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Re: Doctors want to ignore insomnia

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Posted by Sandman on March 01, 2011 at 17:30:41:

In Reply to: Doctors want to ignore insomnia posted by tartan on March 01, 2011 at 10:31:24:

Many times insomnia isn't caused by one thing but a mixture of problems. In this case a sleep
related breathing problem is probably one of the causes. Usually someone with severe sleep apnea
will not have insomnia, they will be sleepy all the time. Someone with mild sleep apnea will have
a good chance of experiencing insomnia.

Looking at the second study, that showed 114 spontaneous arousals, I would suspect UARS (upper
airway resistance syndrome) which is difficult to diagnose without invasive procedures like an
thin tube being inserted through the nose down into the esophagus. With UARS the sleep study will
show a normal breathing and normal oxygen levels with or without snoring. UARS is where the throat
doesn't close all the way just partially causing an increase in effort to breath. UARS can cause
insomnia just like mild sleep apnea but all you will see on the sleep study is spontaneous
arousals of unknown causes. It is treated the same way sleep apnea is treated. With mild sleep
apnea there are several options for treatment.

If sleep apnea or UARS is discovered in a sleep study where someone complains of insomnia the
first step is to try CPAP to see if it takes care of the insomnia. If it doesn't then the patient
should be evaluated by an sleep doctor who specializes in insomnia to tease out other causes of
which there are many. During this process the patient should continue their sleep apnea/UARS
treatment to be able to monitor the effectiveness of other insomnia related treatments.

Again, insomnia can have more than one cause and treating each one is required for success.

Best wishes,
Sandman

Disclaimer, I am not an MD and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. If you feel that
you need assistance with medications and/or diagnosis, you should seek medical advice from a
qualified physician.

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Subject : Re: Doctors want to ignore insomnia

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PLEASE ONLY CLICK THE SUBMIT FOLLOW UP BUTTON ONCE!!. Thanks, Sandman

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