When it comes to sleep disorders, the physicians of the Crozer Sleep Disorders Center at Taylor Hospital have seen it all. Everything from insomnia to narcolepsy to snoring – and everything in between – can be diagnosed and, in most cases, treated successfully.

“Everyone gets a bad night of sleep every once in a while,” says Calvin Stafford, M.D., medical director of the Crozer Sleep Disorders Center at Taylor Hospital. “However, sometimes those ‘bad nights’ become ‘bad weeks’ or even ‘bad years.’ While some of these conditions can merely be frustrating, in other cases, they can actually be detrimental to your health. You should be aware of some of the common problems that can arise in your sleep habits, and know when to seek professional help.”

According to the physicians of the Crozer Sleep Disorders Center at Taylor Hospital, patients most frequently visit the Center for the following reasons:

1. Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea Syndrome affects from 1 to 5 percent of the population, particularly the middle-aged and geriatric, and results in recurrent gaps in breathing. Sleep Apnea Syndrome can produce reduction in oxygen supply to the body and brain, strain on the heart and lungs, and profoundly disturbed sleep. Effective treatments are available for sleep apnea and various forms of sleep-disordered breathing.

2. Restless Leg Syndrome and  Periodic Limb Movement Disease (RLS & PLMD)

“Periodic Limb Movement Disease is a condition characterized by the repetitive movement of the legs and arms during sleep. Many people have it, but it only becomes a problem when it interrupts sleep,” says Annemarie Gaskin, M.D., a neurologist at the Crozer Sleep Disorders Center at Taylor Hospital. People with “Restless Legs Syndrome” complain of a strange, unpleasant but not describable feeling in the feet or legs, relieved only by moving. The symptoms increase over the afternoon and evening and make sleep difficult. RLS sufferers are often called “Night Walkers.” Most RLS sufferers also have PLMD. PLMD often appears without RLS symptoms.

Periodic Limb Movement Disease is most commonly diagnosed through a sleep study and treated with medications.

3. Insomnia

Virtually everyone has an occasional bad night of sleep. Short-term stress, jet lag, medical illness or emotional problems can produce a period of disturbed sleep, which usually improves when the problem causing the insomnia is resolved. Unfortunately, many people suffer from persistent chronic insomnia that seems to have no obvious cause.

“The technical definition of insomnia is failure to fall asleep within a half-hour of going to bed, or having several episodes of arousal. This pattern has to last more than a few days – in fact, the commonly accepted standard is two weeks,” says Andrew Borson, Ph.D., neuropsychologist for the Sleep Disorders Center. “In some people, insomnia can last years and years.”

Several treatment options are available for patients suffering from chronic insomnia, but a sleep study is often required.

For more information about the Sleep Disorders Center, or to schedule an appointment with a Sleep Disorders Center physician, call (610) 595-6272.