Upon arriving at our sleep center, you will be introduced to all the features of our facility.
We will ask you to complete some paperwork, and your insurance copayment will be
collected. Next you will change into your sleep clothes if you are not already dressed for
bed. Your sleep technologist will explain the procedure and prepare you for bed. You will
have wires or electrodes placed on your head, face, neck, chest, legs, and hand to
measure your brain waves, heart rhythm and rate, respiration, blood-oxygen level, and
movements. These will be secured with a gel/cream adhesive, tape, gauze, or cotton.
The whole procedure takes about one hour.
While the wires can seem a bit cumbersome at first, most patients are surprised at how
easily they are able to fall asleep. It's these wires that will give us all of the necessary
information to find out what is happening behind the scenes physiologically as you
sleep.
We try to keep our appointment times as close to your normal sleep time as possible.
Some patients find it beneficial to read or listen to music prior to sleeping. However, this
test is comprehensive and we are limited in the amount of time that you are asleep. The
more sleep time you have, the more data we have. And the more data we have, the
more accurate the test result.
Unfortunately, there are no televisions in the individual sleep rooms. The sound and light
generated by the TV affects the results of the study. We have a television in the waiting
area for use before and after your test.
If you need to use the restroom or get out of bed for any reason during the night, a
technician will assist you. Although there are many wires, they all attach at a central
connection to the monitoring device. The technician can easily attach and detach the
wires at the connection, giving you the ability to move about the office freely.
We are an accredited facility and carry a 2-to-1 patient-staff ratio. There can be up to 4
other patients and up to 4 staff members here with you during your test. Each patient
has his/her own room.
We want you to feel as comfortable as possible while you are here in our office, and we
can accommodate a companion if you need one. You can make arrangements to have
someone stay in your room with you or in a separate room. But for the accuracy of your
study, that person cannot sleep in the same bed.
While you sleep, the wires attached to your skin send signals to the computer. Your
technician monitors these signals to ensure accurate recording, and to document
variances or changes in the signals throughout the night.
There are a number of sleep disorders we can detect during a sleep study. These
include sleep walking, REM Behavior Disorder, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder,
obesity hypoventilation, and many other conditions. Most patients who visit the Zeeba
Sleep Center are here for sleepiness related to possible Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Syndrome (OSAS).
OSAS occurs because when we sleep, we lose muscle tone. This causes the
tissues in your mouth, nose, and throat to collapse into your airway. As
you try to breathe against these tissues, they vibrate. This is what
causes snoring. The greater the vibration, the louder and more often you snore.
If the tissues block enough of the airway, your breathing can be
significantly reduced or even stopped. These episodes may last a few seconds
or a few minutes, and can repeat many times throughout the night. You to
wake up briefly, resume normal breathing, fall back to sleep, and start
the cycle again. Most people aren't even aware they're having breathing
problems or waking up.
Yes. The repeated awakening causes daytime sleepiness, fatigue and even
short-term memory problems. The lack of breathing can also lead to
heart, lung and brain problems, including heart attacks and strokes.