Housecall

Good sleep is important for your health. In fact, you can't live without it.

"It's one of your body's basic functions," noted Nathan Fuerhoff, director of the Sleep Lab at Columbus Community Hospital. "Your body needs sleep to run properly."

But essential, restful slumber may not be possible if you have a sleep disorder. What's more, such a malady could even hurt your health.

For example, take obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing stops many times during sleep. Untreated sleep apnea can leave you exhausted, accident-prone and less productive. It also may lead to other serious health conditions, like heart problems.

To find out if you have a sleep disorder (see the sidebar on the facing page for warning signs), your doctor might recommend a sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram. Columbus Community Hospital's Sleep Lab can help you with that. CCH performs studies that help doctors diagnose conditions such as sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep-related movement disorders.

Testing in the lab or at home

CCH offers sleep study options both in the lab and at home. A lab specialist can help you decide which option is the best choice.

In-lab sleep study. For an overnight sleep study, you will arrive at the lab around 8 or 9 p.m. A technologist will greet you and explain your test, and then you'll prepare to sleep in one of two comfortable rooms.

"Our rooms are set up very much like hotel rooms," Fuerhoff said. "Each one has its own queen-size, adjustable bed; television; and private bathroom."

Removable sensors may be placed on your scalp, face, chest, legs and one of your fingers. These sensors collect data about your brain waves, heart rhythm, muscle activity and breathing while you're sleeping.

You can bring items from home, such as your sleep clothes and a favorite pillow. The Sleep Lab staff will offer you fans or other comforts to re-create your home environment and help you feel relaxed.

When it's time to doze off, you can sleep in any position you want while a sleep tech in another room monitors your sleep data in real time. At about 6 a.m., the technologist will wake you up and remove the sensors, and you can shower at the Sleep Lab before you go about your day.

Home sleep study. Home sleep studies are primarily for sleep apnea testing. If you are scheduled to have a home sleep test, the Sleep Lab staff will provide a test kit and show you how to use it.

"You'll come in for about a 15- to 20-minute appointment," Fuerhoff said. "We'll go through the test kit and show you each of the three different pieces you have to put on before you go to bed. It's very simple, with easy-to-follow directions."

In general, you will place a cannula device in your nose to measure airflow, wear a chest belt to monitor your breathing and place a sensor on your finger to monitor your heart rate and oxygen levels.

The next day, you'll return the test kit to the Sleep Lab, and CCH staff members will download the data collected while you slept.

Better sleep, better well-being

A sleep medicine specialist will review your sleep study results and prescribe a treatment plan for any disorder you are diagnosed with.

For instance, the main treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which keeps your airways open while you sleep. Lifestyle changes, like losing weight if you're overweight, can often help, too.

In some cases, a medical procedure may be an option. Specialists at CCH also offer Inspire therapy, which uses an implanted device instead of a CPAP mask to help prevent breathing pauses during sleep.

Signs of troubled sleep

• Possible signs and symptoms of a sleep disorder include:
• Excessive daytime tiredness.
• Loud snoring.
• Morning headaches.
• Gasping for air during sleep.
• Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

Talk to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.

Categories: Sleep Lab