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An estimated 40 million Americans suffer from a sleeping disorder, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
The St. Alexius Sleep Center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). An accreditation by the AASM assures quality patient care through clinical evaluation and treatment as well as following worldwide accepted standards in diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.
The Sleep Center at St. Alexius Medical Center is a warm and relaxing place, consisting of six “suites”. These soundproof suites are furnished with a queen size bed, and with comfortable bedding, to ensure an environment most similar to the patient’s bedroom.
There are 84 different sleeping and waking disorders but some of the most common are:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea – a group of disorders characterized by cessation of breathing during sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness and frequent nighttime awakenings. Treatment often includes the use of a device to assist breathing known as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) as well as some types of surgery, depending on the severity of the sleep apnea.
Narcolepsy – a disease characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and irresistible sleep attacks. These episodes may last from seconds to minutes and occur two to six times a day. In addition, the narcoleptic may have episodes of lapse of consciousness accompanied by automatic behavior, followed by amnesia.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) – a condition in which one experiences unpleasant sensation in the legs and feet, especially at night. Often, patients complain of crawling, tingling, aching, stabbing, heaviness, or pins and needles sensation in one or both legs and even arms, usually when lying down or sitting.
Insomnia – the inability to sleep at a time when the person expected sleep to occur. The difficulty may be in either falling asleep or remaining asleep, or both. The disorder may be primary or secondary to some other illness, condition, or circumstance.
Parasomnia – abnormal behavior or movement during sleep such as sleep walking, talking in one’s sleep, nightmares, and bedwetting.
Some of the tests performed in the Sleep Center include:
Polysomnography (PSG) is an overnight test used to help diagnose and evaluate a number of sleep disorders. A PSG generally includes monitoring of the patient’s airflow through the nose and mouth, respiratory effort, electrocardiogram (EKG), blood oxygen level, electroencephalogram (EEG), electro-oculogram (EOG), snoring, body position, and submental electromyogram (EMG).
Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is a series of naps given the day following a PSG which does not show evidence of sleep disorder. This test is used to determine the level of sleepiness or inability to stay awake.
Maintenance of Wakefulness (MWT) is used to assess the severity of sleepiness in patients complaining of excessive daytime sleepiness. This test is performed during the day. The patient is asked to stay in a darkened room and asked to relax and try to stay awake and avoid napping.
Actigraphy is the use of instruments sensitive to movement, typically worn on the wrist, to record activity over time. Activity levels correlate with sleep/wake patterns, pain level, mood, energy expenditure, fatigue/alertness and other quantifiable parameters.
The Sleep Center is located on second floor next to Specialty Clinics. If you have any questions related to sleep, or the St. Alexius Sleep Center, please feel free to contact the Sleep Center at 530-SLEEP (7533) or click here to visit the Sleep Center website.
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