Jacksonville, Fla. – Don’t let daylight-saving time disturb your sleep patterns. The Sleep Disorders Center at Shands Jacksonville wants to remind you that losing an hour of sleep is not something to yawn about. Sleep is an important function of the brain, occupying nearly a third of each day and strongly affecting the remaining two-thirds. Sleep disturbances can affect both young and old. Impaired sleep can diminish performance at school or work and even cause difficulties in marriage or social life.
“Whether the patient has frequent restroom visits or morning headaches, there is frequently an underlying sleep disorder that could be to blame,” said Van Simmons, clinical coordinator for the center. “If someone is resting poorly, then many other health problems may occur such as depression, stroke or high blood pressure.”
The Sleep Disorders Center evaluates and treats all sleep disturbances ranging from insomnia to teeth grinding. The most common sleep disorder seen is obstructive sleep apnea, where a patient stops breathing numerous times throughout the night, waking the patient and disrupting normal sleep cycles.
“Apnea means an absence of breath. Many patients stop breathing or snore loudly during their sleep,” said Simmons. “Sleep should be a time for our bodies to relax and rejuvenate.”
The Neuroscience Institute at Shands Jacksonville and the University of Florida department of internal medicine offer a comprehensive eight-bed sleep disorders center staffed by a multidisciplinary team. They are led by board-certified sleep medicine specialist, John DeCerce, M.D., a UF assistant professor of neurology, and James Cury, M.D., a UF associate professor of internal medicine and chief of the UF Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care for Jacksonville.
For more information about The Sleep Disorders Center at Shands, call 244-9498. The Sleep Center is located on the fourth floor of Tower I, 580 W. Eighth Street.