Tossing and turning.  Snoring. These symptoms may do more than aggravate the person sharing your bed.  It can be the sign of a disorder leading to serious health and safety issues, according to the Director of McLeod Sleep Clinic Marwan Elya, MD:

Here are key points from Dr. Elya’s comments:

McLeod Sleep Clinic gives patients 18-years-and-older access to board-certified sleep medicine physicians to help diagnose and manage their sleep disorders.

A physician referral is required to be seen at the sleep clinic. So, talk to your primary care provider or call the sleep medicine clinic at McLeod. When you are referred to McLeod Sleep Clinic, the visit will start with a history and physical examination. Appropriate tests will be ordered depending on the condition and follow-up will then be arranged.

McLeod Sleep Clinic offers a comprehensive range of sleep medicine tests. These include in-lab sleep studies, as well as home sleep studies, multiple sleep latency and maintenance of wakefulness tests.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the patients repeatedly stop breathing at night. It affects approximately 20% of males and 10-15% of females. Some of the risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea are age, gender, obesity, smoking, menopausal status as well as African-American, Chinese and Asian ancestry.

Some of the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are snoring, snorting, excessive daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, fatigue and frequent urination at night.

The gold standard of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. Other alternatives may include an oral appliance, therapy in patients who qualify. Untreated obstructive sleep apnea may lead to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, weight gain, problems with memory and concentration, depression, motor vehicle crashes, and can increase the risk of mortality.  If treatment such as CPAP is needed, this will be arranged through the McLeod Sleep Clinic and appropriate follow-up will be done.

Call the McLeod Sleep Clinic: 843-777-5827