sleep

    
      Re: sleep
    


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Posted by ccf neuro M.D. on April 16, 1997 at 15:01:11:

In Reply to: sleep posted by jeremy on April 09, 1997 at 19:54:35:

: I drive a truck from 2 am to 3pm, almost every day.  When I get home I find it real hard to sleep.  I need 8 hrs. by law, but I am lucky if I get 5.  Is this common and is there anything I can do?
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The type of sleep disorder associated with odd working hours, shift work, and "jet lag" is loosely referred to as Circadian rhythm disorders. There is no easy fix for this problem, but some simple and essential things are to have very regular sleep habits. Go to bed at the same time every day in the same place/room that and use that room ONLY for sleep. You need to keep the same bedtime seven days a week, otherwise if the pattern is disrupted on weekends or other days off, your body will get confused. Also, as long as you feel rested and are not falling asleep or getting drowsy behind the wheel, you may be getting enough sleep even if it's only 5 hours a day. Different people require different amounts of sleep--- for some people 4 or 5 hours per night is enough. Children and even some adults may require 10, 11, or 12 hours per night. If you ARE feeling tired while driving and/or falling asleep during other wake times, I would suggest your seeing a sleep specialist and having a test called a POLYSOMNOGRAM or
sleep study done to rule out any other possible superimposed sleep disorder, such as, for instance sleep apnea, where you hold your breath in the middle of sleeping and your body is tarved of oxygen all night long, leaving you tired and fatigued and feeling like you got no restful sleep at all. This particular disorder can also lead to impotence and other sexual dysfunction, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and asthma, all due to the oxygen starvation to various organs in the body. Clues to this disorder that your bedpartner might notice are loud snoring, and stopping breathing for periods of time during the night, sometimes followed by loud, gasping snorts as your body in a sudden panic gasps in a bunch of air all at once as a reaction to the lack of oxygen, just as if you had been purposefully holding your breath for a long time and suddenly stop. If you are near or drive through the Cleveland area, we do have physicians who specialize in sleep. You could arrange an appointment with one by
calling 216-444-5559. Otherwise, I'd suggest you be sure that the sleep study is run in a sleep lab that the sleep test is performed in is certified and that the sleep test is interpreted by a doctor with special expertise or certification in sleep in order to get the best possible interpretation.