Sleep Diagnostic Services
Sleep is essential to your health, safety and quality of life. If you are not getting enough sleep or you are having difficulty sleeping, talk with your doctor and get help. Most sleep problems and sleep disorders can be diagnosed and are treatable in safe and effective ways. Sleep disorders may affect any age group (including children) and can lead to serious health problems. The Southern Ohio Medical Center Sleep Center can help you rest easier.
Are you:
- Having difficulty concentrating or making decisions?
- Experiencing drowsiness when you drive or are engaged in other activities?
- Feeling moody or irritable with others?
You may want to complete a quick and helpful questionnaire called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to rate your level of daytime sleepiness. Visit the National Sleep Foundation website to take this 8 question test. You will get immediate results.
What we do
Patients are referred to the Sleep Disorders Center by their physicians. Sleep studies are conducted in a private, home-like room. State-of-the-art EEG equipment and closed-circuit television record sleep patterns, breathing heart activity and bodily movements. There are three procedures utilized by the Sleep Disorders Center to evaluate patient symptoms.
Nocturnal Polysomnograms (NPSG)
This test is performed between the hours of 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The test is used to rule out sleep apnea, insomnia, night terrors, nocturnal desaturation, periodic leg movements (PLM) and other conditions of disruptive sleep.
Electronic monitoring devices are applied to the various portions of the patient's anatomy that record EEG activity, respiratory effort, muscle tone, oxygen saturation, as well as other physiologic parameters deemed necessary.
Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)
This procedure is performed during the daytime hours between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. This procedure is used to rule out narcolepsy, excessive daytime sleepiness and other conditions of excessive sleepiness.
This procedure always precedes an overnight PSG. The procedure is a series of naps that occur at regular intervals throughout the day. The patient is monitored throughout the process and EEG activity is recorded. Sleep latencies determine the severity of the patient's excessive sleepiness.
Nasal CPAP/BIPAP Therapy (NPSG.CPAP)
This is the primary source of treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. This therapy consists of the use of a small machine with a mask that fits over the patient's nose. The machine forces air through the mask creating an airway splint allowing the patient to breathe without experiencing apneic episodes and thus allowing a more natural sleep pattern.
The results of these procedures are interpreted by the medical director. Your physician will receive a final written report with the medical director's interpretation and any recommendations for follow-up procedures. Treatment may involve learning relaxation techniques or surgery to remove obstructions in the nose or throat. Drug therapy and/or machines to assist patient breathing at night may also be recommended.
This page last updated on September 30, 2005
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