Don’t live with the exhaustion

SLEEP MEDICINE Don’t live with the exhaustion

Sleep is nature’s way of repairing and restoring body and heart function.

Accredited through the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Sleep Disorders Center offers extensive experience diagnosing and treating individuals with sleep disorders.

Sleep disorders can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to negative outcomes on cardiovascular, neurological, behavioral and endocrine systems. The most prevalent sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is a condition in which the muscles of the throat relax during sleep and block the airway. About 17 million people in the United States have OSA, which causes a person to periodically stop breathing while sleeping. Approximately 90% of the patients who come to the Sleep Disorders Center are treated for OSA. In addition to fragmented and nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, headaches, memory and concentration issues, clinical studies have shown how untreated OSA can lead to a number of heart conditions, including:

• Atrial Fibrillation (AFib): Patients with untreated OSA are 2 to 5 times more likely to experience cardiac arrhythmias. • Depression: People with untreated sleep apnea exhibit higher anxiety and depression scores. • Palpitations: Patients, particularly women, with

OSA are 3 to 5 times more likely to experience

“heart flutters.” • Chronic Heart Failure: Patients with OSA are placing stress on the heart during their interrupted sleep cycles, which can lead to cardiovascular problems and heart failure. • Hypertension: 90% of patients with OSA have higher blood pressure and require more medicine to normalize that pressure. • Obesity: Exhaustion leads to lethargy and an increase in the hormone that drives hunger signals, which causes patients to eat more.

Being overweight can also cause OSA. • Stroke: Patients with untreated sleep apnea are 2 to 3 times more likely to have a stroke due to various reasons including AFib, unstable hypertension, negative effects of chronic oxygen deprivation on blood vessels’ tissue (hypoxia), etc.

PATIENTS WITH UNTREATED OSA ARE 2-5X

MORE LIKELY to experience cardiac arrhythmias

Comprehensive care

The Sleep Disorders Center is home to two board-certified sleep specialists, Peter Nassar, MD, pulmonary, critical care, and Nura Festic, MD, family medicine, and three advanced practice providers offering consultation and evaluation services at the Jacksonville Sleep Center, which is a part of Baptist Heart Specialists. A full sleep disorder evaluation begins with a comprehensive history and physical examination. If the patient is a candidate for a more indepth sleep study, the noninvasive test will be scheduled and conducted overnight to identify if or when sleep patterns are disrupted, and where in the sleep cycles the disruptions occur. The test records brain waves, heart rate and breathing through a series of painless sensors placed on the patient. Sleep lab testing services are offered at all of Baptist Health’s hospitals in the Northeast Florida region. Treatment is a collaborative effort between the patient and medical team. “Our approach is simple. We educate the patient regarding the disease, impart the importance of treatment by explaining related health conditions, and provide the knowledge and tools for success,” said Dr. Nassar. “Our emphasis is on patient care versus testing and equipment.” “CPAP therapy is still the most effective and reliable treatment for managing OSA and is an important tool in reducing

cardiovascular and neurological risks associated with it,” said Dr. Festic. “As the only center in the area 100% focused on sleep medicine, we are able to develop a comprehensive and customized treatment program for the patient.” For the patients for whom CPAP therapy isn’t successful, the Jacksonville Sleep Center offers Inspire™ therapy. This “pacemaker for the airway” is an FDA-approved, small implanted device that uses a gentle pulse to keep the airway open. “Research shows that untreated sleep apnea may raise your chance of dying from heart disease by Peter Nassar, MD, FAASM, FCCP up to five times,” said Dr. Nassar. “People often Sleep Medicine delay treatment for a sleep disorder. We want to help prevent these problems, and improve their quality of life. They don’t need to live with being exhausted.” Nura Festic, MD Sleep Medicine Treatment for sleep disorders is a collaborative effort between the patient and medical team.