Feeling tired even though you got a full night's sleep?  It's possible you have a sleep disorder.
  A sure fire way to find out is to undergo a sleep study.  But what exactly is a sleep study?  We talked to someone who knows plenty about the subject.
  Kelly Olson, RRT, is one of LifeCare's Respiratory Therapists and she's helped all kinds of patients come to terms with loud snoring and other kinds of sleep disorders many patients didn't even know they had.
  According to Kelly, most people with sleep disorders can sleep anywhere and can sleep through anything.  Some have been known to fall sleep at work, at the dinner table, or even while driving.
Unfortunately, too many  people don't realize sleep disorder may be the cause behind their unshakable feeling of being tired.  They simply accept the fact they feel as tired in the morning as they did when they went to bed.
  But a simple sleep study at LifeCare's Respiratory Therapy department could change all that.  During a sleep study, the patient wears EEG electrodes on the scalp that monitor brainwaves, displaying them on a computer readout.  According to Kelly, who has conducted sleep studies at LifeCare Medical Center since 2005, most patients who complete the study have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, a condition where the personal temporarily stops breathing while sleeping.  In some cases, a persona's breathing may stop for 20 seconds or more.  This keeps the patient from experiencing deep REM sleep.  The result is a sense of feeling tired all the time.  Kelly says one sleep study a patient actually stopped breathing for 90 second.

Diagnosis and Treatment
  Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the closing of the upper airway.  During sleep, the tissues in the throat become so relaxed they collapse, or the tongue may fall back and cause a blockage preventing air from entering the lungs.  The effort of the chest, abdomen, and diaphragm then cause the blockage to seal tighter.  To breathe, the person arouses but may not know it and is denied deep replenishing REM sleep.
  If it is determined that sleep apnea is the culprit, the patient may be fitted with a CPAP machine and trained on how to use it.  The CPAP (which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is a quiet little machine that keeps the airway open by creating a positive pressure, in other words blowing air through a tube and mask system and into the patient's nose and mouth.  Patients who use a CPAP are often amazed by the results: deep sleep and feeling refreshed in the morning.
  Another sleep disorder is called "restless leg syndrome" or "periodic limb movement disorder" which involves movement of the person's legs and arms periodically throughout the night, thus keeping the body from getting into a deep replenishing REM sleep.
  A sleep study can detect this condition too.  Because the patient also has electrodes on each arm and leg, limb movement can be measured and treated if necessary.

Referrals
  Sleep study referrals often come from a patient's spouse.  Usually the spouse will notice the recurring stoppage of breathing and will wake up the person telling them they have to breathe.  So vital is the spouse's perspective, the preregistration questionnaire includes a section for the spouse to complete, which comes in handy for a patient who may be in total denial.  Bottom line: You may want to think twice the next time someone comments on your snoring.