Addressing Sleep Disorders: One Patient’s Success Story

Sleep disorders affect millions of people — from insomnia and sleep apnea to restless legs syndrome. They can disrupt daily life, impact mental and physical health, and increase the risk of chronic illness. Yet many people struggle to identify the root cause, or put off getting help. Bill Yohnka, a patient of the Riverside Sleep Center, knows that feeling firsthand.

Taking the First Steps

Yohnka had assumed his sleep issues were minor — mostly just some snoring. Living alone, he hadn't realized how serious things had gotten until he went on vacation with friends. Concerned for his health, they urged him to look into it. He made an appointment with his physician and got a referral for a sleep study.

"He said, 'Let's think about what you need to do for this next chapter of your life to be healthy.' That was really a great conversation and led to a path of things to do over the course of a few months to get there," Yohnka shares.

The first step was an at-home sleep study, followed by an overnight study at the Riverside Sleep Center. While Yohnka was anxious about the in-center experience, he was pleasantly surprised.

"I was just amazed by how comfortable everything was. I thought it was going to be a terrible night's sleep being hooked up to all those wires and things. It was actually a really good night's sleep because I was getting air in my lungs," he says. "And the crew here — wow. It wouldn't have been so easy if they hadn't had the way about them where it was calming and just very comfortable. I really appreciated everyone."

No One Should Have to Suffer With Poor Sleep

Yohnka's advice to anyone living with a sleep disorder: talk to your doctor and get the process started — even if the idea of a sleep study feels intimidating. Poor sleep can be addressed, and you don't have to just live with it.

"All I wanted was to just make it better all on its own. That's not how that works. Making the call and then the appointment and then having that day on the calendar so I knew I was doing something helped. My mind started to be eased as soon as I had that appointment on the calendar."

Struggling with poor sleep can become routine — so gradual that you stop noticing how much it's affecting you, until someone else points it out. He recalls longing for the days when a good night's rest left him energized and ready to take on the world.

"I felt like I could do that again. I'm excited moving forward. This isn't just something that happens as you're aging. You can make these days in front of you the best of them," Yohnka says. "I really encourage people to do what they can to get their sleep figured out and then make it happen."