Millions of people struggle with not getting enough sleep, with half of American adults complaining they feel sleepy during the day at least three days a week. The fact is, adults between 18 and 64 should get seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but 35.2% of adults in America get less than seven hours routinely, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rather than just closing your eyes and being unconscious for several hours at night, sleep is something that happens in stages. One important stage in sleeping is the rapid eye movement (REM) phase, and to understand why we need to examine the stages of sleep, what happens during REM sleep, and why you need it. Residents of the Glendale, Arizona area struggling with getting adequate REM sleep can find help with Dr. Sarah and the skilled medical staff at the Sonoran Sleep Center. THE STAGES OF SLEEP Sleeping involves cycles of natural activity, with four stages of sleep broken down into stages of non-REM sleep and REM sleep. Here’s how it works: NON-REM SLEEP There are three phases of non-REM sleep. In the first phase the body slows down and your eyes stay closed; in the second phase your muscles partially contract with periods of relaxation, slower heart rate, and decreased body temperature; and the third phase has you entering deep sleep. During non-REM sleep, your body is building bone and muscle, repairing and regenerating tissue, and making your immune system stronger. REM SLEEP In REM sleep, brain activity increases similar to when you are awake, and as a result intense dreams are more common in this period. Simultaneously, your limbs and major muscles don’t move and you experience faster breathing, the aforementioned rapid eye movement, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and for men penile erections. REM sleep often starts about a half hour to an hour after you fall asleep, lasting about 10 minutes the first time and getting longer during each stage. During a normal sleep cycle, you can experience up to six stages of sleep, dream for up to two hours, and your metabolism slows down about 15%. WHAT HAPPENS DURING REM SLEEP Also referred to as active sleep, desynchronized sleep, paradoxical sleep, rhombencephalic sleep, and dream sleep, this phase is associated with brain development, emotional processing, dreaming, and memory consolidation. In this stage, the rapid eye movement in the name happens, when your brain waves are most active, your heart rate speeds up, and your breathing is more irregular. Research suggests that your body behaves in a fashion similar to being awake in REM sleep but with the muscles paralyzed as a protective measure to keep your body from acting out and hurting yourself or your partner while sleeping. WHY YOU NEED IT The role that REM sleep plays in dreaming, memory, emotional processing, brain development, and preparation for waking up are highly important. In REM sleep you experience more vivid dreams (which can be important in emotional processing), your amygdala is more active which helps process emotions, and you process things you learned and commit some motor skills to memory from the previous day. Infants and children need more REM sleep to help their brains develop, as do younger animals with less developed brains. Not getting enough REM sleep can lead to reduced coping skills (making you less able to respond threats and less able to determine them), increase the risks of migraines, and can raise your chances of becoming obese. Sleep is a process not entirely understood but certainly valuable to our health. REM sleep helps with many things our bodies need to stay healthy, and getting the proper amount of it can make a world of difference. If you don’t get enough REM sleep, make an appointment with Dr. Patel and the Sonoran Sleep Center today to get help.

Sleeping problems are sadly quite common, with about 70 million people in the United States dealing with some type of sleep disorder. Problems getting proper rest can lead to chronic illnesses, injuries, lack of work productivity, mental health issues, and poor quality of life. One of the most common types of sleep disorder is restless leg syndrome (RLS), which affects up to 4 percent of children and 10 percent of adults. While this sleeping condition can lead to many a night struggling to get rest, there is help available to treat it. To better understand RLS, let’s examine what it is, what commonly causes it, and what we can do to treat it. Residents of the Glendale, Arizona area looking for relief from sleeping conditions like RLS can get help from Dr. Sarah Patel and the skilled medical team at Sonoran Sleep Center. Our physician-owned practice is dedicated to providing comprehensive diagnosis and care in a comforting and welcoming environment to help you get better. WHAT IS RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME? This disorder, also called Willis-Ekbom disease, creates an intense and often irresistible urge to move your legs (and in some cases, other parts of your body). Other symptoms include sensations of pulling, creeping, throbbing, itching, aching, crawling, or burning. This frequently happens while sitting for long periods of time or when lying in bed, typically during evening or nighttime hours. People dealing with this will often want to walk it off and shake their arms and legs to relieve the sensations. While children and adults deal with this sleep disorder, the risks of having it increases with age, and it is more common in women than men. WHAT ARE ITS COMMON CAUSES? While research indicates that the illness is connected with an imbalance of dopamine (a neurotransmitter produced in your brain that plays a role in memory, movement, motivation, mood, and attention span), there are several risk factors that can lead to this condition. These include: Iron deficiency Uremia Hyperthyroidism Depression Fibromyalgia Kidney disease Parkinson’s disease Diabetes Rheumatoid arthritis Pregnancy Peripheral neuropathy Dialysis Genetic factors also play a part in getting RLS, as over 90 percent of patients dealing with it have a first-degree relative who has it as well. People with a genetic disposition for RLS often get the illness before they turn 45. Medications such as antidepressants, anti-nausea drugs, and allergy drugs can also contribute to getting RLS, and caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol can worsen the condition. HOW IS IT TREATED? Treating the underlying conditions contributing to RLS can often help relieve symptoms, but if there are no associated conditions, lifestyle changes and medications can be used to treat it. Lifestyle changes include reducing alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, getting regular exercise, improving your sleeping habits, reducing stress, and applying compresses to your legs or rubbing them to reduce discomfort. Medications can be used to target different aspects of the condition, like rotigotine (Neupro®) or pramipexole (Mirapex®) to increase dopamine levels, gabapentin (Neurontin®, Gralise®) or pregabalin (Lyrica®) to treat calcium channels, and muscle relaxants. Opioids can be used, but only in severe cases and in lower doses to avoid addiction. RLS is not a serious condition, but anything that affects your sleep will affect how you function during the day. So if you’re experiencing the symptoms of this condition and need treatment, make an appointment with Dr. Patel and Sonoran Sleep Center today to get help.

The act of sleeping is something everyone needs to do, but there is still much we don’t understand about how it works, or even exactly how much we need. Eight hours is often recommended for adults, but how much we actually need varies from person to person. Our whole body is often thought to be resting while sleeping, but our brains are still quite active, with some parts of it using larger amounts of oxygen and glucose while the body is at rest. Lack of sleep can affect your body, whether you’re dealing with a few nights of sleeplessness or you have full-blown insomnia. Not getting enough sleep can lead to lack of concentration, slowed reaction time, and worse. Determining whether you’re dealing with insomnia is important to getting it treated, so let’s examine the condition itself, the complications of extended periods of insomnia, and what signs you should look for. If you live in the Glendale, Arizona area and you’re struggling with insomnia or other sleep disorders, Dr. Sarah Patel and the medical team at Sonoran Sleep Center can help. UNDERSTANDING INSOMNIA This common condition makes getting asleep, staying asleep, or waking up and not being able to go back to sleep a problem. It can be the result of stress, work schedule, eating too much just before bed, or poor sleeping habits. Insomnia can be acute or chronic (short term or long term), which can last for a few days or over a month. Primary and secondary insomnia are the ways we generally experience the condition — the former being when the cause of insomnia is unknown, and the latter being connected to another condition as a side effect. In addition to the two types of insomnia mentioned above, you may also experience feeling like you didn’t sleep when you wake up, suffering from sleep and waking cycles all through the night, and even being concerned about your lack of sleep. COMPLICATIONS OF PROLONGED LACK OF SLEEP Acute cases of insomnia may affect your cognition during the day and make focusing or concentrating harder in the short term, but chronic insomnia can affect a range of physical and mental functions. Your work and school performance, sex drive, memory, and mood are all diminished with chronic insomnia, and your risk of preventable accidents when driving or operating other machinery is increased. Chronic insomnia also increases the chances of conditions like anxiety, depression, stroke, seizures, asthma attacks, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and a weakened immune system. SIGNS TO LOOK FOR Here are some common symptoms of this sleep disorder to look out for: DAYTIME FATIGUE If you don’t get adequate rest, your body won’t get the energy it needs to function during the day. This leads to difficulty staying awake or active during daytime hours. MOOD SWINGS You’re more likely to be irritable, tense, and anxious if your body hasn’t had enough rest. LACK OF FOCUS You will have problems being able to concentrate on things due to lack of proper sleep, so even basic things you normally do will somehow seem elusive and more difficult. It also means you’re more likely to make mistakes trying to function normally. PHYSICAL PAIN Insomnia can also manifest in physical pain, such as headaches and stomachaches. MEMORY PROBLEMS Being unfocused due to lack of sleep can also affect your memory, making it harder to remember to do things, or even recall what you’re supposed to do. Any of these symptoms can result from insomnia, but fortunately there are ways to prevent dealing with further sleep problems, and we have methods of treatment for both acute or chronic types of this condition. If you’re dealing with insomnia we can help, so make an appointment with Dr. Patel at the Sonoran Sleep Center today to get better rest.

There are many different ways to stay healthy, which include adequate amounts of physical activity, a good diet, and proper rest . Too often we overlook the importance of getting enough sleep, but it affects you more profoundly than you think. Improper rest can lead to many different problems during the day, including lack of alertness, memory issues, mental impairment, and increased risk of car accidents for those who drive. Narcolepsy  is one of several sleep disorders that affect the quality of rest you get, and even if you feel rested when you get up, you still end up feeling impaired. This disorder affects up to 200,000 people in America, and it comes in two varieties. Let’s explore the conditions and its types by looking at what narcolepsy is, the differences between the two types, and how it can be treated. Residents of the Glendale, Arizona area looking for ways to treat narcolepsy or other sleeping conditions can find help with Drs. Sarah and the skilled medical team at Sonoran Sleep Center. UNDERSTANDING NARCOLEPSY In normal sleep , your sleep cycle starts with non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) where the brain waves slow down significantly. About an hour in, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep starts, brain activity increases, and most dreaming occurs in this period. With narcolepsy, you never enter the NREM phase, and you can go straight into REM sleep during the day or at night. The shift in your sleep cycle from what your body needs can cause excess daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and changes in REM sleep. While the exact causes of this disorder aren’t well understood, it is connected with people lacking proper levels of hypocretin , a chemical neurotransmitter produced by neurons in your hypothalamus (a region of your brain that regulates sleep, hunger, and arousal). Low levels of hypocretin can be caused by conditions  like autoimmune disorders, brain injuries, and family history. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TYPES OF NARCOLEPSY The differences between type 1 and type 2 narcolepsy  relate to the presence of a condition known as cataplexy , where muscles go limp or weaken without warning. The lack of hypocretin is connected to type 1 narcolepsy, and people with this type are also prone to feelings of physical weakness and collapse. You may experience cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hallucinations and insomnia with type 1 narcolepsy. People with type 2 do not suffer from cataplexy and generally have normal levels of hypocretin. This type is often less severe than type 1 but both will cause excessive sleeping during the day, as well as hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and insomnia. METHODS OF TREATMENT Narcolepsy isn’t curable , but it can be managed with medications and some lifestyle changes. To help with daytime sleepiness, stimulants like modafinil or methylphenidate may be prescribed, as well as solriamfetol, a selective dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that helps keep you awake. For cataplexy, antidepressants are known to help with few side effects, and sedatives like sodium oxybate help reduce it in people with severe forms of the condition. Changes you can make in your lifestyle to help reduce symptoms of narcolepsy include sticking to a routine sleep schedule, taking regular naps during the day, getting plenty of physical exercise, and getting help for stress that may affect sleep. Relaxing habits before bed can help ease you into sleep, and avoid caffeine, alcohol, and cold and allergy medications. Not smoking before bed helps as well. Narcolepsy affects your sleep, but it doesn’t have to control your life. If you’re ready to get help for either type of this sleep disorder, make an appointment  with Dr. Patel at the Sonoran Sleep Center today.

Sleep disorders affect people all around the world, and having chronic problems that create issues with proper rest can have long-term health effects on your body. Sleep apnea is a common disorder that causes problems with breathing as you slumber, and nearly 30 million Americans struggle with it, as well as almost a billion worldwide. With an estimated 23.5 million adults trying to cope with this condition without even realizing they have it, the risks of dealing with other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, depression, cardiovascular disease, and stroke increase. Residents of Glendale, Arizona, trying to control their sleep apnea can find help with Dr. Sarah Patel and the dedicated team at Sonoran Sleep Center. There are treatment options available, but you can also do some things to manage your condition at home. Let’s explore this by looking at the common causes of sleep apnea, the symptoms, and methods of home management. COMMON CAUSES OF SLEEP APNEA There are three different types of sleep apnea, but the most common is obstructive sleep apnea, which results from tissue pressing on your windpipe (trachea) from the muscles in your neck. The result is air not being able to pass through as you try to breathe, blocking it from getting to your lungs, and lowering the amount of oxygen in your blood. When this happens, your brain senses your inability to breathe and wakes you to reopen your airway. This can lead to snorting, choking, and gasping that can repeat in a cycle up to 30 times an hour as you try to sleep. Risk factors like being overweight, a thick neck, a narrow airway, family history, smoking, nasal congestion, and various medical conditions increase your chance of getting obstructive sleep apnea. SYMPTOMS OF SLEEP APNEA Common symptoms of sleep apnea include daytime sleepiness, not feeling well rested when you wake, mood changes, waking during the night, observable pauses in your breathing, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, headaches, and night sweats. It can also disrupt brain function, leading to memory problems and issues with focus and concentration. Men are up to three times more likely to deal with sleep apnea. WAYS TO MANAGE SLEEP APNEA AT HOME Here’s what you can do to cope with the disorder at home: LOSE WEIGHT Having a thick neck or other related obstructive issues related to sleep apnea can be due to excess weight, so shedding some pounds can help reduce your symptoms. MAKE LIFESTYLE CHANGES Reducing your alcohol consumption and not smoking can create better sleep habits and reduce your symptoms. Alcohol relaxes the throat muscles that control your breathing, which results in snoring and breathing problems while you sleep. Smoking can cause inflammation in your airway, making breathing harder while you sleep. Changing your sleeping positions can also help. Try to avoid sleeping on your back and sleep more on your side. An extra pillow can help alleviate pressure on your chest and diaphragm. USE A HUMIDIFIER Dry air can be a source of irritation to your respiratory system, and humidifiers help keep moisture in the air. Humidifiers can keep your airways open, help with decongestion, and aid your breathing. TREAT RELATED CONDITIONS Problems with proper breathing while trying to sleep can be due to nasal congestion, sinus infection, or other respiratory conditions. Nasal sprays, breathing strips, and other methods of care for your sinus and nasal issues can also help you sleep better. We have ways to help you with sleep apnea and other conditions that affect your sleep, but the tips mentioned in this blog can also help you get your condition under control and get better rest. If you’re struggling with sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, make an appointment with Sonoran Sleep Center to get help. Call our office or book online today.

In the quest for better sleep, many of us overlook one of the most effective, natural remedies available: regular exercise. The connection between physical activity and improved sleep has been extensively studied, offering compelling evidence that adding exercise to your daily routine can significantly enhance the quality of your rest. Let's delve into the science behind this relationship and uncover how you can leverage exercise to enjoy a more restful night. The Link Between Physical Activity and Sleep Research indicates that regular physical activity can have a profound impact on sleep quality. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that participants who engaged in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week, which is the standard recommendation by the American Heart Association, reported a 65% improvement in sleep quality. They also felt less sleepy during the day, demonstrating the direct benefits of exercise on nighttime rest. How Does Exercise Improve Sleep? 1. Regulating Sleep Cycles: Exercise can help regulate your body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm, promoting healthier sleep patterns. Exposure to natural light during outdoor activities also plays a crucial role in maintaining a natural circadian rhythm. 2. Stress Reduction: Physical activity increases the production of endorphins, the body's natural mood elevators, which can help alleviate stress. Since stress is a common cause of sleep disturbances, reducing stress through exercise can lead to better sleep. 3. Deep Sleep Enhancement: Regular exercise is associated with an increase in the amount of time spent in deep sleep, the most restorative sleep phase. Deep sleep aids in boosting immune function, supporting cardiac health, and controlling stress and anxiety. Optimal Timing for Exercise Timing can influence the sleep benefits of exercise. Morning exercise can wake up the body and mind, setting a positive tone for the day, and is unlikely to interfere with nighttime sleep. Evening exercise, if too close to bedtime, might energize some individuals, making it harder to fall asleep. It's generally recommended to finish exercising at least 1-2 hours before bedtime to avoid potential sleep disruption. Tailoring Exercise to Your Sleep Needs The type of exercise also matters. Aerobic activities like walking, cycling, and swimming have been shown to improve sleep quality. However, the intensity should be tailored to your fitness level and preferences to avoid overexertion, which can be counterproductive. Incorporating relaxing exercises, such as yoga or gentle stretching in the evening, can also promote sleep by reducing stress and preparing the body for rest. Conclusion: Understanding the impact of exercise on sleep is just one piece of the wellness puzzle. At Sonoran Sleep Center, we're committed to guiding you through the complexities of achieving restful sleep. Our expertise in sleep health enables us to support your journey towards better sleep by providing insights into how lifestyle choices, including physical activity, influence sleep quality. Make an appointment at Sonoran Sleep Center today, to explore your solutions for better night’s rest.

We’ve all had those nights when we hang out too late or work too long and don’t get a good night’s sleep, so being tired during the day is understandable. But, if you’re not out on the town all night or putting in extra work hours and you’re still experiencing excessive fatigue while trying to function during the day, you’re likely dealing with daytime sleepiness (also known as hypersomnia). Residents of the Glendale, Arizona, area struggling with daytime sleepiness or other sleep disorders can find help with Dr. Sarah Patel and our dedicated team at Sonoran Sleep Center. Hypersomnia can happen for a number of reasons, and to determine how to treat it we need a diagnostic analysis. One way we can achieve that is through the use of a polysomnogram, or sleep study. To understand what a sleep study can do for you, let’s examine how a polysomnogram works, how it can help, and what you can expect when undergoing one. HOW SLEEP STUDIES WORK To better understand your problems with sleeping, we need to know what brain activity is taking place while you rest. To do this, a sleep study uses small sensors that attach to your head and body as well as to a computer that monitors you as you sleep. Elastic is also wrapped around your midsection to measure your breathing, and clips are placed on your finger or earlobe to monitor the levels of oxygen in your bloodstream. Multiple sleep latency testing can also be done after a sleep study to collect data over five nap periods with two hours between them. HOW SLEEP STUDIES CAN HELP Here are some reasons to use sleep studies if you’re having sleeping problems: 1. TO GATHER A TOTAL PICTURE OF YOUR SLEEP HABITS The information we gather from these different data points as you sleep gives us a total picture of what happens as you sleep at home. 2. TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL SLEEP DISORDERS This information can be used to find out if you have sleep disorders like sleep apnea (or other breathing-related sleep disorders), narcolepsy, chronic insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, periodic limb movement disorder, and other unusual sleep behaviors. 3. TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR TREATMENT OPTIONS Once the data from your sleep study is analyzed and we determine what sleep problems are causing your daytime sleepiness, we move forward to offer you treatment options. 4. TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEPING HABITS Once we observe your sleep habits and have the data, we offer suggestions on changes you can make to improve your sleep and get more of it. Sometimes managing these issues can be as simple as changing lifestyle choices and adopting better habits before bed. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU PARTICIPATE IN A SLEEP STUDY During the day before your study, you’ll want to avoid stimulants like caffeine as well as avoid naps, but otherwise you can go through your normal daily routine. We offer sleep study facilities to diagnose your problems, and on the day of your study our staff welcomes you and gets you comfortable. We then attach the necessary equipment and let you relax and try to sleep. Daytime fatigue isn’t uncommon, but excessive daytime sleepiness could mean underlying problems that need treatment. If you’re struggling with hypersomnia, make an appointment with Sonoran Sleep Center today to get treatment. Call our office or book online today.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can affect how well you function daily, affecting clear thinking, concentration, and processing memories. This illness is quite common, with up to 35% of adults dealing with brief symptoms, up to 20% having short-term insomnia, and up to 10% suffering from chronic sleep issues associated with this condition. Chronic insomnia impacts your risks of many conditions, such as hypertension and depression, and can be a hazard to your quality of life. There are many approaches to treating it, but cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective method that identifies and modifies how we sleep. To further explore how this works, let’s examine what causes insomnia, and what CBT does to help. Residents of Glendale, Arizona struggling to get quality rest due to insomnia or other sleep disorders can find help with Dr. Sarah Patel and the skilled medical team at the Sonoran Sleep Center. CAUSES OF CHRONIC INSOMNIA Insomnia keeps millions of adults from getting sufficient sleep by either waking you up in the middle of the night, or waking you up earlier than desired, and chronic insomnia is defined as dealing with this for at least three days a week for three months or more. Stress is a common cause of insomnia, which can stem from work-related issues, personal woes, or any number of other things that can create anxiety and uncertainty. Other causes of this disorder include anxiety disorders, poor sleeping habits, unhealthy lifestyle, chronic pain, chronic diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and hormone fluctuations. Medications can affect how you sleep, and neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease can take their toll on your ability to rest as well. Even other sleep problems like sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome can cause insomnia. HOW COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY CAN HELP Lack of sleep affects your circadian rhythm, which is the pattern in which you sleep in a given 24-hour day cycle, and while everyone can function with different amounts of rest, you need at least 7 hours of uninterrupted rest a night regularly. CBT is designed to determine and change aberrant behaviors or thought patterns, and for insomnia it focuses on thoughts, behaviors and emotions that contribute to your problems with getting proper rest. This structured therapeutic program identifies these issues and replaces them with better habits to increase the amount of good, quality sleep you get on a nightly basis. Techniques employed with CBT include: Stimulus control therapy: this helps to remove conditioning your mind uses to resist sleep Sleep restriction: this reduces the amount of time you spend in bed, to increase fatigue the next night Sleep hygiene: this method works to change lifestyle habits that influence sleep to increase how much rest you get Sleep environment improvement: this is a way to control important aspects of the room you sleep in to better induce sleep Relaxation training: this employs meditation, muscles relaxation, and imagery to calm your body Paradoxical intention: this is a technique of remaining passively awake, which is used to avoid efforts of falling asleep Biofeedback: this method observes biological functions such as heart rate and muscle tension so they can be adjusted to improve sleep CBT can use multiple techniques in different combinations to maximize results. This therapy is great for long-term insomnia, and helps to avoid dependence on short-term sleep medications by addressing the underlying reasons for sleeping problems. If chronic insomnia is creating problems for you, we can help get quality, long-term results. Make an appointment at Sonoran Sleep Center today to get better sleep.