Sleep Disorder Services

Forty million Americans are chronically ill with some type of sleep disorder. An additional 20 to 30 million suffer from intermittent sleep-related problems. If you or someone you know has a sleep/wake problem, the Sacred Heart Sleep Disorders Center can help.

The Center is fully accredited and is one of the most up-to-date sleep facilities in the region. To arrange an appointment, you must be referred by your physician. Health insurance plans recognize office evaluations and treatment at the Center as outpatient services. Our staff will be happy to help you in understanding your insurance coverage.

What You Can Expect

Initial Office Visit
Upon referral by your physician, a preliminary interview, review of your sleep history, and physical examination will be performed. It is best to bring along your spouse, since he or she is often the best source of information.

Sleep Study
If additional testing is necessary, you will be scheduled for one or two overnight sleep studies in the sleep center. Sleep Disorders Center technologists will monitor you and record the data.

Interpretation of Data
Information from your night’s sleep will be hand-scored and analyzed by computer. Your sleep physician will review every page of the study.

Diagnosis
The Sleep Disorders Center team of technologists and physicians will work together to diagnose the nature of your sleep problem and then treat it.

Patient Care and Follow-Up
A follow-up visit will be made with the sleep specialist to review the results of your studies. A physician will explain your treatment options and answer your questions.

Evaluation and Sleep Studies
Most patients are treated on an outpatient basis and typically spend two nights in the Center. The accommodations are designed to produce a comfortable, homelike feel. The Center’s computerized diagnostic equipment records and documents more than 1,000 pages of data while you sleep, providing complete information for an in-depth evaluation the next day. In most cases, you will be evaluated during your normal sleeping hours. Using painless monitoring devices, Sacred Heart’s sleep specialists will monitor your brain waves, eye movement patterns, breathing patterns, snoring, muscle activity, blood oxygen levels, EKG and heart rate, and cardiac rhythm. Some evaluations require daytime testing using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). For this, 20-minute naps will be documented up to five times during the day.

Treatment Plans
After a diagnosis has been established, treatment may include behavioral modification, medication, surgery, or the use of devices which open the upper airways and allow easier breathing. Treatment is tailored to each patient and based on the result of the entire sleep evaluation.

Symptoms That Signal Sleep Disorder

Sleep Apnea
• I’m told I snore loudly.
• I’m told I stop breathing when I sleep.
• I’m sleepy during the day, although I slept the previous night.
• I have come close to falling asleep while driving.
• I’m told I am a restless sleeper and that I sweat excessively during the night.
• I have high blood pressure.
• I often awaken with headaches and/or dry mouth.
• I’m losing my sex drive.

Narcolepsy
• I’m sleepy during the day, although I slept the previous night.
• When I’m angry or surprised or when I laugh, I feel week or limp.
• I have trouble concentrating in school.
• I have trouble at work due to sleepiness.
• I have experienced vivid dreamlike scenes on falling asleep or awakening.
• Sometimes I feel unable to move when I’m waking up or falling asleep.

Insomnia
• It takes 30 minutes or more for me to fall asleep.
• Thoughts race through my mind when I’m trying to fall asleep.
• I wake up during the night and can’t go back to sleep.

Restless Legs Syndrome
• The muscles in my legs are tense, even when I’m relaxed.
• I’m told that I kick at night.
• I have aching/crawling sensations in my legs.
• I have leg pain at night.
• Sometimes I can’t keep my legs still at night.
• Although I sleep at night, I’m sleepy during the day.

These disorders can be successfully treated with the care and guidance of a sleep specialist.