Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Cleveland Clinic, spoke on campus about the importance of sleep and the consequences of sleep disorders as part of an ACPHS Continuing Education program.
The title of Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer's presentation was “An Introduction to Sleep Medicine: Common Sleep Disorders and their Treatment.” Her one hour talk, which took place on September 16 at the Gozzo Student Center, was part of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Barbara DiLascia Lecture Series.
Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, MS, is certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and sleep medicine. As part of her lecture, she reviewed the cardinal features and diagnostic criteria of common sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia. Additionally, she discussed pharmacologic, surgical, and behavioral treatment approaches for obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.
“Many people don’t realize that sleep and wake disorders are extremely common and millions of people in America have sleep disorders that are undiagnosed,” said Foldvary-Schaefer, who has treated patients with sleep disorders and epilepsy at the Cleveland Clinic since 1995 and has published extensively on topics that include sleep and epilepsy, epilepsy surgery, women's issues in epilepsy and sleep disorders. “Many people need eight hours of sleep but most of us are not getting that. When we don’t get enough sleep — or we have a sleep disorder causing improper sleep – then our functioning during the day can be significantly compromised.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 40 million Americans suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders each year and a further 20 million people experience occasional sleep problems.