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- Do you wake up feeling more tired than when you went to
bed? Do you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness or morning headaches? Do you keep
your family awake by snoring? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be
suffering from a sleep disorder.
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- A recent poll found that 30-35% of all Americans have some
type of sleep related disorder. The effects of sleep disorders range from mere nuisances
to life threatening problems. Sleep disorders can play a role in high blood pressure,
heart disease, diminished work productivity, and strained family relationships. A diagnostic service
is available at Medical Center Hospital -- sleep studies for the diagnosis of sleep
related disorders. Sleep studies are offered on an outpatient basis.
A
patient may be referred to the Lab for Sleep Disorders by any physician who suspects their
patient suffers from a sleep disorder. Once the patient is referred to the MCH Sleep
Lab by a physician for a polysomnogram (sleep test), they arrive in the early evening.
They complete a questionnaire and then are hooked up to an EEG monitor that will indicate
their sleep patterns. Sleep disorder testing may involve monitoring and recording the
patient's brain waves, eye movement, heart rate, breathing, and muscle movement. The
results of the tests are then used to prescribe the best treatment program for the
patient. An individual may also contact the Lab
directly, which will then direct them to a pulmonologist for initial evaluation. All
patients who are tested in the Lab are first seen by a physician who is a sleep
specialist
Treatment of sleep disorders varies depending on the
diagnosis. Some forms of treatment available at MCH include medication therapy; the
application of mechanical devices; surgery; and relaxation techniques.
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