How Can A Sleep Clinic Help You?

Do you find yourself spending all night tossing and turning and generally unable to sleep well? Or have you been told that you snore loudly and you sometimes have trouble breathing at night? These symptoms could potentially be indicators of a sleep disorder. In fact, it’s estimated that around 40 million Americans are regularly suffering from sleep disorders, many of them undiagnosed.

People who have self-reported having trouble sleeping have largely been associated with increased risks for cardiovascular diseases and related deaths. If you voice these concerns regarding sleep deprivation to your physician he or she will likely refer you to a sleep clinic (also known as a sleep lab). When you check into a sleep clinic you will be going in to receive a diagnostic test in order to ascertain the particular sleep malady that’s affecting you.

Depending on the severity of your disorder, you may have to stay at a sleep clinic for more than one night. Entering a sleep study is a relatively easy process and you’ll be allowed to go about your life normally, i.e. you can go to work and perform your daily behaviors. This simulates how you would typically go about your lifestyle and will help give accurate data for your analysis.

The study itself will likely take place at the sleep clinic, where electrodes will be stuck to various parts of your body including your head, eyes, chin, and chest to monitor your vital signs during your slumber. Attached to the other end of these electrodes is a computer for recording brain waves that indicate your sleep phase, eye movements (including REM sleep), muscle tension, and breathing patterns. Each of these is a necessary measurement to get an accurate sleep diagnosis.

If you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) might be a necessary treatment method for you. The CPAP machine increases the air pressure in your throat to prevent the obstruction of air. It may involve a mask covering your nose and mouth, nose only, or contain prongs that get inserted up your nose. A physician who oversees the majority of work done by technicians may not be present during the overnight procedure, though this shouldn’t worry you; the technicians are experienced in their field and will be conducting all the tests. The physician will subsequently interpret your results and inform you of both the severity of your condition and potential options.

Sleep clinic technicians might wake you up or they may let you wake up naturally, do not be alarmed if this happens, it’s all part of the procedure. Upon conclusion of the study the next step would be to go about your life and wait until a doctor reads your data to analyze it.You will get a call back to return to the clinic so that you can discuss your results to complete the diagnosis. Talk to your physician today if you think a sleep clinic might be able to help you get a better night’s sleep.