Driving-related accidents, you know, a large number of driving-related accidents are related to untreated sleep apnea as well.
Scott Webb: Yeah, they definitely are. And every good reason for us to, you know, sort of be aware of what's happening with us. So let's talk about this. How do you diagnose sleep disorders and how do you treat them at the Genesis Pulmonary Center?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: We take a comprehensive approach. It starts with a good history taking. We go over the problem or what's going on and, you know, what we're dealing with. If it is something like sleep apnea, then usually patients need a sleep study. It can be a home sleep study or an in-lab sleep study, depending upon what kind of problem we are dealing with, what are the comorbidities and things like that. And patient is scheduled for a sleep study. Genesis has an excellent sleep lab where we perform sleep studies, where patients stay in the lab. We monitor their brain activity, their breathing, their oxygen, their heart activity. And then we can tell if they have sleep apnea or how bad it is, and if it is causing significant drops in oxygen during the night, if they have restless legs or some other disorders. And, once they're diagnosed, then they're appropriately treated, depending on the severity of the condition, nature of the condition and whatnot.
Scott Webb: And so once someone's been diagnosed, okay, they definitely have a sleep disorder, then what are the next steps, right? So they come in for a sleep study or maybe they're even able to do a sleep study from home, however it works out. But let's just say that someone's been diagnosed, what are the next steps? And what's the prognosis for folks to getting back to some normal sleep and really dealing with their sleep disorder?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: So, we follow patients up after the sleep study and go over the results and, depending upon how significant the sleep apnea is, mild, moderate, severe, then we offer different treatment options. Most commonly used treatment option for sleep apnea is CPAP and sometimes BiPAP and, if patient can tolerate that, then we prescribe CPAP. We usually start with CPAP and sometimes we have to go to BiPAP. About 50% patients who have sleep apnea can tolerate CPAP, but the rest may not tolerate it. And in those situations, we have other options available as well, starting from mandibular advancement device or an oral appliance, which is usually made by a dentist. So we refer these patients to dentists who can make these appliances that fit in your mouth and basically help open the upper airway in a way that you can breathe better through the night.
And if neither of these options work well, then there are two other kinds of surgical options available as well. One is an upper airway pacemaker-like device called Inspire. Basically, it's an implant like a pacemaker, but what it does is it increases their tone to the muscles of upper airway, including the base of the tongue. And that way, it kind of keeps the airway open. And by doing that, it prevents apnea and hypopneas. And if the patient is a good candidate for that, then we refer them for this device placement. And if none of these are options, then surgery for upper airway reconstruction, opening up the space in the upper airway is an option as well and patient may need a surgery and they are referred for that.
Scott Webb: Well, it does sound pretty comprehensive and it's good to know as a potential patient, all of us are potentially patients for this, that or the other thing, good to know that there are options. Of course, we always want options. And doctor, really educational today. As we wrap up here, just in your own words for listeners, why it's important to reach out to our primaries or see a specialist or go for a sleep study if we're having more than the occasional bad night. If we really believe we have a sleep disorder, we don't have to live in misery. We don't have to be tired all the time. There is help available. So in your words, encourage folks to reach out if they believe they have a sleep disorder and be proactive.
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Yeah, you're right. Sleep disorders are treatable. We can diagnose them, we can treat them. Patients with sleep apnea, they may not be sleeping for years before they seek help and get diagnosed and get treated. And quite often I see patients in my office who tell me, the doctor, that, "I had not slept for years before I got my machine. And now, I can sleep normally again. I feel well rested and, you know, I'm not tired. I'm not sleepy all day. I can function properly." So all those things are possible, but you need to seek help if you are having those issues and then get it diagnosed and then get it treated and you can have a fairly normal life again.
Scott Webb: Well, that is the dream. That is the goal. And that's a perfect way to end. So many of us just sort of live with things. We just tolerate things. We walk around tired all the time and wonder if there's something that can be done about it. And as you say today, that sleep disorders are common, they're treatable. We just need to reach out and we hope folks do. Hope everybody enjoyed the podcast. Thanks so much for your time. You stay well.ac
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Thank you.
Scott Webb: And for more information, go to genesishcs.org. And thanks for listening to Sounds of Good Health with Genesis, brought to you by Genesis Healthcare System. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend and subscribe, rate and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well.
Scott Webb: None of us is at our best when we're tired and sometimes a bad night's sleep is to blame. And other times, we may be suffering from a sleep disorder. The good thing is that we have experts to help diagnose our issues and help us. And joining me today is Dr. Farooq Sattar. He's board-certified in critical care medicine, internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and sleep medicine.
This is Sounds of Good Health with Genesis, brought to you by Genesis Healthcare System. I'm Scott Webb. Doctor, thanks so much for your time. You know, I think all of us have had trouble sleeping from time to time, but that doesn't necessarily, you know, always rise to the level of a sleep disorder. So as we get rolling here, how do you define a sleep disorder?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Yes, you're right. All of us, from time to time have problems with these issues. But if it is affecting your performance during the day, or you're not able to function properly or perform your duties, then it means that something is more serious than just a nuisance and you should seek attention.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And that might mean initially reaching out to our primaries, having a conversation with them and then moving on to some place like the Genesis Pulmonary Center, which we are going to talk more about. But I want to know how common are sleep disorders? How many people are just sort of walking around every day, a little bit like in a zombie-like state, because they have sleep disorders and they haven't reached out to a doctor?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: So sleep disorders are very common. It, you know, includes things like sleep deprivation, insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs, narcolepsy. So I'll just go through these one by one. So as far as insomnia is concerned, one in two people actually have problems with insomnia at some point. And 10% to 15% of adults have insomnia severe enough that it affects, you know, their performance during the day, so chronic, you can see a significant insomnia.
As far as sleep apnea is concerned, about 4% adults have sleep apnea. It is also common in children, but more common in adults. As far as restless legs, you know, about 10% to 15% of adults may have restless leg syndrome. As far As narcolepsy, about 200,000 Americans probably have narcolepsy. So that's kind of the common numbers we have for sleep disorders.
Scott Webb: Yeah. And as you say, they are common and I'm sure that sort of runs the gamut, you know, from sleep disorders that cause us to not be able to function very well and go to school or work or be successful in those things. But then other things like sleep apnea, untreated sleep apnea, can be dangerous, right?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Yeah. Like you can have serious consequences. It is known that untreated sleep apnea can be a risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, driving-driving related accidents. It also has a role in metabolic syndrome, including high blood pressure and high triglycerides and low HDL and all those factors, insulin resistance. So it contributes to a lot of health issues. Driving-related accidents, you know, a large number of driving-related accidents are related to untreated sleep apnea as well.
Scott Webb: Yeah, they definitely are. And every good reason for us to, you know, sort of be aware of what's happening with us. So let's talk about this. How do you diagnose sleep disorders and how do you treat them at the Genesis Pulmonary Center?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: We take a comprehensive approach. It starts with a good history taking. We go over the problem or what's going on and, you know, what we're dealing with. If it is something like sleep apnea, then usually patients need a sleep study. It can be a home sleep study or an in-lab sleep study, depending upon what kind of problem we are dealing with, what are the comorbidities and things like that. And patient is scheduled for a sleep study. Genesis has an excellent sleep lab where we perform sleep studies, where patients stay in the lab. We monitor their brain activity, their breathing, their oxygen, their heart activity. And then we can tell if they have sleep apnea or how bad it is, and if it is causing significant drops in oxygen during the night, if they have restless legs or some other disorders. And, once they're diagnosed, then they're appropriately treated, depending on the severity of the condition, nature of the condition and whatnot.
Scott Webb: And so once someone's been diagnosed, okay, they definitely have a sleep disorder, then what are the next steps, right? So they come in for a sleep study or maybe they're even able to do a sleep study from home, however it works out. But let's just say that someone's been diagnosed, what are the next steps? And what's the prognosis for folks to getting back to some normal sleep and really dealing with their sleep disorder?
Dr. Farooq Sattar: So, we follow patients up after the sleep study and go over the results and, depending upon how significant the sleep apnea is, mild, moderate, severe, then we offer different treatment options. Most commonly used treatment option for sleep apnea is CPAP and sometimes BiPAP and, if patient can tolerate that, then we prescribe CPAP. We usually start with CPAP and sometimes we have to go to BiPAP. About 50% patients who have sleep apnea can tolerate CPAP, but the rest may not tolerate it. And in those situations, we have other options available as well, starting from mandibular advancement device or an oral appliance, which is usually made by a dentist. So we refer these patients to dentists who can make these appliances that fit in your mouth and basically help open the upper airway in a way that you can breathe better through the night.
And if neither of these options work well, then there are two other kinds of surgical options available as well. One is an upper airway pacemaker-like device called Inspire. Basically, it's an implant like a pacemaker, but what it does is it increases their tone to the muscles of upper airway, including the base of the tongue. And that way, it kind of keeps the airway open. And by doing that, it prevents apnea and hypopneas. And if the patient is a good candidate for that, then we refer them for this device placement. And if none of these are options, then surgery for upper airway reconstruction, opening up the space in the upper airway is an option as well and patient may need a surgery and they are referred for that.
Scott Webb: Well, it does sound pretty comprehensive and it's good to know as a potential patient, all of us are potentially patients for this, that or the other thing, good to know that there are options. Of course, we always want options. And doctor, really educational today. As we wrap up here, just in your own words for listeners, why it's important to reach out to our primaries or see a specialist or go for a sleep study if we're having more than the occasional bad night. If we really believe we have a sleep disorder, we don't have to live in misery. We don't have to be tired all the time. There is help available. So in your words, encourage folks to reach out if they believe they have a sleep disorder and be proactive.
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Yeah, you're right. Sleep disorders are treatable. We can diagnose them, we can treat them. Patients with sleep apnea, they may not be sleeping for years before they seek help and get diagnosed and get treated. And quite often I see patients in my office who tell me, the doctor, that, "I had not slept for years before I got my machine. And now, I can sleep normally again. I feel well rested and, you know, I'm not tired. I'm not sleepy all day. I can function properly." So all those things are possible, but you need to seek help if you are having those issues and then get it diagnosed and then get it treated and you can have a fairly normal life again.
Scott Webb: Well, that is the dream. That is the goal. And that's a perfect way to end. So many of us just sort of live with things. We just tolerate things. We walk around tired all the time and wonder if there's something that can be done about it. And as you say today, that sleep disorders are common, they're treatable. We just need to reach out and we hope folks do. Hope everybody enjoyed the podcast. Thanks so much for your time. You stay well.ac
Dr. Farooq Sattar: Thank you.
Scott Webb: And for more information, go to genesishcs.org. And thanks for listening to Sounds of Good Health with Genesis, brought to you by Genesis Healthcare System. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please be sure to tell a friend and subscribe, rate and review this podcast and check out the entire podcast library for additional topics of interest. I'm Scott Webb. Stay well.