It is estimated that sleep disorders are now the biggest health problem affecting Australians.

Certain sleep disorders increase risks of car accidents, depression and heart disease. During a clinical evaluation, sleep medicine specialists look for the factors that contribute to sleep disorders as well as the steps that can be taken to treat them.

Symptoms - How do I know if I have a sleep disorder?

Some sleep disorders cause people to have trouble sleeping at night; others make people feel drowsy all day even though they slept all night.

You may have a sleep disorder if you experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Awaking frequently with difficulty returning to sleep
• Snoring loudly
• Awaking to find yourself gasping for breath
• Excessive sleepiness during the day
• Twitching legs at night interfering with sleep
• Walking or talking in your sleep
• Being frequently awakened by nightmares

If you experience any of these symptoms contact your physician or call our sleep clinic on (03) 9504 8400 for a professional consultation.

What Causes Sleep Disorders?

The causes of sleep disorders are numerous, and range from environmental factors such as stress, noise, light, or an irregular sleep schedule (often associated with shift work or jet lag), to medical factors such as:

• anxiety,
• depression,
• menopause,
• excessive weight,
• age,
• pregnancy
• central nervous system malfunction,
• genetics.

In some cases, alcohol, caffeine and other drugs can cause or contribute to a sleep disorder. Sleep disorder can precede the onset of a depressive illness or another mood disturbance and should be attended to as soon as possible.

Types of Sleep Disorders?

There are over 80 known sleep disorders, the most common of which are:

Other sleep disorders include: sleepwalking, night terrors, teeth grinding, bed-wetting and others.

Treatment of Sleep Disorders

Our care begins with a comprehensive review of your medical history. This information allows us to determine if sleep monitoring is needed to provide a more precise clinical picture of the underlying causes of your symptoms.

If sleep monitoring is indicated, you may be asked to spend one or more nights sleeping in the home-like atmosphere of our sleep clinic. Many aspects of sleep are monitored, and the test results are analysed by one of our sleep specialists.

A report containing the diagnosis and treatment recommendations will be sent to your physician. In the morning, at the conclusion of the sleep test, you will spend time with a sleep therapist who will address specific aspects of sleep with you.

How We Can Help With Treating Sleep Disorders

We are able to provide treatment to patients diagnosed with sleep disorders in our sleep clinic.

Treatment may include prescription of medication, providing special equipment to people with sleep apnoea and behavioural therapies, such as relaxation techniques.

For certain patients, surgical intervention may be appropriate, and our physicians will advise patients on available options.

For all patients, our staff are available to assist with personalized treatment and follow-up support.