Selected Podcast
How Sleep Medicine Can Help You Sleep Better
Dr. Usha Nandhini, new Sleep Medicine physician at Palouse Sleep Medicine, a member of Pullman Regional Hospital Clinic Network, explains what sleep medicine is and how she helps patients ages 3 and up find restful sleep.
Featuring:
Personal Interests:
I would call myself a food enthusiast, as I love exploring food experiences including, trying new restaurants, diversifying my taste buds with different ethnic food. I have an innate curiosity to know about food origins and history. I would love to travel more in the future - Italy is on top of the list. I appreciate different cultures and experiences, and traveling is a way to feed that desire for me. I watch plenty of travel and food shows - favorites would include "Parts Unknown by Anthony Bourdain, Somebody feed Phil, Rick Stein's Journey to the Mediterranean and Greek islands."
I also love to read books, mostly non-fiction nowadays, on mindfulness and Buddism. Fiction books that interest me are mostly thrillers, murder mysteries, and suspense novels.
When I am not feeding my stomach or soul, I like to hike, walk and hit the gym for a spin class.
Why Sleep Medicine:
An innumerable amount of people in this world suffer from sleep disorders, affecting their health, relationships, longevity, and daily functioning.
A negative sleep pattern arose during my internal medicine residency when I fueled my tired body with caffeine and quick naps. Compounded with the jet lag I experienced due to frequent travel, I became fascinated by my sleep cycles and the complexities of sleep disorders and was drawn to study them further. My own experience made me realize that quality sleep plays an essential role in the human body’s optimal functioning, and depriving the body of rest impacts one’s emotional and physical wellbeing.
I sincerely believe that good health begins largely with good sleep. I am passionate about educating individuals on the importance of quality sleep as a prerequisite for a healthy life and eager to treat sleep disorders to help them achieve their optimal health.
Additional educational information:
Medical school - Kasturba Medical College, Manipal India
Internal Medicine Residency - St Vincent's hospital, Worcester, MA
Sleep Medicine fellowship - Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Master of Science in Clinical Research Methods (MSCRM): Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Committee: Transfusion committee- Internal medicine residency -St Vincent hospital
Published articles:
A Man With Chronic Diarrhea and Weight Loss: Infectious disease in clinical practice.
Raul Davaro, MD,* Vijay Vanguri, MD,† Usha Nandhini, MD,‡ and Michael Papper, MD§
ACADEMIC PAPERS
Rao, K.N., Ballala, K., Samanth, J., Shetty, R., Vidyasagar, S., Nayak, K., Maiya, A.G., Kumar, S., Nandhini, U : Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: Tissue Doppler Imaging a Novel Insight. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological, and Chemical Sciences. 2016, Jan; 7(1): (1535-1540).
Cited in PubMed; PMID: 0975-8585.
Rao,K.N., Patil, N., Hande,M.H., Avinash,A., Nayak,V., Rao,R., Kunder,S.K., Nandhini,U., Ahmed,T : An Alluring Case of Bleeding Gums as the Primary Manifestation of Snake Bite. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences. 2016, Jan; 7(1): (1494-1497). Cited in PubMed; PMID: 0975-8585.
Usha Nandhini, MD
Core values of my medical practice include individualized, patient-focused care integrating physical and emotional well-being with compassion, empathy, and respect. I believe in forging genuine and unique relationships with patients, their families to gain an in-depth understanding of the complexity of their ailments with dignity and sensitivity to make informed health care decisions while valuing their core beliefs. I trust that open communication and effective listening to the patient's needs and desires are paramount in providing quality care. I wholeheartedly believe in making each patient feel important in my clinic and leaving a positive impact on their lives.Personal Interests:
I would call myself a food enthusiast, as I love exploring food experiences including, trying new restaurants, diversifying my taste buds with different ethnic food. I have an innate curiosity to know about food origins and history. I would love to travel more in the future - Italy is on top of the list. I appreciate different cultures and experiences, and traveling is a way to feed that desire for me. I watch plenty of travel and food shows - favorites would include "Parts Unknown by Anthony Bourdain, Somebody feed Phil, Rick Stein's Journey to the Mediterranean and Greek islands."
I also love to read books, mostly non-fiction nowadays, on mindfulness and Buddism. Fiction books that interest me are mostly thrillers, murder mysteries, and suspense novels.
When I am not feeding my stomach or soul, I like to hike, walk and hit the gym for a spin class.
Why Sleep Medicine:
An innumerable amount of people in this world suffer from sleep disorders, affecting their health, relationships, longevity, and daily functioning.
A negative sleep pattern arose during my internal medicine residency when I fueled my tired body with caffeine and quick naps. Compounded with the jet lag I experienced due to frequent travel, I became fascinated by my sleep cycles and the complexities of sleep disorders and was drawn to study them further. My own experience made me realize that quality sleep plays an essential role in the human body’s optimal functioning, and depriving the body of rest impacts one’s emotional and physical wellbeing.
I sincerely believe that good health begins largely with good sleep. I am passionate about educating individuals on the importance of quality sleep as a prerequisite for a healthy life and eager to treat sleep disorders to help them achieve their optimal health.
Additional educational information:
Medical school - Kasturba Medical College, Manipal India
Internal Medicine Residency - St Vincent's hospital, Worcester, MA
Sleep Medicine fellowship - Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Master of Science in Clinical Research Methods (MSCRM): Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana
Committee: Transfusion committee- Internal medicine residency -St Vincent hospital
Published articles:
A Man With Chronic Diarrhea and Weight Loss: Infectious disease in clinical practice.
Raul Davaro, MD,* Vijay Vanguri, MD,† Usha Nandhini, MD,‡ and Michael Papper, MD§
ACADEMIC PAPERS
Rao, K.N., Ballala, K., Samanth, J., Shetty, R., Vidyasagar, S., Nayak, K., Maiya, A.G., Kumar, S., Nandhini, U : Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: Tissue Doppler Imaging a Novel Insight. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological, and Chemical Sciences. 2016, Jan; 7(1): (1535-1540).
Cited in PubMed; PMID: 0975-8585.
Rao,K.N., Patil, N., Hande,M.H., Avinash,A., Nayak,V., Rao,R., Kunder,S.K., Nandhini,U., Ahmed,T : An Alluring Case of Bleeding Gums as the Primary Manifestation of Snake Bite. Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences. 2016, Jan; 7(1): (1494-1497). Cited in PubMed; PMID: 0975-8585.
Transcription:
Deborah: To sleep, perchance to dream. It's what we all want. Just a restful night's sleep, but it seems to elude so many of us and causes havoc with our health, relationships, longevity, and daily functioning. Well, today, we're going to explore how that might be remedied.
To talk about how sleep medicine can help us sleep better, today we're joined by Dr. Usha Nandhini, a sleep medicine physician at Pullman Regional Hospital. Welcome, Dr. Nandini.
Dr Usha Nandhini: Hello. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be on this podcast.
Deborah: I'm very excited to hear what you have to say, because I'm one of those people who are just trying so hard to sleep and not quite getting there. So what is sleep medicine?
Dr Usha Nandhini: So sleep medicine is a medical specialty, which is focused on diagnosing and treating a broad range of sleep disorders, which includes sleep apnea, insomnia, nightmares, sleepwalking, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and circadian rhythm disorders. So most of these specialists, they train in internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, or neurology during residency. And after completing residency, they complete a fellowship program in sleep medicine.
Deborah: Okay. That gives us a good idea. So what interests you about this area of medicine?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I think it is a fascinating field of medicine that is rapidly evolving. Studying sleep and sleep disorders is very exciting as each individual has a unique sleep architecture. What's also very interesting is how sleep profoundly impacts one's emotional and physical wellbeing and getting a good night of sleep is on everyone's wishlist. And helping patients feel better by addressing their sleep issue is highly rewarding and wonderful.
Deborah: Absolutely. Now, when should someone consider seeking help from a sleep medicine doctor?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I would say if someone has a particular problem with sleep, which has been going on for awhile or does not get the quality or quantity of sleep they need to feel rested and energetic during the day, which impacts either their health and/or daily functioning. In that case, one might want to consider seeing a sleep specialist. The good news is that many sleep disorders can be resolved or mediated with the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Deborah: And that is good news indeed. What can you help patients achieve?
Dr Usha Nandhini: So, sleep disorders are very common and they can have significant long-term consequences, such as increased risk of heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, mood disorders and obesity if they're left untreated. By evaluating and managing sleep disorders and educating patients on their sleep hygiene practices, I can help them achieve a good quality sleep, which will lead to increased productivity at work, improved mood and relationships and better long-term health.
Deborah: Okay, that's fair. Now, you work with patients ages three and up. What's unique about working with patients so very young?
Dr Usha Nandhini: So, one of the unique things about working with the pediatric age group is working with a family, not just with an individual. Their sleep symptoms are different from adults. It requires a detailed evaluation from the family to understand what's normal and what's not. And it requires tailoring one's approach to the parents' and the child's needs and finding a team solution.
Deborah: Can you tell us, Dr. Nandhini, three things we can do to get a more restful night's sleep?
Dr Usha Nandhini: Absolutely. I think it's a very long list, but I'll try and stick to three.
Deborah: Okay.
Dr Usha Nandhini: First would be stop watching TV and turn off or put away any electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, iPads, at least an hour before heading to bed. Second would be to stick to a sleep schedule, to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. And also, I know it can be very hard, but also to try to be consistent even on the weekends. And third one would be to avoid heavy or large meals and alcohol two hours before bedtime. Even though alcohol can make you sleepy, it is known to cause sleep disruption.
Deborah: Absolutely. What about reading books before bed?
Dr Usha Nandhini: Books before bed, absolutely. It's known to calm a person down and other than screen, any books is usually recommended before bedtime as long as it's not too stimulating. Definitely something soothing and calming, including reading books or taking a shower before bedtime is known to help people get a good night of sleep.
Deborah: What about liquids?
Dr Usha Nandhini: Liquids, I would recommend to stop drinking water or other liquids an hour before bedtime to avoid getting up and going to the bathroom often at night. And if somebody does feel very thirsty right before going to bed, they can just take a few sips instead of drinking lots of water right before going to bed.
Deborah: Right. And what is a normal amount of times to get up during the night?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I would say that two to three times is okay. But as long as when they do get up in the middle of the night and when they come back to bed, if they're able to fall asleep, that's fine. But if it's taking them a long period of time to go back to sleep, like more than 20 minutes and it takes an hour, then that would be something we need to evaluate further of why it is taking somebody so long to fall back to sleep when they do wake up in the middle of the night.
Deborah: Sure. Understandable. Is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I would say that I firmly believe that practicing good sleep hygiene is quintessential in getting a night of restful sleep.
Deborah: I couldn't argue with that. That's for sure. Well, Dr. Nandhini, we so appreciate your time and everything you do to help us get a better night's sleep. I'm feeling better already. Thanks so much for being with us today.
Dr Usha Nandhini: Thank you so much for having me here today and giving me this opportunity to be a part of this podcast and bring awareness about sleep medicine.
Deborah: It was absolutely our pleasure. And you can learn more about this subjects, providers and services at Pullman Regional Hospital online at pullmanregional.org and under Our Services, you can find Palouse Sleep Medicine. This has been The Health podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host, Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day. .
Deborah: To sleep, perchance to dream. It's what we all want. Just a restful night's sleep, but it seems to elude so many of us and causes havoc with our health, relationships, longevity, and daily functioning. Well, today, we're going to explore how that might be remedied.
To talk about how sleep medicine can help us sleep better, today we're joined by Dr. Usha Nandhini, a sleep medicine physician at Pullman Regional Hospital. Welcome, Dr. Nandini.
Dr Usha Nandhini: Hello. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be on this podcast.
Deborah: I'm very excited to hear what you have to say, because I'm one of those people who are just trying so hard to sleep and not quite getting there. So what is sleep medicine?
Dr Usha Nandhini: So sleep medicine is a medical specialty, which is focused on diagnosing and treating a broad range of sleep disorders, which includes sleep apnea, insomnia, nightmares, sleepwalking, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and circadian rhythm disorders. So most of these specialists, they train in internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, or neurology during residency. And after completing residency, they complete a fellowship program in sleep medicine.
Deborah: Okay. That gives us a good idea. So what interests you about this area of medicine?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I think it is a fascinating field of medicine that is rapidly evolving. Studying sleep and sleep disorders is very exciting as each individual has a unique sleep architecture. What's also very interesting is how sleep profoundly impacts one's emotional and physical wellbeing and getting a good night of sleep is on everyone's wishlist. And helping patients feel better by addressing their sleep issue is highly rewarding and wonderful.
Deborah: Absolutely. Now, when should someone consider seeking help from a sleep medicine doctor?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I would say if someone has a particular problem with sleep, which has been going on for awhile or does not get the quality or quantity of sleep they need to feel rested and energetic during the day, which impacts either their health and/or daily functioning. In that case, one might want to consider seeing a sleep specialist. The good news is that many sleep disorders can be resolved or mediated with the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Deborah: And that is good news indeed. What can you help patients achieve?
Dr Usha Nandhini: So, sleep disorders are very common and they can have significant long-term consequences, such as increased risk of heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, mood disorders and obesity if they're left untreated. By evaluating and managing sleep disorders and educating patients on their sleep hygiene practices, I can help them achieve a good quality sleep, which will lead to increased productivity at work, improved mood and relationships and better long-term health.
Deborah: Okay, that's fair. Now, you work with patients ages three and up. What's unique about working with patients so very young?
Dr Usha Nandhini: So, one of the unique things about working with the pediatric age group is working with a family, not just with an individual. Their sleep symptoms are different from adults. It requires a detailed evaluation from the family to understand what's normal and what's not. And it requires tailoring one's approach to the parents' and the child's needs and finding a team solution.
Deborah: Can you tell us, Dr. Nandhini, three things we can do to get a more restful night's sleep?
Dr Usha Nandhini: Absolutely. I think it's a very long list, but I'll try and stick to three.
Deborah: Okay.
Dr Usha Nandhini: First would be stop watching TV and turn off or put away any electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, iPads, at least an hour before heading to bed. Second would be to stick to a sleep schedule, to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. And also, I know it can be very hard, but also to try to be consistent even on the weekends. And third one would be to avoid heavy or large meals and alcohol two hours before bedtime. Even though alcohol can make you sleepy, it is known to cause sleep disruption.
Deborah: Absolutely. What about reading books before bed?
Dr Usha Nandhini: Books before bed, absolutely. It's known to calm a person down and other than screen, any books is usually recommended before bedtime as long as it's not too stimulating. Definitely something soothing and calming, including reading books or taking a shower before bedtime is known to help people get a good night of sleep.
Deborah: What about liquids?
Dr Usha Nandhini: Liquids, I would recommend to stop drinking water or other liquids an hour before bedtime to avoid getting up and going to the bathroom often at night. And if somebody does feel very thirsty right before going to bed, they can just take a few sips instead of drinking lots of water right before going to bed.
Deborah: Right. And what is a normal amount of times to get up during the night?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I would say that two to three times is okay. But as long as when they do get up in the middle of the night and when they come back to bed, if they're able to fall asleep, that's fine. But if it's taking them a long period of time to go back to sleep, like more than 20 minutes and it takes an hour, then that would be something we need to evaluate further of why it is taking somebody so long to fall back to sleep when they do wake up in the middle of the night.
Deborah: Sure. Understandable. Is there anything else you'd like to add to our conversation?
Dr Usha Nandhini: I would say that I firmly believe that practicing good sleep hygiene is quintessential in getting a night of restful sleep.
Deborah: I couldn't argue with that. That's for sure. Well, Dr. Nandhini, we so appreciate your time and everything you do to help us get a better night's sleep. I'm feeling better already. Thanks so much for being with us today.
Dr Usha Nandhini: Thank you so much for having me here today and giving me this opportunity to be a part of this podcast and bring awareness about sleep medicine.
Deborah: It was absolutely our pleasure. And you can learn more about this subjects, providers and services at Pullman Regional Hospital online at pullmanregional.org and under Our Services, you can find Palouse Sleep Medicine. This has been The Health podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host, Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day. .