Sleep Medicine Specialists at Saint Vincent, who are board certified in Sleep Medicine, are experienced in treating and diagnosing a range of sleep-based disorders and disturbances, among them sleep apnea, insomnia, restless-leg syndrome and narcolepsy.
Most people are not aware that they suffer from a sleep disorder, but the excessive sleepiness or fatigue that results can be debilitating. In addition, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity have all been linked with chronic sleep loss.
Our physicians are trained to recognize symptoms of numerous sleep disorders to identify the problem and execute a treatment plan that best suits the condition of each patient.
Don’t Let a Sleep Disorder Control Your Life
If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, you’re not alone. More than 85 million Americans have trouble sleeping or suffer from a sleep disorder.
Sleep disorders can have a severe effect on your daily life, causing a broad range of symptoms, such as:
Anxiety and depression
Change in mood
Decreased ability to concentrate and complete tasks
Disorientation
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Irritability
Loss of memory
Morning headaches
Get the Treatment You Need
The Sleep Disorders Lab at Saint Vincent Hospital offers a full range of sleep services designed to evaluate, diagnose, treat and help you manage your sleep disorder.
The sleep lab is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and our sleep doctors are board-certified in sleep medicine. The sleep lab itself has eight bedrooms, and we perform sleep studies (polysomnograms) seven nights a week. We also perform pediatric sleep studies.
Testing may involve spending the night in our sleep lab, where experienced technologists monitor and record brain waves, muscle activity, respiration and heart rhythms while you sleep. Our sleep team will then interpret the study results.
If a sleep disorder has been diagnosed, it can be managed through a combination of:
Weight loss
Behavioral therapy
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
Medications
Surgery
Inspire Therapy for Sleep Apnea
Saint Vincent Hospital offers Inspire Therapy for those that suffer from sleep apnea. Click here to learn more about the procedure.
Sleep Center General Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The St. Vincent Hospital Sleep Center is happy to offer sleep studies on Friday and Saturday nights.
While in-lab sleep studies check for sleep apnea, there are a variety of other conditions that can also be picked up during sleep studies done in the lab. Expect to have wires for EEG (brain waves), eye movements, facial movements, EKG (heart rhythm), and leg movements attached. Also expect breathing sensors on the nose, near the mouth, and on the chest and belly.
No. While the sleep lab is housed inside the facility, it is located in a separate area from the inpatient wards. You will be registered upon arrival for the study, then will proceed to the sleep lab on the third floor, which is a quiet area with private rooms equipped with private bathrooms, televisions and regular beds. You will not be in a semi-private room with another patient separated by a curtain, nor will there be any of the usual disruptions to sleep that may happen while admitted to the hospital (IV’s, lab draws, nursing checks, et cetera).
Our sleep center is accredited for pediatric sleep studies (starting in infancy!) and parents MUST accompany their children during the night of the study and will be provided separate bedding in which to spend the study night.
We ask that you show up at 7:30 pm to allow for adequate time for registration and set up of monitors for your test.
Yes! Sleep studies typically end by 6 am at the latest, but if there are circumstances that require you to be woken up early, our staff is happy to accommodate. Most rooms have a private bathroom with a shower so you can get ready and leave for work right from the lab without having to stop at home to get ready.
You may feel free to bring your own CPAP mask to your sleep study if you are happy with it. Otherwise, our sleep technologists will be happy to fit you for a new mask to your liking and provide it for your sleep study (if need be). Each of our sleep center rooms is equipped with a state-of-the-art CPAP machine, so there is never a reason to bring your machine with you to your study.
Unless specifically told not to by the physician who ordered your sleep study, yes! Please note that medications are not provided in the sleep lab, so you will have to bring all of your regular medications with you to take at your usual times on the night of your study.
While many patients find it difficult to get the same quality sleep in the lab as they do at home, we don’t need a good night’s sleep to get good information about how you sleep with a high-quality sleep study. Even four hours’ worth of sleep is enough to take adequate measurements to help guide diagnosis of sleep disorders!
No. There will be registered sleep technologists (RPSGT’s) in a work area of the lab separate from the bedrooms with you on the night of your study. They are available if you need them! For example, you will be able to call them to disconnect your monitors if you have to go to the bathroom during the night. They may come into the room to adjust sensors if need be. Otherwise, no staff will be with you in the room while you sleep. There is no one-way glass looking into the room. Video is recorded during your sleep study for physician review after the study (if sleep talking, sleep walking, et cetera are of concern).
How to Make an Appointment
In order to see a sleep specialist at Saint Vincent Hospital, you must have a referral from either your primary care doctor or a specialist. Once you have a referral, call Patient Access Scheduling at (508) 363-9729 to set up an appointment.
