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Sleep Lab Aids Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea and Other Disorders

Nothing is more frustrating than rising from bed each morning feeling tired and irritable, yet millions of people do. Poor sleep is not just aggravating but can have serious consequences to health and happiness. An entire field of medical practice, called sleep medicine, is dedicated to helping people find that elusive good night’s sleep.

The symptoms of a sleep disorder may be subtle – dull headache, malaise, difficulty concentrating – so subtle in fact that, over time, people who experience these conditions might even start to feel they are normal. In many cases, the person with the sleep problem may deny there is any problem at all, but the spouse knows better. Sleep specialists see it all the time: patients brought in by their spouses who cannot tolerate the snoring or tossing and turning.

The primary care physician is the first place to start for questions about sleep, according to Gregory Gruener, M.D., a neurologist and medical director of the neurodiagnostic lab at Loyola University Health System (LUHS). “Often, problems can be diagnosed simply by getting a detailed patient history,” Gruener said. The physician will ask about sleep habits, recent changes in lifestyle and get input from the spouse on what happens during the night. Sometimes problems are cured by more conscientious attention to sleep hygiene (see sidebar).

In some cases, the physician might recommend a sleep study. LUHS has four sleep labs where patients are evaluated nightly for sleep problems. In a homelike environment separate from the main hospital, patients arrive in the early evening to view a video about sleep studies, get hooked up to non-invasive monitoring equipment, wind down with a book or watch television, then turn in to bed while a technician monitors their sleep.

Obstructive sleep apnea is one problem commonly diagnosed and treated in the sleep lab, according to Abid Khurshid, M.D., a pulmonologist who directs the Center for Sleep Disorders at LUHS. About 4 percent of men and 3 percent of women have sleep apnea. The incidence increases with age and is more likely among people who are overweight or who snore loudly.

People with sleep apnea have difficulty breathing at night because the tissue in their upper airway is a bit more crowded than normal. At night, when their muscles relax, the airway can collapse and cut off breathing for 10 seconds to 20 seconds at a time. The individual may not even be aware, but the spouse notices choking and gasping for air.

Sleep apnea usually is not life threatening because the body has a built-in defense mechanism to wake up if breathing stops. However, people with sleep apnea are at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. The reduced oxygen supply puts a strain on the heart and brain, Khurshid noted.

Sleep apnea usually is easy to identify in the first few hours of a sleep study. At that point, the technician can offer a device known as CPAP, which stands for “continuous positive airway pressure.” It is a small mask placed over the nose that keeps the patient’s airway from collapsing. It is the most successful treatment for serious sleep apnea, Khurshid said. After trying the CPAP, some patients wake up from their sleep studies feeling more refreshed and rested than they have in a long time.

   For more information about Loyola’s Sleep Lab, call (708) 216-5320. To schedule an appointment, call (708) 216-8563. 

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