Lack of sleep has reached epidemic proportions in America, affecting the way we work and spend our leisure time. Approximately 67 percent of adults get fewer than the recommended eight hours of sleep at night, according to the National Sleep Foundation's 2000 Omnibus Sleep in America Poll.

Forty three percent of them are so sleepy during the day that they say it interferes with their daily activities at least several days a month. Drowsiness hinders activities a few days per week for 20 percent of those polled (and 33 percent of those are 18 to 29 years old).

Why aren't people sleeping? Work, the Internet, television, and insomnia are keeping people up at night. But more and more people are beginning to take naps before or after work. People who don't stay up late at night but remain tired are trying to find out why.

Sleep process

Sleep is controlled and influenced by many parts of the brain. The stages of sleep include drowsiness, light sleep, deep sleep and dream sleep. The stage of sleep a person is in can be determined by measuring the different activity of the brain and body.

Sleep disorders

More than 100 million Americans regularly fail to get a good night's sleep. Sleep Disorders result in a diminished quality of life and personal health. They can lead to problems falling asleep and staying asleep, difficulties staying awake or within a regular sleep wake/cycle, nightmares, sleepwalking, bedwetting and other problems that interfere with sleep.

Sleep apnea in adults

Adults with Sleep Apnea may snore very loud (they can be heard rooms away), have a pattern of snoring interrupted by pauses, then gasps (the sleeper's breathing stops and restarts), have trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, depression, loss of interest in sex, headaches or nausea upon awakening, fatigue and frequent nighttime urination.

Sleep problems in children

Children with sleep problems may snore loudly, appear to have difficulty breathing during sleep, sleep restlessly, sweat heavily during sleep, have daytime hyperactivity (sleepy children become fussy and overactive), behavioral problems, be cranky, be difficult to awaken and complain of morning headaches.

All of our outpatient sleep disorder services are located at Virginia Baptist Hospital. Our Sleep Disorders Center has a home-like atmosphere with 8 spacious bedrooms; we provide service in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. From our compassionate and highly trained staff to our state-of-the-art polysomnography equipment, we offer comprehensive diagnostic and treatment options to the central Virginia region.