Most everyone can agree: there is nothing better than a great night’s sleep.
However, a poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that 60% of Americans said they experience a sleep problem every night or almost every night. Get the rest you need to feel your best at work and at home. Sleep loss can cause serious problems in your life and affect your mood, memory, performance and health.
Let Windom Area Health's Respiratory Therapist help keep you rested. For more information, give us a call at 507-831-0647.
In-Facility Sleep Studies
Windom Area Health offers sleep studies here at the hospital, close to home. We partner with SomniTech and your physician to conduct the study. Steps include:
- Initial exam and referral by a physician.
- Schedule sleep study locally at Windom Area Health.
- Arrive at the hospital in the late evening, abstaining from alcohol, caffeine and naps for periods prior to the study.
- Bring pajamas and other night time rituals (books, pillows, and TV are allowed).
- A sleep technician will be assigned to the study; electrodes are placed on the body and scalp to monitor sleep.
- The technician will monitor the patient through the night with the study concluding between 5-6 a.m.
- Results are sent to the referring physician.
- Abnormal results may result in further testing, a CPAP or other treatment.
Home Sleep Testing
Home Sleep Testing (HST) is an easy, cost-effective way to measure and record your breathing patterns while you rest in the comfort of your own home. Data collected supplies your provider with information needed to diagnose sleep apnea.
HST provides your physician with the information needed to diagnose and manage sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea.
Contact your physician to initiate a Home Sleep Test.
Sleep Apnea
Signs and Symptoms:
- Loud Snoring
- Witness episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Awakening with a dry mouth
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (hyperinsomnia)
- Difficulty paying attention while awake
- Irritability
If you or, or someone you know, experiences any of the above symptoms of sleep apnea you may want to visit with your healthcare provider regarding these symptoms.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles that support the soft tissues in your throat, such as your tongue and soft palate, temporarily relax. When these muscles relax, your airway is narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off.
Central Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea (less common form of sleep apnea) occurs when your brain fails to transmit signals to your breathing muscles. This means that you make no effort to breathe for a short period. You might awaken with shortness of breath or have a difficult time getting to sleep or staying asleep.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a self-administered questionnaire with 8 questions. Respondents are asked to rate, on a 4-point scale (0-3), their usual chances of dozing off or falling asleep while engaged in eight different activities. Most people engage in those activities at least occasionally, although not necessarily every day. The ESS score (the sum of 8 item scores, 0-3) can range from 0 to 24. The higher the ESS score, the higher that person’s average sleep propensity in daily life (ASP), or their ‘daytime sleepiness’. The questionnaire takes no more than 2 or 3 minutes to answer.
Download, print and fill out the form to the right or track your answers on a separate piece of paper. If your total is above 11, please reach out to your provider to discuss potential sleep issues.Â
If you have questions and would like to speak to a Respiratory Therapist at Windom Area Health, call 507-831-0647.
Windom Area Health is an Accredited Sleep Site
Windom Area Health provides Home Sleep Testing through a referral from your physician. We use Apnea LinkAir monitors, which is a Type III HST recording device that monitors nasal airflow, snoring, oxygen saturation, pulse and respiratory effort. We are affiliated with the Sanford Sleep Disorders Center in Sioux Falls, SD. We meet the AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) and the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) guidelines and are accredited with the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).
