Sleep Health

Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively, but only once the condition has been thoroughly and accurately diagnosed. Providence sleep medicine experts can help your doctor determine exactly what factors are preventing you from getting a great night’s sleep.

Sleep is essential for both physical and mental health – it's when your body repairs tissues, consolidates memories and regulates hormones. Getting consistent quality sleep improves focus, mood, immune function and long-term health.

During an initial sleep consultation, a sleep specialist will interview you to learn about your sleep habits. The specialist uses your sleep history to evaluate symptoms such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, daytime sleepiness or fatigue, breathing problems during sleep and other various troublesome behaviors.

Common sleep conditions we treat include:

Breathing problems in sleep, such as snoring or obstructive or central sleep apnea
Circadian rhythm disorders, such as delayed or advanced sleep-phase syndrome, shift-work or jet lag syndromes
Daytime sleepiness, such as narcolepsy, insufficient sleep syndrome or sleepiness resulting from another sleep disorder
Insomnia and difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
Parasomnias and events that occur during sleep, such as sleep terrors, sleep walking, sleep-eating, bruxism and sleep-related seizures
Restless legs syndrome

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes and depression. Providence offers a wide range of treatments to help you sleep better, including:

Devices to help you breathe at night, such as an oral appliance that opens airways or a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine that delivers a steady flow of air
Medications to help you sleep, control anxiety or treat health conditions that may disrupt your sleep
Sleep apnea surgery
Therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help relax your mind and body so you can rest

Sleep apnea surgery

In addition to numerous devices, there are different surgeries that treat sleep apnea. Each has its own benefits and risks. After talking with you and evaluating your airway using special diagnostic methods, your surgeon will recommend the most appropriate treatment for you.

Sleep apnea surgeries include:

Hyoid advancement
Hypoglossal nerve stimulator implant
Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA)
Nasal surgery
Soft palate implants
Tongue advancement
Tongue base reduction
Tracheotomy
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)

After an initial sleep consultation, a sleep specialist may recommend an overnight sleep study for further evaluation. If your sleep study confirms a sleep disorder, our experienced staff will tailor a treatment plan just for you.

A sleep study, or polysomnogram (PSG), is an overnight recording of sleep patterns and behaviors associated with sleep. Sleep studies help determine what stages of sleep an individual achieves and whether any sleep-related abnormalities are present.

Titration study

A person diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be referred to a sleep center for a sleep study with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. A CPAP is the most effective and widely used method of treating sleep apnea.

At the beginning of a CPAP study, sensors are applied to your skin to monitor brain waves, eye movements, muscle tone, breathing patterns and blood oxygen levels. Before you fall asleep, the sleep technologist will place the CPAP mask and make sure it’s a comfortable fit. It’s important to note that the CPAP machine doesn’t breathe for the person, instead it allows the person to breathe at a normal rate.

Daytime sleep studies

Individuals who experience excessive daytime sleepiness or who fall asleep at inappropriate times may be referred by their physician to a sleep center for a multiple sleep latency test or a maintenance of wakefulness test.

Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) - The MSLT is designed to measure how long it takes a person to fall asleep during the course of a day. The MSLT is conducted the day following an overnight PSG sleep study and takes an entire day to administer.
Maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) - The MWT is designed to measure how alert you are during the day. It shows if you’re able to stay awake for a defined period of time.