I received this email from a patient yesterday:

So what happens after the sleep study??? 

If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or if you find yourself nodding off during the day, you’re not alone.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sleep disorders are so pervasive in the United States that they now constitute a public health epidemic.  Research conducted by the CDC indicates that large numbers of Americans experience problems associated with lack of sufficient sleep.  For example:

Last year we wrote a post on—that’s right—marijuana as a potential treatment for sleep apnea. Since then, midterm elections have brought a new wave of legalization to the West Coast: Alaska and Oregon both decriminalized recreational use of the drug. So we thought it was worthwhile to take a second look at whether pot, scientifically or politically, could become a valid treatment for sleep apnea.

My shelves are stacked with books I've read and planned to read in 2014. This year many were of the health & wellness variety. The health and wellness market continues to grow (here's a list of 10 fastest growing US industries--hot sauce is #3--who knew?). Americans are spending money on getting healthy including books, wearable tech devices and health monitors and healthier fast food.

Feeling tired, sapped of energy, and constantly ready to fall asleep? Are you irritable, unable to concentrate and have trouble completing simple tasks...but can't figure out why? If you don’t have sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, your spouse doesn’t snore or there are no outside influences disrupting your sleep, then sleeping with pets could be responsible for poor quality sleep. There are dozens of reasons why pets are good for us, including emotional and psychological health. On the other hand, that same pet snuggled up against you in bed might be causing emotional and psychological disruption.

You know when you’ve been sitting down for a really long time—during a car ride, or maybe a boring movie—and you can’t wait to stand up and stretch your legs? Can you imagine feeling like that all the time, even when you’re trying to go to sleep? That’s what people with a common disorder called restless leg syndrome experience.

Medical science and medical professionals used to think that sleep apnea was a disorder that only affected older, obese men, but recent studies have proven that to be a misconception. Sleep apnea can affect anyone from age 2 to 102 and beyond, regardless of one’s sex or weight.

A little over a week ago marked the beginning of the second open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act. With it began registration for Covered California, the California health insurance exchange set up as part of Obamacare. This means that deadlines are looming for selecting your health care options for 2015. This blog post will help clarify what changes to be aware of in the coming year and what important dates you have to look out for.

Did you receive a call from a sleep center to schedule an in-center or in-home sleep study?

Sleep disorders can affect the way people function on a day-to-day basis. According to one study, they may affect certain groups of people more than others. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) claim they are particularly troublesome for firefighters, who are at an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents and health problems when affected by a sleep disorder.