Download Grove Hill sleep Solutions Sleep Center Patient information

Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center
Patient information What to expect the night of your scheduled test……. Upon arriving for your sleep study, the sleep technician will show you to your room. The testing rooms are private and have private restroom facilities. The sleep technician will collect your paperwork and ask you to fill out a pre­sleep questionnaire about the events of your day. You will also be asked to sign a consent form giving the sleep center permission to conduct the study. The technician will be available to help you with the paperwork if you need assistance. When your paperwork is completed, you may relax and watch television or read if you so desire. The technician will let you know when to change into your sleeping attire. We ask that you please change clothes in the restroom because cameras are located in the bedroom area. The technician will begin the process of placing the monitoring equipment on your body after you have dressed for bed. The technician will clean the areas where the electrodes will be placed prior to placing the electrode on your skin. There will be electrodes with paste placed onto your scalp and face. The paste is water soluble and washes off with soap and water. There will be adhesive electrodes placed on your chest to monitor your heart and on each leg to monitor leg movements during the night. The technician will also place belts around your chest and abdomen to monitor your breathing effort. In addition to the belts, there will be another sensor to detect breathing placed on your upper lip. Your blood oxygen level will be monitored with a sensor that is worn on your finger. Once the equipment is on, you will be given another opportunity to relax if you so choose. You will be able to walk and move around with the equipment on because the electrodes connect to one source which will not be connected to the computer system until the study begins. Please inform the technician if you have any pain or discomfort due to the equipment. Every attempt will be made to adjust the equipment to make you more comfortable. Despite all of the equipment, most patients are able to sleep as well as they do at home.
Studies generally begin before 10:30 pm. If you would like to go to bed earlier then 10:30 pm, inform your technician when you arrive at the sleep center. The technician will ask you to try to sleep on your back during the night, however, you will be able to move to a different position if you are not comfortable. If you need assistance during the night or if you need to use the restroom, you can call out to the technician and they will come in and assist you. You will be able to go to the restroom with the equipment on. We normally wake patients at 5:30 am. If you need to be awakened earlier than 5:30am, inform your technician before the study begins. Insurance requires a minimum of six hours of recording time. After the study, you will be asked to complete a few questions about how you slept and your thoughts about your experience at the sleep center. You will be able to shower and get ready before you leave the center. The technicians will not be able to give you any information about your sleep study. Your study will be reviewed and interpreted by our sleep physician. This process usually takes about ten business days.
Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center Patient instructions prior to your appointment….. 1. Please arrive at your scheduled time. We will not be able to accommodate patients before 7:45 pm 2. Please keep a regular sleep routine prior to your appointment. Avoid taking a nap the day of your sleep study. 3. Please shower and wash all hair products from your hair prior to your arrival. Do not use any oils or lotions on your face, chest, or legs immediately before your appointment. 4. Males are asked to be clean shaven (where you normally shave) upon arrival for testing. 5. Patients are discharged between 6:00 am and 7:00 am. Please arrange for transportation if you do not plan to drive yourself. 6. This is not an invasive procedure. You will be able to drive the morning after your study. 7. Avoid using any alcohol or caffeine after 2;00 pm on the day of your test.
Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center What to bring with you to your appointment….. 1. A current list of your medications 2. If you take any medications at night or in the morning, please bring them with you. This includes any medications that you may take for sleep. No medications will be provided by the sleep center. 3. Your completed questionnaire and signed consent form that was included in your packet. We will not be able to conduct your test until this information is completed. 4. Insurance cards. We will need to make a copy for your chart. 5. Please bring any snacks that you may require during your stay. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase from the vending machines located in the main lobby. 6. Bring something comfortable to sleep in. The technicians will need to place electrodes on your chest and legs. Please wear something that allows easy access to these areas. Sleeping nude or in underwear is not acceptable. 7. You may bring a pillow or another familiar item from home if it would make you more comfortable. 8. You will be able to shower the morning after your study. A hair dryer, linens, soaps and shampoos are available for your convenience. Please bring any other personal items that you may need.
Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center What is Sleep Apnea? During a normal sleep cycle, you fall asleep in stages. Your body goes through five sleep stages that begin with drowsiness, advancing to a light sleep, drifting into a deep sleep, and ending in the fifth stage called Rapid Eye Movement (REM). If you have sleep apnea, your body stops breathing for a few seconds during this sleep cycle. Your system signals that there is a lack of oxygen and jolts you awake to kick start your breathing. So, your body has to start the sleep cycle again. This may leave you feeling very tired the next day. You may not even notice or remember that you awoke during the night because it happened so quickly, but in most sleep apnea sufferers, breathing starts and stops several times. Some patients can even experience hundreds of episodes a night. There are different reasons why breathing may stop during sleep, and those reasons help classify sleep apnea as either… · Central sleep apnea In individuals suffering from central sleep apnea, the brain does not signal the chest muscles to work during sleep, and breathing stops. · Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea. Patients with OSA breathe normally, but the air is momentarily blocked from entering the lungs because the upper airway collapses during sleep · Mixed sleep apnea This type of sleep apnea is the most complex to treat. In mixed sleep apnea, the brain periodically fails to trigger breathing, and when the sleeper does try to breathe, he or she can’t because the upper airway has collapsed. During OSA and Mixed Sleep Apnea, the upper airway collapses. The upper airway is a floppy tube supported by muscles, and it runs from the mouth to the lungs. When you lay down to sleep, your muscles relax. With gravity at work, it’s natural that the airway narrows when you lie down, but in some people, it narrows too much. When the person breaths in, the air struggles to get through the narrowed passage and as it squeezes through, the air tube rattles. The noise that is created is what you hear when a person snores. Many sleep apnea sufferers are also snorers.
The airway may also become blocked if you have an abnormally large uvula, tonsils, or tongue. The structure of your jaw and airway, and even an obstruction in the nasal passages, such as nasal polyps, can cause breathing problems during sleep. Fat in the neck can also push on the throat and narrow the airway too much when you lie down. When the airway is blocked and breathing stops during sleep, you are momentarily choked or asphyxiated, and the sudden drop in oxygen level causes carbon dioxide levels in the blood to rise. The body tries to protect itself from harm by making the heart work harder to move the remaining oxygenated blood through the body. So, your heart rate increases too. As a result, sleep apnea can cause……. · · · · · · High blood pressure Heart attack Stroke Impotence Irregular heartbeat Heart disease The condition is most common in individuals who are overweight, or snorers, and The older you are, the greater your chances of becoming affected by sleep apnea. Symptoms can often go unnoticed for a long time because they are not specific during the day, and at night, the sleeper may not even realize that he or she is waking up to resume breathing. Symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe, and may include…… · Unexplained heart or respiratory · Daytime sleepiness and fatigue failure · Difficulty concentrating · Chest retractions (sunken chest) – seen in children · Poor memory · Excessive perspiring during sleep · Personality changes · Reduced libido · Depression · Rapid weight gain
· Morning headaches · Dry mouth upon awakening · Sore or dry throat · Frequent night­time urination · Waking several times during the night Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center What is the connection between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiac Disease? Obstructive sleep apnea, potentially deadly phantom, is the frequent stoppage of breathing caused by relaxed tissues in the throat during sleep. Snoring is caused by vibrations of the relaxed throat tissues and is often the precursor or companion of sleep apnea. People with coronary artery disease whose blood oxygen level is lowered by sleep­disordered breathing may be at risk of ventricular arrhythmias and nocturnal sudden death. CPAP treatment may reduce this risk. Sleep disordered breathing, including apnea, may cause coronary artery disease and hypertension. Some of the research suggests that apnea may indeed be a cause of heart disease. · Congestive heart failure affects 2.5 million Americans, about 10% of the population. · 10% of men and 5% of women are estimated to have sleep apnea · In obstructive sleep apnea, often marked by snoring, the right side of the heart may suffer damage because it has to pump harder to support the extra effort of the lungs trying to overcome the obstruction to the airway · Several obese patients with both obstructive sleep apnea and heart failure were treated with CPAP, the usual treatment for sleep apnea. Marked improvement was seen with increased energy and lessened fatigue, lower blood pressure, and a more positive outlook as a result of treatment. · Central apneas may cause high blood pressure, surges of adrenaline, and irregular heart beats. Central apnea occurs without snoring and is not caused by airway obstruction; rather it is caused by the failure of the brain to signal for a breath. How can I find out if I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea? Diagnosis is made on the basis of the clinical picture, patient, bed partner, and/or family member reports and an overnight polysomnogram.
Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center What is a polysomnogram? A polysomnogram is an overnight recording in a sleep lab of all your sleep activities. These activities include brain waves, muscle movements, eye movements, breathing through your mouth and nose, snoring, heart rate and pattern, and leg movements. Information is gathered using small discs called electrodes, belts placed around your chest and abdomen, a sensor placed on your finger, and electrodes placed on your chest and a few on your face. None of these devices hurt and they are all designed to be as comfortable as possible. The rooms at the sleep center are all private and decorated somewhat like a standard home or hotel bedroom. Each room has a television and bathroom. If I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, what are my treatment options? · CPAP ( Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ) The “gold standard” treatment accepted by physicians, who specialize in sleep medicine, is positive airway pressure. This is so because it is the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. The CPAP consists of an air compressor, a tube, and a mask that covers the nose. The compressor blows air into the airway preventing the airway from collapse while you are sleeping. This form of treatment can often provide immediate resolution of your OSA. · Intra­oral Fixation Device ( Oral appliance) The intra­oral fixation device is designed to gently move the lower mandible forward. Studies have shown positive results in at least a subset of patients. This device is custom made by a dentist who specializes in the treatment of sleep apnea. Once fitted, the device must be adjusted to eliminate as many apneas as possible. SURGERY · Tonsillectomy In children, the problem is most often large tonsils that meet in the midline and block the airway. If this is the cause, a tonsillectomy will most likely resolve the OSA.
· Repositioning the jaw When the problem is caused by a jaw that is set back too far. (the long term effect of this procedure is not known) · LAUP surgery ( laser assisted uvulopalatoplasty) Removal of shortening of the uvula, removal or tonsils, and sometimes shortening of the soft palate. This procedure may eliminate snoring without preventing OSA. · Tracheostomy The creation of an opening in the lower part of the throat below where the airway collapse occurs. This opening is plugged during the day so that normal speech is possible and open during the night so that normal breathing is possible. · Straightening of the septum, turbinectomy and/or UPPP (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) These procedures may diminish the number of OSA events but may not resolve the condition completely. These procedures have bee shown to be effective in the resolution of primary snoring.
Grove Hill sleep Solutions
Sleep Center My doctor told me to avoid exacerbating factors. What are these? Exacerbating factors are events or activities that contribute to the severity of your sleep disordered breathing. Some of these events or activities are listed below. · Weight – Excessive weight brought about by a sedentary lifestyle, too many rich foods, or by medically related situations such as retention of weight after delivering a child or thyroid problems are probably the leading factors contributing to Obstructive Sleep Apnea ( OSA). In a large percentage of patients, weight loss ( aided by exercise – if not medically contraindicated ) down to ideal body weight has reversed the process. · Smoking – Cigarette smoking causes swelling of the mucous membranes in the nose, swelling of tissue in the back of the throat, and blockage of small vessels in the lungs. · Alcohol – Alcohol causes too great of a relaxation of the airway during sleep. · Organization of sleep and wakefulness across the week. There are two periods of sleep, given the right circumstances, are especially vulnerable to the development of sleep­disordered breathing. These are stage I sleep, which should only occur when a person is first falling asleep but which can occur many times during the night if sleep is poor. The second is REM sleep which is the time when dreams most frequently occur. If a person, for instance, goes to bed at 10 pm and awakens at 5 am each workday, but then waits until several hours later to go to bed and wake up on non­work days, both stage I and REM behave oddly. This problem with REM and stage I is also true if on some days of the week, a person just does not get enough sleep, and then on other days of the week, they try to make up for it by sleeping longer. To prevent this, try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day of the week.
Other factors affecting quality of nighttime sleep · · · · · · · · A disruptive bed partner A baby or child waking you up Daytime stress or aggravation Sleeping during the day Excessive use of caffeinated products Room too hot or too cold Ambient light Use of medications that effect sleep Medical problems: Anything that leads to the blockage of the nose, throat, or the lungs potentially play a role in the development of sleep disordered breathing such as: · Allergies to airborne particles such as pet dander · Dryness in the nose because of a wood burning stove or other heat in your home. · Deviated septum · Large tonsils · Large adenoids · Excessive amounts of fatty tissue · Enlargement of some of the complex tissues at the back of the throat · Lung problems related to childhood asthma through emphysema · Can be a symptom that results from hypothyroidism · Can be a symptom that results from diabetes