“Until we identified my sleep problem, I never felt 100%.”
HealthEast® Sleep Care Centers patient Debra Gonsioroski
Debra Gonsioroski made an agreement with her family in September 2009: They were all going to get healthy together. Within weeks, she and her fiancé reached key goals: He quit smoking, and she lost 32 pounds. However, an important milestone still lay ahead: A sleep study. “It was the day my fiancé was celebrating his first eight weeks of not smoking,” recalls Debra, “and both my nutritionist and my doctor had suggested that I have a sleep study. And I realized, it’s time.”
So one evening in early February, Debra dressed in her pajamas and drove to a HealthEast Sleep Care Center. “It didn’t even feel like a doctor’s office — it was more like a hotel, with relaxing lighting and a calm atmosphere,” said Debra. “It was really nice and I felt safe.”
After her sleep study, Debra met with a doctor to discuss her test results. “My doctor went over all my data from the night, and explained my issue specifically. My breathing slows down enough times an hour that I decided to take a CPAP home—a machine that puffs a little burst of air to open up my airways while I sleep—see if it would give me more energy, and help me get quality sleep at night.”
In doing so, Debra found out a family secret: “It turned out, my aunt has had a CPAP machine for 10 years, and nobody in the family knew it. She, like me, had put off a sleep study for many years, but told me it was the best thing she ever did. She helped me stick with the CPAP, and having her support has made such a difference.”
Debra’s noticing other differences as well: “I believe that not one single thing is making me feel better, but a combination of everything: I’m getting a better night’s sleep, which gives me more energy, so I’m willing to work out more, so I’m more tired, and then I sleep better. It’s all interlocking — every piece of the puzzle is helping me feel healthier and stay motivated to keep going.”
Putting patients first, day and night: Dr. Anuja Sharma
According to Dr. Anuja Sharma, many people with sleep disorders have no idea they have a condition that can be addressed. “Sleep is something we take for granted. And most patients think that daytime fatigue is a reflection of stress or lifestyle. They don’t pay attention to possible sleep disorders. In fact, many of our patients come in at the insistence of a partner or roommate who’s heard them snoring or having interruptions in breathing as they sleep,” she commented.
“There are so many myths about sleep,” Dr. Sharma continued, “such as people thinking they can get by on less sleep as they age, or that it is acceptable to deprive oneself of sleep. But in fact, most people still require adequate sleep as they get older, but they find it difficult to achieve in a single stretch. People feel guilty about napping. In fact, napping is ok, but only if you limit it to a half hour or 45 minutes in the middle of the day so it does not interfere with nighttime sleep. Both poor sleep habits and sleep disorders can affect nighttime sleep, which leads to people being crabby and inattentive. This can affect relationships and performance.”
By offering a comprehensive approach to sleep problems, Dr. Sharma believes firmly that she’s affecting the overall health of her patients. “Our full-service sleep practice includes board-certified sleep medicine physicians, plus nurse practitioners who are skilled in the care of patients with sleep issues. Our sleep centers have experienced technicians who conduct sleep studies that diagnose the entire spectrum of sleep disorders. They bend over backwards to provide good care and ensure comfort.”
“We spend a third of our life sleeping. It contributes to how we feel, how we function. I think my work in sleep has actually made me a better pulmonologist as well—so much of patient care focuses on the daytime. We sometimes forget about those eight hours in the nighttime, which matter just as much.”
