Sleep apnea syndrome

Sleep apnea is a condition where breathing stops or becomes shallow while sleeping.
As a result, your body does not get enough oxygen, you will not be able to sleep well, and various ailments will occur.

Common symptoms

• Snoring loudly while sleeping
• Breathing stops or becomes irregular.
• Looking distressed while sleeping
• Waking up frequently during the night to go to the bathroom

These are symptoms that are difficult for the person in question to notice, so it is very important for family members and others around her/him to notice any symptoms s/he may have.

Also, during the day, the following symptoms may be experienced:

• Feeling very sleepy
• Finding it hard to concentrate
• Becoming increasingly forgetful
• Feeling very dry in the mouth and/or throat when waking up in the morning
• Having a headache when you wake up

In the case of children

Children are difficult to wake up when they stop breathing, so attention should be paid to the movement of the chest, where you may see that they have a large chest depression with each breath (a condition similar to pectus excavatum).
Children may also start wetting the bed or going to the bathroom more frequently during the night. The symptoms may also lead to a decline in academic performance.

If left untreated...

Receiving the necessary tests and treatment is very important to maintain your health.
If left untreated, this condition increases the risk of serious diseases, such as:
high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke (cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage), myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, aortic dissection, sudden death, cognitive decline (forgetfulness, etc.), chronic kidney disease, fatty liver, gastroesophageal reflux disease, obesity, erectile dysfunction (impotence), hyperactivity, depression, cancer, etc.
To prevent these diseases, it is important to get tested early and receive the necessary treatment.
To protect your health and the health of your loved ones, consult a sleep specialist if you have any symptoms that concern you.
Dr. Yoshimura was honored with an award at the 2007 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology for his work on "Nocturia in Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome."

Restless legs syndrome

When trying to stay still, especially at night or before going to sleep, you may experience unpleasant sensations such as restlessness, heat, tingling, itchiness, pain, or an electric shock sensation in your legs or other areas, making it difficult to stay still.
This makes you want to move your legs, etc., and when you do, you feel a little better.
This condition, where your legs or other parts of your body become uncomfortable and you feel the need to move them while at rest, is called "restless legs syndrome." Symptoms are particularly common at night, making it difficult to sleep.
Dr. Yoshimura received an award from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in 2015 for his work on "Epidemiological Studies of Restless Legs Syndrome in Pregnant Women in Japan."

Periodic limb movement disorder

This is a disease where the limbs, especially the legs, twitch involuntarily while sleeping, or the legs repeatedly kick the comforter. This is due to a phenomenon called "myoclonus," comprising involuntary muscle movements. Although the person in question is often unaware of these symptoms, these movements affect their heart rate and blood pressure, making it harder to sleep. This can result in insomnia and/or high blood pressure. It is also said that this disease is seen in approximately 90% of people with restless legs syndrome. If necessary, further investigation can be carried out using a sleep study (polysomnography).

Narcolepsy

This is a condition where a person suddenly becomes extremely sleepy during the day and is unable to stay awake and ends up falling asleep. This drowsiness can be difficult to control, and the affected individual may suddenly fall asleep even while at school or work. It is also common for "sleep paralysis" to occur when falling asleep or upon waking up.
In addition, strong emotions such as laughter or surprise can suddenly cause the body to relax. This is called a "cataplexy." For example, when you laugh out loud, your knees may give way and you may not be able to stand, or you may drop something you are holding. It is said that if you experience cataplexy, there is a high possibility that you may have narcolepsy.

Hypersomnia

This is a condition that causes persistent, excessive sleepiness even during the day. Even though you may have had a good night's sleep, you may feel sleepy or fall asleep several times during the day. This drowsiness can interfere with school, work, and daily life.

Circadian rhythm sleep disorder

This is a condition where the body's internal clock becomes out of sync, causing the rhythm of sleep and wake-up times to become unsynchronized.

• Advanced sleep phase syndrome
  You feel sleepy early at night and wake up too early in the morning.
• Delayed sleep phase syndrome
  You have trouble falling asleep at night and can't wake up in the morning, ending up oversleeping. In this way, the time when you want to sleep and the time when you actually fall asleep can become misaligned, which can cause problems in your daily life.

REM sleep behavior disorder

This is a disease where the body actually moves while sleeping, replicating the experiences experienced in a dream.
For example, when a person dreams about "fighting with someone" or "quarreling," they may actually be waving their arms around or kicking their legs. The person is asleep and unconscious, so they are moving without realizing it. This can result in them hitting or injuring their bed partner. Normally, the body is prevented from moving while you are dreaming (during REM sleep), but with this disease, this mechanism does not work properly.

Insomnia

This is a condition where you cannot sleep well at night, affecting your daytime life.
For example:

• Having difficulty falling asleep (difficulty falling asleep)
• Waking up multiple times during the night (middle of the night awakening)
• Waking up early in the morning and not being able to fall asleep (early morning awakening)

If this condition continues, you may not be able to recover from fatigue or concentrate, which may affect your work, school, housework, etc. (lack of deep sleep).

Areas of expertise

Sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, advanced sleep phase syndrome, delayed sleep phase syndrome, REM sleep behavior disorder, insomnia, general sleep medicine, general respiratory medicine

Qualifications etc.

Board-certified respiratory specialist and instructor of the Japanese Respiratory Society, board-certified general specialist and instructor of the Japanese Society of Sleep Research, board-certified bronchoscopy specialist and instructor of the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy, board-certified internist, general internal medicine specialist and instructor of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine