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Anyone have any recommendations for sleep clinics in the Raleigh/Durham area?
Apparently I grind my teeth and have some sort of spasms at night so I'm looking for a professional opinion just to rule out anything serious. Seems like some of them focus mostly on sleep apnea, would prefer a clinic with broad expertise beyond that.
My wife used the sleep clinic at Rex Family Practice in Wakefield and said they were very thorough. If you need a night guard, you'll probably have to go to a dentist.
I went to Parkway sleep center just a copay for the two sleep studies. One without cpap and the other after I'd seen the doctor to review the study, with a cpap machine.
They should call them no-sleep studies because its difficult to sleep when your heads got 25 wires glued to it!
FWIW BCBS paid them in full for a cpap machine. It's a great thing but takes a lot of effort to get used to it
I had the home study last month and it wasn't much better. The stupid thing would slip off my head and a voice would call out for me to "adjust the sensor." This happened after I *finally* fell asleep. It happened at least five times and so my sleep wasn't great.
Hope I do better with the actual CPAP once I get it.
I have been using a CPAP for over 10 years. It is a life saver, as the strain on your heart when you stop breathing ( that is what sleep apnea does to you ) is like being choked and smothered at the same time .
It ruins your sleep, makes you feel tired all day and makes you grouchy and irritable... because you are not getting the deep sleep that you need to get, each night. A typical sleep apnea patient STOPS breathing about 10 to 15 tines per HOUR, all night . The periods of not breathing can be from 15 seconds to a minute in duration. That stress on your heart, lungs and brain is what can kill you. You go to sleep and never wake up.
A sleep study is a test, that shows what your breathing and brain functions are like, while you are asleep. Obviously the test requires a head net that has contacts which are attached with a light skin glue there are no needles inserted into your skin. The attendant is watching you on a TV monitor, plus observing your vital signs. The first test is to get a base line of your sleeping pattern , the second is done while you are wearing a CPAP mask.
The CPAP system is in two parts. A machine that sits on your bedside table, which pulls in air from the room, passes it through a filter, warms it and humidifies it, then it flows through a flexible hose to the face mask. The face mask is NOT a full face covering. It is a plastic framework that has a elastic head band that holds it in place. The actual contact part only touches your nose and the surrounding part of your cheeks. Your eyes ears and mouth are not covered at all.
The way it works... the machine is adjusted for your needs by a technician be fore you take it home, so the incoming pressure is at a level that works for you. The incoming air pressure keeps your airway open and your tongue in place , so that you don't choke and stop breathing. You will be breathing in and out , through your nose, not your mouth. At first it will feel odd, because you have been a mouth breather for so long. The adjusting straps have Velcro adjustments so you can get a good air seal around your nose. If you hear whistling. it isn't tight enough. It does require some getting used to, but don't dismiss it , stay with it.. it will make you feel so much better.
The benefits.......Immense improvement in your sleeping , and you will awake feeling so much better, and so will your spouse. You probably won`t want a nap mid afternoon. You will be more alert, and your mind will feel less foggy.
The costs. I live in Canada , where the Government pays the first $900 towards the cost. Your costs may be greater or lower than that . Be positive not negative about the CPAP system. It will be a life saver.
Grinding teeth ( also know as bruxism ) is a pattern of tooth grinding that can occur during the day time or at night. Treatment is a combination of being aware of it during the day, and using a night guard while asleep. It can be treated.
Snoring in the medical world is known as an obstructed airway .
Your tongue has fallen back and is partly blocking your throat/ airway. That is a part of the sleep apnea syndrome.
It is most pronounced in people who sleep on their back most of the time.
XXX.
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