The importance of sleep to a human's overall health and well-being can't be overstated.

Both a societal problem and an individual problem - both a cause and an effect - sleep disorders are fairly common. But the good news is that at its most basic level, quality of sleep can be improved through relatively minor adjustments and common-sense measures.

"We have absolutely made progress in this area," said Masood Ahmad, a physician who is certified in sleep medicine and pulmonary disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. "We understand sleep apnea better. We're diagnosing more cases, and we're managing them better. Now people understand it better. Everyone knows sleep is important."

Ahmad practices sleep medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Sleep Lab at 1575 Highlands Drive, Lititz. The sleep lab evaluates, assesses, diagnoses and provides personalized treatments for individuals experiencing a wide range of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, sleepwalking, sleeptalking, insomnia and restless legs syndrome.

"We send patients to the sleep lab to diagnosis their sleep disorders," said Ahmad. "We have to do the sleep studies to see how they sleep. Most of the times it's nighttime studies for sleep apnea, but sometimes we do studies to see how sleepy they are during the day. We want to see how many times they stop breathing, how they maintain brain activities, how quickly they fall asleep and how quickly they get to REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. We look for body movements. We have to see what state the apnea is in. We coordinate all of those things, and then from the correlation we make a diagnosis."

With assistance from sleep technicians, typically nighttime studies are performed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. at the UPMC Sleep Lab. Ahmad refers patients to the sleep lab, examines the results of the studies and also helps treat patients who have been referred by other physicians.

"If someone comes to me and tells me, 'I can't sleep,' I have to pinpoint the problem," said Ahmad. "I'll ask them, 'What's your history? What's your specific problem? When you sleep, what happens?' Some patients have multiple problems."

"Some people can't sleep because of behavior problems, like TV and cellphones," continued Ahmad. "I'll recommend managing stress better and not watching blue light one hour before bedtime. I'll tell them to exercise regularly, no caffeine before bed, no snacks before bed and try not to nap during the daytime. These are common recommendations."

Ahmad recommends at least seven hours of sleep a night for adults and as much as 10 hours a night for children.

"It should be quality sleep, deep sleep when you get to all of the sleep stages," said Ahmad. "There are all different levels of sleep apnea, and for most sleep apneas, they should be treated by a CPAP (a machine that delivers a constant flow of pressurized air during sleep). If it's something simple and there is no excessive daytime sleeping, we tell patients to simply lose weight. If you lose 10% of your body weight, you may lose 50% of your sleep apnea. If you lose 20% of your body weight, then there's a good chance you may not have it."

According to Ahmad, up to 20% of the national population has experienced sleep disorders. Sleep disorders are more common in men, people who have allergies or sinus issues and people with obesity, and there are genetic factors involved with their frequency.

"I think it's still underdiagnosed," said Ahmad. "(Sleep disorders are a) risk factor for cancer. Sleep apnea is a risk factor for stroke. Sleep apnea is a risk factor for dementia and other diseases. It affects your immunity. It can produce hypertension, which leads to heart disease."

Because he practices what he preaches, Ahmad is his No. 1 patient.

"Nine p.m. is bedtime, and 5 in the morning is when I get up," said Ahmad. "I wake up at 5 every single day, even on weekends. If you keep regular hours, you'll get better sleep. I'm a good sleeper. I sleep well."

For additional information, go to http://www.upmc.com/locations/hospitals/lititz/services/sleep.