Meet the Experts

Dr. Timothy Grant

Medical Director of Baptist Sleep Center with Baptist Outpatient Services

Videos

Factors Of Lack Of Sleep

Timothy Grant, Medical Director of Baptist Sleep Center at Baptist Outpatient Services, says it is not healthy to be up so late working and having your brain so active before you can quiet down and go to sleep. "Our active work schedules, the fact that we work so long, the fact that we're exposed to light exposure from TVs, just the light from your telephone can interrupt your sleep at night," he points out. Grant also highlights shift work is a risk factor for almost every single illness related to sleep. Traveling and jet lag and working so hard can contribute to poor sleep.

Aging Changes In Sleep

Timothy Grant, Medical Director of Baptist Sleep Center at Baptist Outpatient Services, says it is not true older people need less sleep. "You need just as much sleep, but you're not very good at it anymore, so you become less efficient at your sleep and as we get older we may take more naps during the day," he explains. He also says naps are a good thing and the elderly do not have to feel guilty for taking naps during the day.

Treating Sleep Apnea At Home

Timothy Grant, Medical Director of Baptist Sleep Center at Baptist Outpatient Services, says there are a hundred different masks to help you sleep and he advises using which one is comfortable for you. "It delivers air, it's not oxygen, it's just air because air has oxygen. So, when the air comes in it's actually keeping the back of your throat open and it's allowing you to breathe normally and then your brain doesn't keep waking you up at night," he explains. He points out that with new innovations, these machines are light and they do not make noises.

Different Types Of Parasomnia

Nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking are some of the types of parasomnia disorders. Timothy Grant, Medical Director of Baptist Sleep Center at Baptist Outpatient Services, explains para means around and somnia means sleep. "The definition is doing something in and around sleep you don't want to do, the classic example is sleepwalking," he says. He tells the case of a patient who had to strap a rope around his shoulder, because at night while he was sleeping he was breaking his TVs. The doctor says he had REM sleep behavior disorder, and that is when you sleep and dream and you are acting out the dream.

The Most Common Sleep Disorders

Insomnia, sleep apnea, periodic limb movements, restless leg syndrome and REM sleep behavior disorder are some of the most common sleep disorders. Timothy Grant, Medical Director of Baptist Sleep Center at Baptist Outpatient Services, says between nine and ten percent of the population has chronic insomnia, which means it is lasting for more than a month. "It is very common that if you just talk to a hundred people on the sidewalk, fifty percent of them would probably say at some time in the last year they had problems with their sleep," he says.

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