This is an overnight test to record several body functions during sleep, including brain activity, eye movement, blood oxygen levels, heart rate and rhythm, breathing rate and rhythm, the flow of air through your mouth and nose, snoring, body muscle movements, as well as chest and belly movement to determine respiratory effort. This combination of data allows us to diagnose a multitude of sleep  disorders to increase the overall health and quality of life of our  patients.

For patients who test positive for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the most effective and least invasive therapy is PAP.  This stands for Positive Airway Pressure. 
CPAP is most commonly used, and this stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.  This therapy acts as a pressure stint to keep the airway open for patients who have difficulty breathing properly during sleep. 
This therapy increases ventilation and oxygenation to take the workload off of the heart and allow for a deeper more restorative sleep.  For this therapy to be most effective, the proper pressure for each patient must be identified.  Each patient is different in the same way a patient may need a higher or lower dosage of a medication than the next person.  This study is to find to most effective pressure for a patient based on how their body reacts to each pressure.

This test uses EEG to measure how long it takes you to fall asleep, as well as whether or not you enter REM sleep during the naps.  This is a common tool for diagnosing Narcolepsy.

We want you to be as comfortable as possible.  Please feel free to bring anything you would bring to a hotel as this is more of a hotel like atmosphere than a hospital room.  Also, feel free to bring any personal blankets or pillows you may have an attachment to.

No, unless your physician specifically prescribes it.  We try to make this as close to your normal sleep as possible.  Obviously, there are going to be some glaring differences, however, we would like you to stick to your normal routine as much as possible.  Continue to take your typical medications and try to do the things you would normally do aside from caffeine, alcohol, etc.

You should arrive at approximately 8:30-9:00pm.  Upon arrival you may be asked to fill out some paperwork and the technician will allow you to acclimate to the facility.  Electrode will be placed on your scalp for EEG monitoring using a conductive paste with the consistency of vaseline, we do not use glue.  There will be a few electrodes placed on your face for chin and eye measurements, your legs for leg movement, your chest for ECG, and one on your finger for oxygen saturation.  We use a combination of this data to diagnose and treat a multitude of sleep disorders and issues.

Unfortunately there is no cookie cutter way to look at sleep.  There are over 80 different sleep disorders and each patient can present differently.  You may very well be doing damage to your body in the form of hypertension, heart disease, insulin resistance, weight gain, and various other underlying issues you wouldn’t actual “feel” or attribute to a sleep disorder.

FOR ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL (281)946-9288