Center for Sleep Disorders Where to Turn. When You’re Tossing
At the St. Agnes Hospital Center for Sleep Disorders, you’ll find highly-trained medical professionals, certified in diagnosing and treating sleep-related disorders and diseases. The most advanced technology, including digital computer sleep-monitoring systems.
And, because many sleep disorders can be influenced by other health concerns, fully-trained specialty consultants- with certification in Behavioral Health Services, Dietary Services, Durable Medical Equipment, Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Family Medicine, Neurology Services, Psychiatry, Respiratory Care and Social Services – are available on an as-needed basis.
Just as important, you’ll be working with the same friendly, caring team of medical professionals from diagnosis all the way through treatment. In one place, close to home.
Isam Habib, MD, FCCP, a board-certified internal medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine specialist, serves as the medical director for the St. Agnes Hospital Center for Sleep Disorders. He is joined by Elliott Phillips, MD, a board-certified sleep specialist.
Helping You Rest…Easy
If you think you – or someone you love – may have a sleeping disorder, your physician or healthcare provider can refer you to our center. We’ll review your medical records and your symptoms, and determine what course of action is needed.
Your First Visit
Once you’ve been evaluated by one of our expert physicians, you may spend one or two nights at the center to record your sleep characteristics. So you’ll feel right at home, our sleep rooms include a recliner, television and private bathroom.
Besides these “creature comforts,” each room has advanced equipment to monitor sleep patterns, breathing, oxygen saturation, heart activity and body movements. These recordings (called polysomnograms) are used to diagnose your condition.
Once the polysomnograms are evaluated and interpreted, a treatment may be prescribed to begin for the remainder of your stay at the center.
For More Information
To find out more information about the Center for Sleep Disorders at St. Agnes Hospital, 430 E. Division Street, Fond du Lac, ask your physician or healthcare provider. Or call (920) 926-5020, or (800) 922-3400, extension 5020.
Common Sleep Disorders
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is characterized by non-breathing episodes during sleep, which may occur as many as several hundred timed each night. Sleep apnea accounts for 60 to 80 percent of sleep disorders.
Symptoms While Asleep:
• Loud irregular snoring, snorting, gasping for breath
• Sudden body movements before the persons starts to breathe again
• Excessive sweating during sleep
• Irregular beating of the heart when gasping for breath
Symptoms While Awake:
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Complains of insomnia
• Rapid weight gain
• Confusion, headache, or brief memory loss upon awakening
• High blood pressure
• Impotence
• Personality changes
• Family/interpersonal problems
• Poor job/school performance
• Poor mental concentration
Insomnia
Insomnia is a persistent difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep. Chronic insomnia may be caused by a number of factors:
Causes of Chronic Insomnia:
• Poor sleep habits
• Psychological problems
• Extended use of sleep medication or drugs
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Disruptive sleeping and waking schedules
• Natural process of aging
Physical Causes of Chronic Insomnia:
• Sleep apnea
• Nocturnal myoclonus – involuntary leg movements or jerks during sleep
• “restless leg syndrome” – involuntary leg movements or leg cramping while falling asleep
• chronic pain – arthritis, migraines, any persistent physical pain
• gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn) – gastric acid backing into the esophagus
• nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, bed wetting
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a life-long neurological illness, characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks and persistent daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy may be a hereditary condition.
Narcolepsy Symptoms:
• excessive daytime sleepiness (minutes to hours)
• uncontrollable sleep attacks
• cataplexy – muscular weakness triggered by an extreme emotional response
• automatic behavior – doing routine tasks without conscious thinking
• sleep paralysis – inability to move when falling asleep or waking up
• hypnagogic hallucinations – dream-like experiences which occur between wakefulness and sleep that appear to be real
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