PARMA, Ohio — Christopher Croft said he’s always struggled with sleeping. He said he usually falls asleep sometime between midnight and 2 a.m.
“I've always been a night person, so I really don't sleep at night, but I'm pretty sure I've always snored, you know, but never really paid attention to it because there were no other issues,” he said.
In August 2021, he said he faced a new challenged.
“So, I started out — I had blacked out at work. (Then I) found out — well I busted my head open — found out that we had a heart problem, and now, we're trying to see what else is related to that,” he said. “There's been a lot of snoring and pretty much stopped breathing throughout the night at certain times. (It's) hard to go to sleep."
His cardiologist suggested he partake in a sleep study at one of University Hospital’s sleep centers.
“The diagnostic polysomnogram is a study where we bring patients in overnight, and we have them get hooked up to various monitors,” said Sleep Lab Director at Parma’s Sleep Center Dr. John Andrefsky. “We look at the brainwaves. We look at their, the airflow through their nose. We also see if they're moving their thorax and their abdomen.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a third of U.S. adults report they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep. The CDC shows adults should sleep seven or more hours each night for optimal health.
Not getting enough sleep is linked to many chronic diseases and conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and more.
“If you don't get enough sleep or if the quality of your sleep is poor, people have problems with memory concentration emotional issues. You may have worsened anxiety, worsened depression. You may not be able to do your job well,” he said.
Andrefsky said the study helps assist in diagnosing and developing a treatment plan if a sleep disorder is found.
“If it’s straightforward, we'll usually have the results within about two to three days. So, the techs will read them, then the doctors will do their reports and then we'll get that report out to the to the system or to the patient,” he said.
Croft said he encourages other people to consider a sleep study.
“After watching the video of how it's done and with all of my doctors recommending it, I would definitely do it even if you're a little anxious. I would still do it because it really could help them figure out other things that are wrong,” he said.
Andrefsky said while sleep studies can be undergone in the center, home sleep studies are also an option.
He said he advises people to first consult their primary care or internal medicine doctor about their sleeping concerns.