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Sleep Disorders

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If you have trouble falling asleep, staying awake or sleeping through the night, you may be among the one-third of Americans estimated to have sleep disorders. If not treated, a sleep disorder can lead to chronic fatigue, disorientation and the inability to accomplish everyday tasks.

Test Yourself:

  • Do you doze off unintentionally during the day?
  • Do you snore loudly and persistently at night, and are you sleep during the day?
  • Have you ever "dozed off" while driving?
  • Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
  • Does your partner notice that you sometimes stop breathing while you're sleeping?
  • Do you wake up with an acid taste in the mouth, or cough and wheeze during the night?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, you may have a sleeping disorder. Discuss your symptoms with your primary care physician or pulmonology physician or call 727-341-4851 to schedule an appointment at the Sleep Disorders Laboratory. 

Common Sleep Disorders

Obstructive sleep apnea:
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea stop and start breathing several times while asleep. This may occur several hundred times a night, with each occurrence lasting several seconds, causing heavy snoring, morning headache, sore throat or daytime drowsiness. If not properly treated, obstructive sleep apnea may result in irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart failure, lung disease and impotence.

Insomnia:
Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep. It may be caused by psychological factors, such as depression or stress, sleep apnea syndrome, muscle twitches during sleep, or physical pain. Environmental factors such as lifestyle and personal crisis may also result in insomnia.

Periodic leg movement syndrome:
This condition involves leg muscle twitches that usually occur every 20 to 40 seconds during sleep. It leaves the patient feeling restless during the night or excessively tired and sleepy during the day, and can often lead to insomnia.

Narcolepsy:
A person with narcolepsy falls asleep involuntarily at different times throughout the day. He or she may fall asleep while driving, eating or talking. A narcoleptic may lose muscle control during an emotional experience such as crying or laughing. Narcolepsy can cause extreme frustration for the sufferer, and can lead to life-threatening situations.

Support Groups

4th Tuesday of each month 6-7pm
St. Petersburg General Hospital
6500 38th Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
Auditorium B
Call 1-888-741-5122

Health Encyclopedia

1-888-741-5122