Sleep medicine deals with the causes, diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. A sleep medicine physician treats problems such as sleep apnea and snoring, insomnia and narcolepsy. Sleep apnea is when a person actually stops breathing for a few seconds during sleep, and is usually accompanied by loud snoring. Narcolepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system, and is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, and a tendency to sleep at inappropriate times, even if the person gets adequate nighttime sleep. Also considered sleep disorders are periodic limb movements and restless legs.
Treatment includes overnight study in a sleep center, where technicians observe, monitor, and analyze brain activity, respiratory function, muscle function and other variables that help diagnose complex sleep disorders. Sometimes a physician may fit a patient may with a device to measure a person's activity, their environmental temperature, light levels and mood state, all recorded by a computer the size of wrist watch. This allows the physician to get objective, accurate data on the patient's daily life, and help to assess sleep problems.
Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Colorado has 23 practicing sleep medicine doctors. Broken out by city, sleep medicine doctor density in Aurora is 2, in Boulder is 2, in Colorado Springs is 5, in Denver is 6, in Englewood is 3, in Fort Collins is 3, in Loveland is 1, and in Wallingford is 1.
Colorado is the Centennial state; having won statehood in 1876. Its capital is Denver, called the “Mile High City,” because its altitude at the state capitol steps is 5,280 feet. Colorado’s population is 4,653,023, and over half the state’s population is in the Denver metro area. Known for its Rocky Mountains and abundant outdoor sports opportunities, such as skiing, hiking, fishing and hunting, Colorado also offers tourists Pike’s Peak, the Royal Gorge, and the Red Rocks outdoor amphitheater. Denver is home to an active theater culture, a world-class symphony, and many sports activities. You can visit a gold mine, tour the state capitol building, climb a mountain, or relax in some therapeutic natural hot springs.
According to 2005 Census estimates, Colorado has a population of 4,665,177. Of this population, 1,140,002 are under the age of 18 and 462,190 are at or above the age of 65.
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