Your Sleep

Adults need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep each night to keep their bodies at peak performance. Although each person’s sleep needs differ, studies show that sleeping less than 7 hours a night on a regular basis may lead to serious health risks such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and weight gain. It is estimated today that 70 million Americans have some form of acute or chronic sleep disorder. This is a conservative estimate as most people may not realize they have a sleep issue.

Quick Facts

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) 2009 Sleep in America Poll:
- The number of people reporting sleep problems has increased 13% since 2001, and the number of Americans who sleep less than six hours a night has jumped from 13% to 20%.
- Healthy Americans (80%) sleep better, engage in healthy behaviors, and have a better quality of life than those in fair or poor health (20%).
- There has been a significant rise in the number of people (64%) that report experiencing a sleep problem at least a few nights a week since 2001 (51%), with 41% reporting problems every night or almost every night.
Sleep disorders account for an estimated $16 billion in medical costs alone, wreaking havoc on people’s work lives, driving, and social activities. (Sleep-Wake Cycle: Its Physiology and Impact on Health, NSF 2006)
18-20 million Americans are suspected to suffer from sleep apnea. (Sleep-Wake Cycle: Its Physiology and Impact on Health, NSF 2006)
Recent research suggests that anywhere from 5 to 15 percent of Americans suffer from restless legs syndrome (RLS), a condition characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the legs. (Sleep-Wake Cycle: Its Physiology and Impact on Health, NSF 2006).

Health Impact

One of the most disturbing correlations made in recent studies is in the area of stroke risk. Stroke continues to be the number two cause of death in the US. Studies have now proven that subjects with moderate to severe sleep apnea have a 2-3 times higher risk of suffering certain types of stroke if undiagnosed and untreated. Additionally, victims of stroke who did not previously have sleep apnea have a higher incidence of developing it post-stroke, thus increasing risk for subsequent strokes.

Links to heart disease are also quite strong in that 50% of hypertensive patients are suspected to have sleep apnea as well as the same statistic amongst apnea patients suffering from hypertension. Hypertension is a key contributor to heart attack, stroke and cardiac related deaths.

Diabetes and insulin resistance disorders are found commonly amongst sufferers of sleep apnea. Recent studies linked type 2 diabetes to the lowering of oxygen pressure in the arteries (hypoxemia) found during episodes of sleep apnea related breathing disturbances during sleep.

Take your own sleepiness test and submit your results to our sleep center coordinator. We will then contact you.

Epworth Sleepiness Scale

Your Email Address
Your Name
Age
Gender (M=Male, F=Female)
Primary Care Physician

How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the following situations, in contrast to feeling just tired? This refers to your usual way of life in recent times. Even if you have not done some of these things recently, try to work out how they would have affected you.

Use the following scale to choose the most appropriate number for each situation.

0 = would never doze
1 = slight chance of dozing
2 = moderate chance of dozing
3 = high chance of dozing

Sitting and Reading
Watching TV
Sitting, inactive in a public place
As a passenger in a car for an hour
Lying down to rest in the afternoon
Sitting and talking to someone

Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol
In a car, stopped in traffic for a few minutes

Total Score(Add All Responses)
Self Evaluation
Have you ever been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea?
Are you currently being treated for obstructive sleep apnea?
Have you been told (or noticed on your own) that you snore on most nights?
Have you been told (or noticed on your own) that you stop breathing or struggle to breathe in your sleep?
Are you tired, fatigued or sleepy on most days?
Do you have acid indigestion or high blood pressure (OR use medication to control either of these conditions)?
Are you overweight?