2 minute read
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
from December 2020
Gò0dNews from thePhysician’s Desk
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
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Hartley Bartley and his wife, Lacey, live on a farm in Crandall, Georgia. As a farmer and a welder, good health is very important. When Lacey alerted Harley to a possible health issue, he didn’t delay in seeking treatment.
“My wife encouraged me to go to doctor because of my snoring,” says Harley. “She had started sleeping in another room because it was so loud.
“I suggested that he go see his primary care physician to find out if there was a solution,” says Lacey. Harley was referred to Hamilton Regional Sleep Center for an overnight sleep study. A sleep study consists of a test called a polysmonography, which records the electrical activity of the brain, muscle activity, eye movement, heart rate, respiratory effort, airflow, and blood oxygen levels during sleep.
Harley’s sleep study showed that he had obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder that causes a person’s airway to collapse or become blocked during sleep. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.
You are more at risk for sleep apnea if you are overweight, male, have a family history of sleep apnea, or have small airways. When your sleep is interrupted throughout the night, you can become drowsy during the day. Because of this, people with sleep apnea are at a higher risk for car crashes and work-related accidents.
“Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to multiple health issues. From a preventative medicine standpoint, the condition should be screened with the same urgency as diabetes and high blood pressure,” says pulmonologist Erick Kimmerling, DO. Harley was prescribed a nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. A CPAP machine consists of a mask, a tube, and a continuous air pump. It sends a constant force of air through the patient’s nasal passages to prevent the airway from collapsing during sleep. “I feel so much better now,” says Harley. “I have more energy. I can tell a difference when I wear the CPAP
Photo Credit: Arc Photography
and when I don’t.” Do you think you or a loved one has sleep apnea? Ask your primary care provider for a referral to Hamilton Regional Sleep Center.
Hamilton Regional Sleep Center is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for sleep testing and sleep lab/center services.
Hamilton Regional Sleep Center
706.278.4757 HamiltonHealth.com/sleep 1411 Chattanooga Avenue Dalton, Georgia
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