SLEEP TESTING

OUR PROCESS

We follow a simple, three-step process to diagnose and treat sleep problems.

1. Evaluation

Talk with your primary doctor about your sleeping issue.  Your doctor may recommend an overnight sleep study to help us get a better idea of what may be disturbing your sleep and how to treat it.

2. Overnight sleep study

There are two kinds of sleep studies. There is the traditional sleep study (called a polysomnogram) and the newer Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT).

• Home Sleep Apnea Tests are done just to evaluate patients for the possible diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). It is a test done in the comfort of your own home and involves a limited amount of equipment. It is usually much more comfortable and convenient than a traditional sleep study.
• If your doctor refers you to a traditional sleep study/polysomnogram, relax. We’ll do everything we can to make you comfortable.
  • The Richland Hospital has private bedrooms that are similar to hotel rooms. Most sleep tests are done during the night.
  • A sleep study specialist will place electrodes on your chin, scalp, and the outer edge of your eyelids, which must remain in place while you sleep. These electrodes will measure the time it takes you to fall asleep, as well as the time it takes you to enter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
  • Heart rate and breathing monitors will be attached to your chest. A sleep study specialist will note any changes in your breathing or heart rate.

3. Diagnosis and treatment

After you have completed your sleep study, you will be scheduled to meet with the sleep speciality doctor to review the results and start any treatment that you may need.

Sleep Apnea is a condition that results from obstructed airways in the throat and that causes breathing to actually stop for up to two minutes at a time and as often as 100 – 500 times a night.

• Signs of sleep apnea: pauses in breathing during sleep, excessive snoring, dry mouth, nausea and headaches in the morning.
• Possible Treatments include: weight loss, breathing devices, avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills, or surgery.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)—a condition where people suffer from unpleasant itchy or “creepy-crawling” sensations in the legs while sitting or lying still, especially at night. Those afflicted with RLS say that the uncomfortable feelings are temporarily relieved by stretching or moving the legs, which prevents them from falling and staying asleep.

• Possible Treatments include: finding and treating the underlying cause.

Insomnia—difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, waking up too early or not feeling refreshed when you wake are all symptoms of insomnia. It may be caused by anxiety, depression, altered sleep patterns, breathing disturbances or pain.

• Possible Treatments include: modifying behavior through stress-reducing programs, counseling, increasing relaxation, and recreation time and medication.

Narcolepsy—the overwhelming desire to sleep at inappropriate times or the ability to fall asleep almost anywhere without control. Signs included excessive sleep, muscle weakness, terrifying dreams, feeling paralyzed when falling asleep or waking with strong emotions.