Somewhere beside you or from another bed, the grating sound from somebody’s throat which could resemble a small kitten’s purring, a 60-piece orchestra, the sound of a moving freight train or even a jet taking off keeps hammering on your ears, making sleep impossible. The scenario repeats night after night until you want to scream.
Is this scene familiar? Then you know the agonies of somebody who has a housemate who snores.
Snoring and apnea
Snoring is frequently considered to be a humorous subject, with the person who snores often getting teased endlessly about it.
But snoring is not always a laughing matter because for millions, it may indicate a dangerous and sometimes life-threatening problem.
Loud snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea.
The person who snores could be your bed partner, your parents, roommate, uncles, aunts or friends, or you, and they or you are just a part of the 10 million people in American who consult their physicians regarding sleep complaints each year.
Pacific Sleep Center office manager and registered nurse Normita Cabalbag said that loud snoring, when associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and periods of silence between snores may indicate a common sleep disorder known as sleep apnea.
“Sleep apnea literally means stopping breathing while asleep,” Cabalbag said. Apnea is caused by a complete or partial blockage of the airway by tissue in the nose or throat.
“When the blockage occurs, the vital organs of the body are deprived of oxygen, blood pressure increases, the heart rate may decrease, skip beats or stop for a few seconds,” Cabalbag said. She added that when the individual begins to breathe again, he or she will briefly awaken with a loud snort or snore and gasp for air.
She said that some people may snore occasionally and do not have to worry about any serious health issue but a regular or loud snoring is a sure indication that obstructive sleep apnea is present in a person.
If left untreated, a person with apnea is at a higher risk for high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.
Cabalbag said that a lot of people who suffer from apnea may not know they have it, or refused to go to the doctor for check-up.
Cause for concern
In the CNMI, Cabalbag said that snoring and the number of individuals with apnea is something that should not be taken for granted.
Cabalbag said that if you or your partner experience any or all of the symptoms, it may be time to ask a physician or a doctor to refer you for a sleep diagnostic program.
The Pacific Sleep Center gets an average of 12 patients who go for diagnostic examination each month, and with many more patients who are under home treatment for apnea. She said that patients as young as three years old and up had been referred to the Pacific Sleep Center for diagnostic program.
Majority of the patients referred to the Pacific Sleep Center are males, she said. This, Cabalbag added, could be because more men than women are suffering from obesity and are smokers.
Criteria for referrals
Included in the physician’s referral form for a patient to undergo sleep diagnostic program are some criteria to determine when a referral will be made.
Referrals will be made when two or more of the major criteria occur including documented unexplained sleep-related cardiac arrhythmia, documented sleep apnea syndrome, observed sleep-related apnea or gasping and choking, documented unexplained sleep-related oxygen desaturation, habitually disruptive snoring and unexplained pathological daytime sleepiness and non-restorative sleep.
Doctors will also make a referral for sleep diagnostic if the presence of three or more of the minor criteria occurs. These include cerebrovascular accident, unexplained cor pulmonale, deceased cognitive function, deceased libido, essential hypertension, hypothyroidism, insomnia, memory impairment, morning headaches, neuromuscular disease, obesity and polycythemia.
Sleep diagnostic process
Cabalbag said that patients who are referred to the Pacific Sleep Center for diagnostic sleep program will have to stay at the sleep laboratory overnight.
During the night, painless sensors will be attached to the patient to monitor his brain, heart and muscle activity, breathing patterns, and blood oxygen content. A technician will stay awake the whole night in a separate room to monitor the equipment.
After completing the evaluation, the data collected will be turned over to the referring physician who will discuss the results with the patient.
“We would like to make everybody aware that you can be comfortable with the overnight diagnostic program despite all the wires attached to your body. You can roll over and sleep as though you are sleeping at home,” Cabalbag said.
She added that the Pacific Sleep Center which is the only diagnostic clinic in the CNMI gets the bulk of its referrals from the Commonwealth Health Center and from private physicians.
Insurances accepted
The Pacific Sleep Center, located at Middle Road accepts insurance from Medicare, Medicaid, MIP, Netcare, TakeCare, Calvo’s Selectcare, Staywell, Tricare, VA, Workman’s Comp., and other insurance carriers. Individuals who don’t have insurances can avail of the sleep diagnostic programs by paying for themselves. Payment plans are also available.
Documents needed are a physician’s referral, and prior authorization.
Pacific Sleep Center is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m-12 noon on Saturdays. For more information, please call 670-323-7720, fax 670-323-8741 or visit www.guamhealthcareservices.com.
On the lighter side…
Funny sleep lines
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone.
I think I might be getting over my insomnia. The other day my foot fell asleep.
I was once arrested for walking in someone else’s sleep.
If you do something you’ll regret in the morning, sleep till noon!
Sleep: a completely inadequate substitute for caffeine.
Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven’t fallen asleep yet.
The best part of waking up is when you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock and going back to sleep.
The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late!
Those who say they “sleep like a baby”, haven’t got one.
You know you should go to sleep when the sheep you’re counting start to hit the fence.
Your future depends on your dreams – So go to sleep!
