Sleep Disorders We Treat

If you’re one of the millions of Americans suffering with sleep problems, we know how frustrating that can be. And the consequences go far beyond feeling tired the next day. Narcolepsy, for instance, is dangerous because people fall asleep in an instant, even while they’re driving. With sleep apnea, your organs are deprived of oxygen and slow down. And chronic insomnia can often bring anxiety or depression, and may indicate a more serious underlying medical problem.

The sleep medicine experts at Central Maine Healthcare’s are here to help. Our board-certified pulmonologists and other specialists will get to the bottom of what’s keeping you up, and work with you to find the right treatment, whether that’s medication, a state-of-the-art sleeping device, minimally invasive procedure or another solution. Together, we can improve your sleep and overall health and wellness.

• Sleep Apnea: When you have sleep apnea, it means your airway is obstructed while you sleep and you’re depriving your brain and other organs of oxygen. Snoring is the clearest symptom, but apnea affects all of your body’s systems; you might feel colder than other people, or your hair might be thinning, you’re tired, or you can’t lose weight. In short, your internal motor isn’t running up to par. Some apnea patients even wake up during the night, gasping for air, which can be terrifying. But rest easy—we can help you control apnea with a variety of treatments, including a CPAP machine.

• Insomnia: If it’s hard for you to fall asleep, or you wake up during the night and can’t fall asleep again, you have insomnia. That happens to everyone occasionally and can be resolved by changing the parts of your life that affect sleep — your bedtime, or diet and exercise. But when it happens repeatedly, you have chronic insomnia that should be treated. We’ll make sure you don’t have an underlying health problem, then create a personalized program that fits your lifestyle.

• Narcolepsy: If you’ve been diagnosed with narcolepsy, you probably can’t make firm plans — especially if you have to drive — because you never know when you’ll suddenly fall asleep. We start with specialized testing to confirm the diagnosis, then custom-design a program to get you through your days with energy. We’ll co-create a regular sleep, meal and exercise schedule, and possibly prescribe new medications to help you sleep better at night.

• Restless Leg Syndrome: We consider this ailment a sleep disorder because it usually happens at night and keeps you from getting enough rest. If you feel an urge to move your legs when you lie down, or if you feel a twitching, “pulling” or strange ache in your legs, you may have restless leg syndrome. We use a number of treatments for this disorder, including medications to boost the dopamine levels in your brain—it’s a chemical that sends messages to your nerves, telling them to relax—and a variety of muscle relaxants and sleep medications.