Healthy Sleep for the Rest of Your Life

Somnus Services …..

Somnus Sleep Clinic is a fully certified sleep center by the standards of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. This is a full clinic treating patients with any sleep disorder, including sleep apnea, insomnia, sleepiness, sleepwalking, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, and shift work sleep disorder. Somnus provides a wide variety of treatments for sleep disorders, including medication, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, and the following sleep lab services.

A polysomnogram (also know as a PSG) is an overnight sleep study. A PSG is useful in the diagnosis of several sleep disorders, especially obstructive sleep apnea.

Before the test begins, our technicians spend about 45 minutes applying the painless electrodes, sensors, and monitors to the patient.

EEG Electrodes on the scalp are used to monitor brainwaves. Electrodes are also applied to the chin to measure muscle tone and next to the eyes to monitor eye movements. These 3 sets of electrodes are used to determine stage and depth of sleep.

Electrodes are attached to the lower legs to monitor for the leg movements that characterize the disease Periodic Limb Movement Disorder.

To monitor breathing, airflow monitors are placed at the mouth and nose. The monitor at the nose is similar to an oxygen cannula. Belts are placed across the chest and abdomen to detect respiratory effort. These belts are useful in distinguishing between the 2 types of sleep apnea. An oximeter is placed on one finger to detect decreases in oxygen, which are common in obstructive sleep apnea.

Several electrodes are applied to the chest to monitor heart rate and rhythm.

Many patients ask if is possible to get up in the middle of the night during a PSG. It takes a technician only about a minute to help the patient wrap the wires around his neck and get out of bed. Then the patient can easily walk around

A PSG lasts about 8 hours. After the procedure is finished, it takes about 10 minutes to remove the electrodes and sensors. A shower with plenty of shampoo is necessary to remove the electrode gel from the hair.

CPAP Titration is simply a polysomnogram (PSG) with CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device. This test is required if sleep apnea is diagnosed. Typically, this is a full night of study performed after a preliminary PSG. A CPAP device delivers pressurized air through soft plastic tubing to a nasal mask or nasal pillows. The pressurized air gently opens the patient's throat and breathing passages, allowing them to breathe normally while asleep.

This test is designed to measure a patient's degree of sleepiness. The MSLT is a daytime study (usually after the patient has already undergone a polysomnogram) and features a series of up to 5 naps, each lasting usually less than 30 minutes, each nap timed to start every two hours during the day. The purpose of an MSLT is to determine the average time it takes the patient to fall asleep and to assess if REM stage sleep occurs during these short naps.

MSLT is particularly useful in diagnosing idiopathic hypersomnolence, diagnosing narcolepsy, helping patients with narcolepsy adjust their medication, or quantifying the degree of sleepiness in a particular patient, such as an OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) patient who is still sleepy despite CPAP treatment.

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