“Patients with any sleep disturbance should seek timely medical care.”

Already in the 1980s, the importance and value of physical exercise became part of the modern lifestyle, regardless of whether some people still insisted on neglecting it. A little later, at the beginning of the twenty-first century^Sh In the 20th century, various – albeit older – nutritional movements, such as vegetarianism, rose in popularity to emphasize the value of proper nutrition.

So, even today, we constantly see, hear and read about the value of exercise (with dozens of exercise options for every age and weight), as well as nutrition (with options and diets for every need and condition). And in this very correct context in which modern man must live, there is no mention of something no less important: good sleep. That is, the moment a person must regain his energy, the moment our body will enter the stage of restoration and repair necessary to perform its function properly, so that it can respond to all its organic needs (from healing to hormones). balance ). So sleep is not a state of inactivity, but rather something much more than that, and for this reason its deficiency can lead to many organic and mental problems.

Mark her World Sleep DayAs designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the third Friday of March every year, all relevant agencies and experts are trying to raise public awareness of the importance of sleep for our well-being and good health. After all, the numbers depict the problem as a billion (!) of the world's population suffers from Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS), with the number affected in our country approaching approximately 1.37 million, and nearly 2 million people suffering from sleep disorders. It is worth noting that more than 80% is the percentage of patients who have not been diagnosed.

To deal with sleep disorders, there are specialized doctors who can help us at every stage of the problem, no matter how small or large. What we should do without delay is to contact a specialist in time when we find a disorder.

We spoke to a pulmonologist – a sleep specialist Sunday holidayAbout sleep disorders and everything we should be aware of to avoid unpleasant health conditions.

What is the most common reason someone visits your clinic?

Patients usually go to a sleep clinic because of breathing disorders during their sleep. Either they themselves have experienced it as a feeling of suffocation during sleep, or their partner has noticed it. These are patients who wake up tired and sleepy during the day.

Are there certain groups of people more affected by sleep disorders? If so, what are the characteristics of these people?

Patients who show a greater degree of sleep apnea syndrome are usually men, middle-aged with excess body weight, as well as patients with cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia and coronary heart disease.

What symptoms should we not ignore (regarding sleep disorder) in order to see a specialist in the subject?

Symptoms that should not be ignored are severe snoring, sleep apnea, but also daytime symptoms such as drowsiness, memory and concentration disorders as well as nocturnal enuresis. Another common sleep disorder is insomnia, the symptoms of which differ from apnea because they relate to difficulty getting and maintaining sleep.

What is sleep apnea and how dangerous is it? Are there effective ways to deal with it?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that manifests as cessation of breathing during sleep, occurs more than 5 times per hour and can often cause cardiovascular complications that may threaten the patient's life. There are effective ways to treat the disease. The most common treatment is the use of a positive pressure machine, or CPAP, which the patient uses every night while sleeping in order to recover appropriately. This treatment is chronic unless the patient's weight changes or undergoes ear, nose, and throat surgery. Other treatments include ENT surgeries, such as tonsillectomy and upper pharyngoplasty. Bariatric surgery is also recommended for morbidly obese patients. In patients with mild OSA, an orthodontic or maxillofacial surgical evaluation is often recommended to place an intraoral splint when necessary.

How is modern lifestyle related to sleep disorders? What do you advise your patients?

The modern lifestyle and non-following the Mediterranean diet combined with a sedentary lifestyle and decreased physical exercise lead to an increase in body weight and thus to an increase in sleep apnea syndrome. Patients suffering from any sleep disorder should visit the sleep study clinic and sleep specialists in time so that their problem can be found and treated without further complications.

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