ASK THE PHYSICIAN
Marcella M. Frank, D.O., FACOI, FCCP, FAASM
Attending Pulmonologist
Department of Pulmonary Medicine
Institute for Sleep Medicine
Deborah Heart and Lung Center
Q: I try to get enough sleep, somewhere between seven and
eight hours most nights, but I’m still waking up exhausted and
drag myself through the day. I’ve always been a snorer, but now
my wife says it’s gotten much worse. I’m falling asleep at my
computer and have even dozed off in traffic, which is really bad!
I can’t keep this up much longer — help please!
-Mike P., Delran
A: Mike, there could be a number of reasons for your daytime
fatigue. Although the number of hours of sleep you report is
probably adequate, the quality of sleep is not restoring your
alertness. One of the most common sleep problems that often
causes daytime fatigue is sleep apnea. This condition causes an
abnormal breathing pattern at night and may involve shallow
breathing or even pauses in breathing. The abnormal breathing
disrupts your sleep often, preventing deep restorative sleep
from occurring.
At Deborah Heart and Lung Center, we have a full-service In-
stitute for Sleep Medicine, at which we perform comprehensive
sleep studies to evaluate a whole range of sleep disorders.
Treatment for sleep apnea can decrease the risk of serious
health problems and restore your daytime function quickly. As
you are concerned about your daytime fatigue, a sleep study
would be beneficial, and I recommend it.
For an appointment or more information about how Deborah
Heart and Lung Center’s leading-edge technologies can improve
your quality of life: call 800-555-1990 or visit www.demanddeb-
orah.org.
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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