Sleep Lab

Why is sleep important?

Sleep is a restorative process that affects nearly all aspects of our lives - our health, alertness, memory, energy level and emotions. Everyone experiences sleep difficulties from time to time, however when you have persistent trouble staying awake, staying asleep or feeling refreshed during the day, you probably have a sleep disorder.

How do I know if I have a sleep disorder?

The South Hampton Community Hospital Sleep Center is designed specifically to test for sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea. Some sleep disorders are treated with behavioral techniques; others require various types of medication. Proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment can greatly improve daytime performance and general health.

If it is indicated, the patient may be scheduled to spend the night in one of our Sleep Disorder Centers to complete a sleep study called a polysomnogram. Specialists observe, record and evaluate sleep patterns with a series of monitoring devices. The study helps our sleep specialists diagnose the problem and formulate a treatment plan. If the first is positive for sleep apnea, a second study will be performed with CPAP to correct the disorder.

The majority of studies performed in the sleep laboratory are full-night recordings of a sleeping patient's breathing pattern, heart rate, oxygen saturation, muscle tone, and brainwaves. Analysis of this information can be very useful to the clinician in determining the true nature of a patient's sleep complaint.