Sleep disorders are among the most under-diagnosed, treatable illnesses in the United States, reports Watertown Daily Times.
“Forty percent of adults report treatable sleeping problems,” said Steve Doe, technical coordinator at Samaritan Medical Center’s Sleep Disorders Center. “(Sleep specialists) see maybe 1 percent for treatment.”
Dr. Daniel A. Barone is an assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College, an assistant attending neurologist, and sees patients at the College’s Center for Sleep Medicine. According to Dr. Barone, while doctors have started to see and hear about sleep disorders far more, under-diagnosis is a tremendous problem, especially for sleep apnea, which afflicts about 24 percent of men and 9 percent of women.
Sleep apnea causes pauses in breathing and periods of shallow breathing during sleep. The most prevalent form, obstructive sleep apnea, is characterized by blockage of air flow. Other common sleep disorders include insomnia, restless leg syndrome, teeth grinding and narcolepsy.
