Moore County Hospital District: Sleep Lab.

MCHD SLEEP LAB

A sleep study is a medical diagnostic study, to find out if you are getting a restful night's sleep.

Some medical conditions can interrupt your normal sleeping patterns, without you even being aware of them. These medical conditions never let you reach as deep and restful a state of sleep as you should. As a result, you may never feel completely refreshed when you wake up in the morning. You may feel extremely sleepy during the day. Your energy and concentration levels may be affected. You may have trouble staying awake on the job, at home, or in the car. The only way your physician can find out if you have one of these sleep conditions is to test your sleep during a sleep study.

If you are having difficulty sleeping, if you snore, or if you are extremely tired during the day, you should discuss your sleep patterns with a physician. The physician may decide that you are a good candidate for a sleep study. If so, the study can be scheduled for a date and time that are most convenient to you. In most cases, the sleep study will be covered under your medical insurance.

During the sleep study, the sleep study technician will set up monitoring equipment at your bedside. Then, the technician will attach soft electrode patches to your head and leg, and connect the patches to the monitoring equipment. The technician will also wrap two comfortable air-filled belts around your chest and stomach. You will experience no discomfort during this process.

The monitors will record your life signs - your brainwaves, your breathing, and your snoring while you are asleep. If you have any difficulty sleeping, the monitors will record this difficulty, so your doctor can see it. Likewise, if you have no difficulty sleeping, the monitors will record a perfect picture of your sleep patterns. The sleep study is completely painless.

For more information about sleep disorders or the Sleep lab at MCHD, call the Respiratory Department at 935-7171, Extension 6150.