Snore Centre eNewsletter March 2021

Sleeping Disorders Centre moves to online clinics

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 attending hospitals and clinics in person has been difficult and potentially involves the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus. Therefore, the Sleeping Disorders Centre is now completely online for both NHS and private patients.

We are able to deliver the same high quality service either via telephone or online, organising all aspects of care remotely: including sleep studies, diagnosis, CPAP fitting, delivery, maintenance and long-term care.

This means that people suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea and other sleep-related and ENT conditions are still able to access first class care from Mr. Oko, Professor Dhillon and the rest of our clinical team. Our mission to raise awareness of the suffering caused by sleep apnoea, and enable those affected to live normal lives through fast diagnosis and effective treatment, is still continuing depite the challenges of the pandemic.

The Sleeping Disorders Centre's private clinic has moved from Harley Street to The London Digestive Centre, in partnership with HCA Healthcare. However, no in-person clinics are taking place at the moment with all appointments taking place by phone or online.



Contact details

Private patients
The London Digestive Centre
41 Welbeck Street
London
Telephone: 020 3797 7248
Email: david.odimayo@sleepthebestmedicine.com

NHS patients (with GP referral)
The Bostonian Private Wing
Pilgrim Hospital
Sibsey Road
Boston, Linconshire
PE21 9QS
Telephone: 01205 446285
Fax: 01205 311442
Email:  sally.booth@ulh.nhs.uk
 

Michael Oko talks to Angela Epstein about parasomnia for the Daily Mail 



Angela Epstein writes in the Daily Mail on 15th february: Parasomnia — the term for unusual behaviour related to sleep — affects 15 per cent of people in the UK. It can range from relatively harmless activities such as walking, talking and eating (people typically get up to cook) or, more rarely, sexsomnia — sexual behaviour while asleep.

Why some people have one kind of parasomnia rather than another is not clear, and some people may have more than one. In rare cases, it can be an early warning sign of a neurological condition such as Parkinson’s disease.

However, in many cases it is triggered by disturbed sleep — and with half the population saying their sleep has been more disturbed than usual since lockdown began, this could lead to a rise in these nocturnal events.

‘During sleep, the brain moves through different stages, one of which is known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep,’ explains Michael Oko, a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and founder of the Sleeping Disorders Centre in London.

‘It’s at this stage the brain should temporarily sever communication with skeletal muscles, which means that while we are asleep we are essentially paralysed, otherwise we would all act out our dreams.

‘However, when there’s a fault in the control of this mechanism — sometimes random, or perhaps due to genetics or health issues such as sleep apnoea or even Parkinson’s — there’s scope for physical behaviour in sleep.’

REM happens when we are deeply asleep — so parasomnia tends to occur in the small hours or early morning. But more complex parasomnia behaviour, such as sleep-related eating disorders, happens in the deep non-REM stage.

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