People shouldn’t lay down on the job when it comes to getting a
good night sleep.

“It’s just like diet and exercise,” said Dr. Nancy Collop, a
native of Bradford, associate professor of Medicine at Johns
Hopkins University, and director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep
Disorders Center.

Collop spoke recently about sleep disorders, especially sleep
apnea, at Bradford Regional Medical Center.

“People are not as effective if they’ve been up all night,”
Collop said. “People don’t take sleep seriously. They think it can
be put off. It can’t.”

Sleep apnea is when a person’s breathing stops or gets very
shallow while they are sleeping. Each pause in breathing typically
lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more; these pauses can occur 20 to 30
times or more an hour. It’s a common disorder, but can lead to
serious consequences.

“If you’re not breathing, you’re not getting the oxygen,” Collop
said. “There’s chronic oxygen deprivation.”

This can lead to serious problems such as high blood pressure
and possibly diabetes.

Those typically affected by sleep apnea are obese, middle-aged
males. Seventy percent of those diagnosed are obese.

And people don’t realize how important sleep is.

“People seem to put it off,” Registered Respiratory Therapist
Ken Vosler said of sleep. “They don’t make sleep a priority … It
connects to everything, especially mood.”

The group suggested sleeping in a dark room with a fan running
to keep out the noise.

But if that doesn’t work, a trip to the sleep lab may be in
order.

People are not aware if they have problem, Collop said, because
“they are asleep.”

How do people know they have a problem and aren’t just
tired?

“That’s why they do sleep studies,” Vosler said, adding that if
someone doesn’t feel refreshed even though they’ve slept six to
eight hours, “something is wrong.”

“They can sleep 10 hours and never feel refreshed,” he said.

Some patients had been tired for 20 to 30 years, but didn’t know
what it was like to feel refreshed.

Some signs to look for include:

– using the bathroom a lot

– waking up in the middle of the night

– gasping for air

– waking up with a headache.

The most important thing, however, is to have it diagnosed and
treated.

Doctors order continuous positive airway press (CPAP) machine
for those with sleep apnea. This provides a “close connection
between the machines and lungs.” Forced air allows the person to
breath.

The machine can be adjusted to fit the person’s needs, the group
said.

“They get better immediately after the first night,” Collop
said.

The units are portable and can be taken anywhere.

“Most patients say, ‘this is the best night sleep I’ve had in
years,'” Vosler said.

Over time, the patients not only get a good night’s sleep, they
can also have better blood pressure and diabetes control.

Therapy reduces the risk of sudden death or someone dying in
their sleep.

Penny Oyler, director of cardiopulmonary services at BRMC, said
one example is someone who could be on three medications for high
blood pressure and once they are diagnosed, they are taken off of
some medications.

Dr. Frank Arnal, a pulmonologist at BRMC, said he has people who
come to him for other symptoms, including congestive heart failure
and leg swelling, but can also be treated for sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is treated more often, Arnal said, because there’s
more obesity, plus there’s more awareness, including more sleep
labs.

The sleep clinic has been open for four years. It’s equipped
with two beds and is open Monday through Thursday.

“There’s more awareness,” Oyler said.

It’s also a disorder that affects people of all ages.

“It’s just education,” Collop said. “Educate patients this is to
give them a better quality of life.”