Sleep dreams

Insomnia is not only annoying but dangerous — and curable

BY WHITNEY JOSEPH

Night after night, millions of people toss and turn, unable to fall asleep — much less stay asleep. Some battle their own minds to gain control over racing thoughts; others lie in bed, counting sheep or specs of popcorn on dated ceilings. Whatever the scenario, any insomniac can attest that a sleepless night promises for a difficult tomorrow. Moreover, according to experts like Cleveland Clinic pulmonologist Dr. Juancarlo Martinez Gonzalez, a sound night’s sleep is critical for good health. 

“We feel better when we sleep better; we perform better throughout the day,” he said. “If you’re not getting enough sleep or your sleep quality isn’t good, you’ll probably know it from how you feel. While you sleep, your body and your brain conserve energy and perform restorative functions.”

Martinez Gonzalez pointed out that both “the quality and the duration of sleep” are vital to overall health. Nevertheless, a July 2024 survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine showed that roughly 12% of Americans have chronic insomnia — that’s 1 in 8. 

Other stats show that between 50 and 70 million American adults have some type of sleep disorder; more than a third in the United States get less than seven hours of sleep a night; between 9% and 38% of the general population is affected by sleep apnea; 1 in 3 adults (roughly 84 million people) report not getting the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep regularly; and 14.5 % of American adults report having had trouble falling asleep most days or every day in the past month.

Lack of sleep is linked to numerous health issues, including increased risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, dementia and accidents, along with lower quality of life.

Countless people witness the fading moonlight morph into the rising sun for reasons other than insomnia. Many suffer from sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder that causes breathing to suddenly stop and restart. This loss of oxygen can occur up to 30 times an hour.

Obstructive sleep apnea is most common and happens when air is blocked from flowing into the lungs. Relaxed throat muscles, obesity, enlarged tonsils and fluctuating hormone levels can all contribute. 

Central sleep apnea is less common and happens when the brain doesn’t properly signal the muscles that control breathing. Contributing factors include diseases that affect the central nervous system, such as neurological and kidney disorders, heart failure, stroke and acclimatizing to high altitude. 

STUDIED APPROACH

Sleep disorder centers at hospitals and independent testing facilities at private sleep labs help troubleshoot these issues. There are several sleep labs on the Treasure Coast, where patients can be monitored overnight. For people who are tentative about spending the night in unfamiliar surroundings, at-home sleep studies are also available.

“In consultation with your doctor, you might try a preliminary at-home sleep study,” Martinez Gonzalez suggested. “You would take a device home and connect to electrodes and a belt to measure diaphragm movement.”

Don’t expect the same results at home as from a lab. The tests are limited; they may have to be repeated to find a pattern; and the results can vary. It’s also more difficult to understand how other medical conditions might be contributing.

Maria and Steve Mamangakis own Treasure Coast Sleep Disorders, an independent testing facility with locations at 188 NW Central Park Plaza in Port St. Lucie and 188 NW Federal Highway in Stuart. These centers primarily conduct diagnostic tests. 

“We tell you, ‘Yes, you have sleep apnea’ or, ‘No, you don’t have sleep apnea,’” Steve Mamangakis explained. “Once we have soundly established the patient has [obstructive sleep apnea], they come back in to get titrated out [and] placed on a CPAP machine.”

CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure, a common tool to assist obstructive sleep apnea patients. A brief “101 of sleep apnea,” explains how it works. “When a person lays down and goes to sleep their airways partially closes or totally closes,” said Mamangakis. “Usually, the weight of the neck basically collapses. You can’t see it if you’re looking at it, but it closes the airway. Basically, you stop breathing.”

The heart is then alerted that it needs oxygen because the airway is closed — and the brain realizes it must do something to jar the body awake to keep you alive.

“Automatically it makes your body snore — or it makes the body have rapid leg movement or your arms twitch, or your body twitches to wake the body up and start breathing again so you have oxygen,” he explained. “There’s physiological movement so you wake up.”

TREATMENT

Three Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorder Centers located on the Treasure Coast assist residents with sleep issues: they’re at 10000 SW Innovation Way, Port St. Lucie; 3066 SW Martin Downs Blvd., Palm City; and Indian River Hospital, 3395 11th Court, Vero Beach.

HCA Hospital does not have a local sleep center, though its pulmonology department treats sleep apnea and a slew of sleep conditions ranging from insomnia to narcolepsy, night sweats to snoring. 

Mamangakis said there’s “absolutely no difference” between a hospital and a private sleep lab, describing them as the “exact same thing.” He did suggest ensuring a registered polysomniographic technician administer your test, for best results, and finding an accredited lab. All sleep labs require accreditation from either the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations or the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 

Mamangakis noted if everyone with sleep problems were tested, money and lives would be saved.

“Who’s our number-one referring doctors? It’s cardiology. Why? Because of congestive heart failure. One of the main reasons is bad sleep,” he said. “People stop breathing so many times overnight. It’s like running a car with no oil in the engine. What does that cause? It’s like having a certain amount of friction in the engine. An engine will die much quicker if you don’t service your car — but you’ll get hundreds of thousands of miles out of your car, if you do.”

A sleep study tells doctors if your heart is providing enough oxygen — without which you can die. No drugs are necessary — just equipment.

“A CPAP is a lot cheaper than congestive heart failure,” added Mamangakis. “There’s a high rate of morbidity with people passing away because they’re not being treated for this. This is why insurance should pay for [sleep studies]. The cost of care goes through the roof for [congestive heart failure]. Patients should be sent to us, because we can diagnose.”