Springfield, Pa. – As we all know, getting a good night’s rest helps set the tone for the following day. Studies have proven that getting enough sleep makes us more alert and productive. Sleep, or lack thereof, also has a profound effect on our mood — look no further than a cranky baby as proof that missing out on sleep can test anyone’s good nature.
Seeing a need to reach out and help as many people as possible from Delaware County and beyond, Crozer-Keystone recently expanded its sleep program to include the addition of two new sites — one in Drexel Hill and one in Glen Mills.
“Crozer-Keystone Health System opened the first sleep disorder center in the Delaware Valley 30 years ago,” says Kristen Creighton, assistant vice president of Operations at Taylor Hospital. Creighton also serves as administrative leader for the CKHS sleep program. “Under Dr. Calvin Stafford’s knowledgeable and dedicated direction, we have built a program of excellence known for its quality, caring and comprehensive approach to sleep disorders. We have the exciting ability to grow this program and to offer our services at two new locations convenient to residents of Delaware County,” she says.
“Crozer-Keystone sees a substantial number of people in the Drexel Hill area who have sleep problems,” adds Calvin Stafford, M.D., medical director of the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Center at Taylor Hospital. “We now have sleep services available through our highly skilled specialists at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. Having lab services available in this area just makes sense.
“For the Brinton Lake area,” Stafford continues, “Crozer-Keystone’s newly established sleep services will complement the full-range of medical services already available at the nearby Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton Lake facility. Sleep medicine is an expanding field, and a growing number of patients need sleep studies, so the opening of the center in Glen Mills will serve people from this geographic region as well as Eastern Chester County and Northern Delaware.”
Types of Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders are commonly overlooked and unreported by patients. After all, it’s just snoring, right? Sleep-disordered breathing (which includes sleep apnea) is characterized by heavy snoring and is the most common sleep problem. However, if left untreated, sleep apnea could lead to a host of other problems — including stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 12 million people suffer from chronic obstructive sleep apnea.
For thirty years, Crozer-Keystone has been helping people who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing problems. Other sleep-related problems that can be evaluated and treated at a sleep center include:
Disorders of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: Most commonly known as narcolepsy, these disorders are characterized by falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as when driving.
Insomnia: Short-term insomnia is usually not a cause for concern. When the problem goes on for a longer period, however, evaluation can help find the cause and create a treatment plan.
Restless Leg Syndrome: An “itchy, crawly,” extremely uncomfortable feeling in the legs that prevents a person from falling and staying asleep.
Parasomnias: Including sleepwalking, bedwetting and night terrors.
REM Behavior Disorders: Another type of parasomnias. People who suffer from this disorder “act out” their dreams during sleep because their muscles don’t relax, as they are supposed to.
Circadian Rhythm Disorders and disturbances in “biological clocks”
We’re Here to Help
“At our sleep centers, patients are referred to us for sleep-related problems by their primary care physician and other specialists — such as cardiologists; ear, nose and throat physicians and bariatric surgeons,” says Asad Khan, M.D., medical director of the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Center at Brinton Lake. “Patients are seen quickly and evaluated at our sleep centers. The evaluation includes a detailed history and physical examination that is carried out by a trained sleep specialist. If needed, a sleep study is scheduled to complete the workup. After a diagnosis is made, the problem is discussed with the patient in detail and a comprehensive treatment plan is instituted. Follow-up in the sleep center is encouraged to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. A detailed summary of the patient’s evaluation and test results are sent to all physicians involved in the patient’s care.”
“Helping people achieve quality sleep not only improves their health by lowering their risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and depression, but also makes them feel better,” says Michael Weinstein, M.D., medical director of the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Center at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. “Patients come in with complaints that they are snoring and keeping bed partners awake, they wake up tired, and/or they are falling asleep while driving or during meals with their family. It is very rewarding for me that through treating their sleep disorder, I can help give them their life back.
“There are many causes of sleep disorders, but with our experience and the technology that we offer we can find the problem and get patients the help they need.”
For more information on sleep disorders, or to schedule an appointment at one of the Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers, call 1-888-SLEEP03 (1-888-753-3703) or fill out a secure online request form at http://sleepcenters.crozer.org. All requests submitted online are answered by the next business day.
Crozer-Keystone’s accredited, multidisciplinary program for the investigation and treatment of sleep problems was established in 1978. It is the oldest nationally accredited program for the evaluation of patients with sleep-related problems in the Greater Delaware Valley.
The Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers are staffed by physicians with special training in sleep disorders. Each is supported by compassionate and caring technical staff who are encouraged to obtain national registration by the Board of Polysomnographic Technologists.
We’re 5 hospitals, 2,600 doctors and nurses, and 7,100 caring people with 1 vision. Crozer-Keystone. Something to feel good about.