Sleep Medicine

Mobile Infirmary and Thomas Hospital offer comprehensive sleep therapy services. Our goal is to help diagnose and treat patients who have trouble sleeping so that they can return to getting the rest they need to get the most out of life.

The Purpose of Sleep Medicine

Sleep medicine involves the study and treatment of sleep disorders that affect the ability for your body to get rest. Specialists in sleep medicine will conduct tests to see the cause of your sleep disorder, usually through a monitored sleeping session, and then recommend a course of treatment.

Common sleeping disorders include:

• Narcolepsy
• Insomnia
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Sleepwalking and talking
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Restless leg syndrome
• Sleep apnea
• Delayed sleep phase
• Bruxism
• Other sleep related conditions

In order to diagnose these conditions, sleep specialists usually use a variety of tests to determine what is occurring while the patient is sleeping. Two common forms of diagnostic testing include polysomnography and home sleep apnea tests.

Polysomnography

Polysomnography tests are sleep studies designed to provide comprehensive data as to what occurs during your sleep to diagnose any sleep disorders you may have. Usually conducted at a hospital or specially designed clinic, this test takes measurements of your brain, heart rate, breathing and body movement as well as recording the amount of oxygen in your lungs.

The purpose of the test is to record how your sleep cycle to see if there is anything wrong. Usually, such a sleep study is recommended if your physician believes that you suffer from:

• Sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Chronic Insomnia
• Other unusual behaviors during sleep

Home Sleep Apnea Tests

A home sleep apnea test allows you to sleep at home and still provide your doctor with the information necessary to diagnose sleep disorders. This type of test allows you to set up the equipment at home and measures your breathing and blood oxygen levels. While not guaranteed to provide data of the quality as a sleep study, such a test still provides first-hand data to your doctor.

Our Sleep Medicine Services

Our sleep studies are specifically designed to ensure your sleep disorder is diagnosed and treated. In our sleep studies, each patient is placed in a private suite where they are monitored for sleep stages, respiration, body function, heart rate and blood oxygen levels. The monitoring consists of electrodes on the outside of your body and is not invasive. The results of these test will be sent to your physician so you and he can decide what treatment is best for your condition.

We Can Help You Sleep

Infirmary Health’s centers are accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and are full-service facilities so that they can provide the best possible service to their patients.

For more information, call (251) 435-1200.