Sleep Centre

Our sleep laboratory offers sleep apnea patients and others with sleeping disorders, the means to evaluate their sleeping patterns and to diagnose their sleep disorders. Research has shown that untreated sleep apnea is associated with a higher risk of potentially serious health problems, including:

• High blood pressure
• 2- to 3- fold increased risk of heart attack and stroke
• Depression and irritability
• Erectile dysfunction in men

Our Sleep Centre specialises in:
diagnosis of sleep disorders such as snoring, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, periodic limb movements and insomnia, determining correct pressure for patients requiring CPAP and noninvasive ventilation (Bi-PAP), reviewing the effectiveness and pressure for patients already on CPAP or BiPAP and CPAP acclimatization when necessary.

A complete overnight polysomnography or PSG is a comprehensive recording of physical changes and activities that occur during sleep. It is performed at night, and monitors body functions including brain (EEG), eye movements (EOG), muscle activity (EMG), heart rhythm (ECG), and breathing through sensors placed on the face, chest, abdomen and legs. These sensors collect data which are then used to determine the type and severity of the sleep disorder.

Overnight PSG is performed to identify and quantify:

• Suspected sleep apnoea:
  

  Patients with a history of habitual or loud snoring, witnessed apnoeas and marked daytime sleepiness in which there may also be evidence of cor pulmonale, polycythemia or chronic CO2 retention.

  Patients with less obvious symptoms may have episodes of nocturnal choking, apnoeas observed by a partner and the patient may complain of excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue. The clinical picture influences the likelihood of sleep study in this group.

  Patients who present because of snoring but have no evidence of daytime sleepiness, fatigue or cardiorespiratory dysfunction. Occasional apnoeas may, or may not, have been observed. Recommendation of sleep study in these circumstances relies on clinical judgement.

• Nocturnal hypoventilation in association with chronic airflow obstruction, chest wall dysfunction or other respiratory disorders:
  

  In patients with pulmonary or chest wall disorders in whom complications such as right heart failure, secondary polycythemia and alveolar hypoventilation are advancing rapidly or appear disproportionately severe relative to the impairment of daytime respiratory function, the possibility of OSA or sleep related hypoventilation should be considered. This is especially the case if the individual is obese or is known to snore.

  Patients with neuromuscular disorders affecting respiratory muscles or with chest wall deformity often develop sleep related respiratory failure in advance of daytime respiratory or right heart failure. Sleep studies should be considered in this group if symptoms of disturbed sleep, nocturnal dyspnoea, snoring, morning headache, daytime sleepiness or increasing weakness are present. It should also be considered if there are signs of pulmonary hypertension.

• The cause of otherwise unexplained respiratory failure, right heart failure or polycythemia

• Respiratory sleep disorders in non-respiratory diseases known to predispose them to:

  • Obesity (BMI>30)
  • Disorders such as acromegaly (prevalence of 50% has been reported) a sleep study should be a routine investigation
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
  • Difficult to control arrhythmias
  • Difficult to control hypertension

• Other sleep disorders which have shared symptoms of sleepiness (e.g. periodic leg movement disorder, narcolepsy)