Rest Assured

From time to time, everyone has difficulty sleeping. You might have trouble falling asleep or you wake up during the night and can’t get back to sleep.

Majid Malik, MD, Medical Director of the Elkhart General Hospital Sleep Disorder Center

While an occasional bad night’s sleep is bound to happen, sleep medicine experts say not getting enough rest on a regular basis can be dangerous to your health.

A study released last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that one-third of Americans do not get enough sleep. Being chronically tired can put someone at risk for certain short- and long-term health problems.

“It’s a global epidemic that threatens your quality of life because it can lead to weight gain, heart problems and difficulty controlling high blood pressure. It reduces your concentration and affects your memory,” says Majid Malik, MD, Medical Director of the Elkhart General Hospital Sleep Disorder Center.

While the amount of sleep individuals need may vary, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep each night. School-aged children should be getting between nine and 11 hours.

“Sleep is a basic human need just like food and water,” says Dr. Malik, a board-certified sleep medicine specialist. “It’s one of the pillars of good health, along with maintaining a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. More people need to make sleep a priority.”

People like Kim Schrock.

Kim remembers feeling tired and fatigued all the time. But Kim didn’t know how much sleep played a part in her energy level until the chest pains she experienced at work during the summer of 2014 landed her in the emergency room.

“I was having morning headaches, some shortness of breath, I snored and I knew I was walking in my sleep,” says Kim. “After work, I’d get home and sit down and I’d fall asleep in a chair and have a hard time waking up.”

A sleep study concluded Kim suffered from sleep apnea, which means her breathing regularly stopped and started again, as well as parasomnia.

“I would wake up exercising in my sleep. I’d wake up on the treadmill or outside running,” says Kim. One time, she shredded one of her bed sheets into 3-inch strips.

Her sleeping problems also affected her memory.

“I couldn’t remember things,” she says. “I’d sit back and try to remember what I had done or what I needed to do. My memory was foggy.”

While there are about 100 different sleep disorders, Dr. Malik said most of them are either modifiable or treatable with the help of a sleep specialist.

In Kim’s case, Dr. Malik put her on a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine with a mask she wears at night to help her breathe more easily.

“The first night with it was the best sleep I ever had,” says Kim, who also works as manager at the Elkhart Sleep Disorder Center. “It gave me more energy, my chest pains were gone, my snoring is gone, my morning headaches are gone. I just love it.”

Kim feels like she has her life back.

“I have more energy and feel energized,” she says. “I was sleeping my life away.”

March 18 was World Sleep Day, which recognizes that sound sleep is a treasured function and one of the pillars of health. For more information about Dr. Malik who is located at Beacon Medical Group Sleep Medicine Elkhart East, call 574.262.0239.