The Sleep Lab

Adequate sleep is essential for physical and mental restoration, which contribute to overall health. If you snore, suffer from insomnia or experience daytime sleepiness, you may have a sleeping disorder. Poor sleep can cause irritability, depression, difficulty concentrating and has been linked to heart conditions and high blood pressure.

Better life through better sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) afflicts more than 20 million Americans of all ages and accounts for 80 to 90 percent of all sleep disorders. OSA occurs when the breathing passageway collapses during sleep, causing partial or complete blockage. Breathing stops hundreds of times during the night, depriving the sleeper of vital oxygen and creating a serious health danger. Sleep quality progressively declines over time, resulting in mood change, depression, memory loss, weight gain, impotency and headaches.

Primary Symptoms
The main symptoms of sleep apnea are loud, habitual snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. Other symptoms include light sleeping, frequent awakenings and gasping for air. Your loved ones can best help you pinpoint the problem. Ask them how loud you snore and whether you frequently kick and turn during the night. They also may have noticed mood or behavior changes that you have not.

Step One: Sleep Study
A sleep study can help diagnose sleep apnea and other disorders. Conducted in a relaxing, homelike environment, the study monitors the activities of a slumbering patient throughout the night. A sleep technologist attaches small, adhesive metal discs called electrodes to the scalp, chin and outer edges of the eyelids to measure changes in brain waves, eye movement, heart rate, muscle tone and breathing patterns. Flexible elastic belts placed around the chest and abdomen also gauge breathing, and an apparatus that fits over the finger tracks heart rate and blood oxygen levels. These devices cause no discomfort and do not hamper movement. The technologist uses special equipment in a nearby room to record all activities.

Treatment Options
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a highly effective therapy for sleep apnea, involves wearing a mask over the nose during sleep. An air compressor gently forces air through nasal passages and into the airway, holding the windpipe open and allowing normal breathing and sleep. Supplemental oxygen, rarely prescribed for sleep apnea alone, may be added to the CPAP system to raise low oxygen levels related to lung or heart disease.

Surgical removal of excess tissue at the back of the throat may resolve sleep apnea.

It is possible to get a restful night’s sleep with the right diagnosis and treatment. For more information, please contact the Sleep Lab at Wyoming Medical Center. Call 307-577-2833.

The Sleep Lab
245 S. Fenway St.
Casper, Wyoming 82601
307-577-2833
1-800-877-7201, ext. 2833