What is sleep medicine?
Sleep medicine is the health care field that focuses on sleep disorders and problems that interfere with your ability to fall asleep, wake up, and stay awake. Many sleep disorders are rooted in neurological conditions.
Dr. Chu’s additional training and board certification in neurology and electrodiagnostic medicine give him in-depth and knowledgeable expertise in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.
When should I see a sleep medicine specialist?
If you’re always tired during the day, regardless of whether or not you feel like you slept through the night, and there isn’t another reason for your fatigue, you should consult a sleep medicine specialist like Dr. Chu.
Sufficient quality sleep is critical to your overall health. While you sleep, your body repairs and replenishes itself so you can face each day with fresh energy and vigor. If your sleep is disrupted continuously, you may develop disruptive symptoms such as:
- Extreme daytime fatigue
- Cognitive difficulties such as brain fog, indecisiveness, and impaired memory
- Irritability and mood swings
When left untreated, sleep disorders also contribute to other serious health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and epilepsy.
What conditions does a sleep medicine specialist treat?
Dr. Chu diagnoses and treats a wide range of sleep disorders, including:
- Sleep apnea
- Insomnia
- Narcolepsy
- Restless leg syndrome
- Sleep paralysis
- Circadian rhythm disorders
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
It’s possible that you could have a sleep disorder and not know it. For example, many people have sleep apnea don’t realize that they may wake up as many as 30 times an hour, they may just know that their partner or spouse complains about their snoring.
How can sleep medicine improve my sleep and health?
As a board-certified sleep medicine specialist, Dr. Chu offers physical exams, lab tests, sleep studies, and more to identify and diagnose the condition that’s interfering with your sleep. Once he knows what condition is causing your symptoms, he creates customized treatment plans to help you sleep and treat the underlying problem
While treatment plans are wholly customized to address your individual needs, Dr. Chu often combines medicine with other therapies and lifestyle modifications to improve your sleep and your health.
If you’re looking for an expert sleep medicine specialist, look no further than Dr. Chu at Houston Neurology & Sleep Diagnostic Center. Call the practice or schedule a consultation online today.
