Sleep Disorders Center
We do the treatment. You do the rest.
Diagnosing sleep disorders
Are sleep disorders serious?
Ruling out physical illness
What can be done about sleep disorders?
A visit to the Sleep Center
Results
How to order Sleep Diagnostics
Our medical staff
Specific sleep disorders
Contact Us
Diagnosing sleep disorders
Saint Mary's Sleep Disorders Center can help patients who:
- Have trouble falling or staying asleep
- Have trouble staying awake or suffer from excessive sleepiness
that interferes with their daily activities
- Have unusual sleep-related behaviors and movements
- Have trouble with snoring or irregular breathing during
sleep
- Have a problem with leg kicking or jerking during the
night
Are sleep disorders serious?
Yes. 20 to 40 percent of the American population has some
type of sleep disorder. Most are not serious, but some can
be life threatening. Excessive daytime sleepiness may also
cause poor work performance, memory problems, and social embarrassment.
In short, sleepiness or excessive sleepiness can impair the
enjoyment of day-to-day living.
Ruling out physical illness
Medical conditions, medications, or psychological disorders
may cause sleep disturbances. Examples of medical conditions
that may disrupt sleep include the pain from arthritis or
conditions associated with diabetes and congestive heart failure.
Things we eat and drink can keep us awake as well. Alcohol,
caffeine, nicotine, diet pills, and some prescription and
over-the-counter medications can also cause sleep problems.
 What
can be done about sleep disorders?
Saint Mary's Sleep Disorders Center is a medical facility
designed to help patients who have trouble getting enough
quality sleep or who have trouble staying awake. The physicians
and other trained professionals at the center are experienced
both in sleep-related disorders and in diseases to which sleepiness
contributes. With expertise and modern technology, these specialists
help patients' primary care physicians diagnose and treat
patients who have sleep related problems.
A Visit to the Sleep Center
Before a patient spends the night in the Sleep Lab, he or
she will first see a sleep physician at the clinic who will
complete a comprehensive medical history and rule out physical
illness or other factors as the cause for the patient's sleeping
problem. If the physician decides a sleep study is in order,
the patient will come to the lab to spend the night. The bedrooms
have a relaxed, home-like atmosphere and are equipped with
television, radio, fan and air conditioning.
Results
Results of the sleep study are reported to the referring physician,
and the patient is seen for follow-up in the clinic if the
sleep physician deems it necessary for treatment.
How to order sleep diagnostics
The Sleep Disorders Center is made available to patients by
physician referral only. Patients may be scheduled by calling
616-685-6330 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Saint Mary's Health Care's Sleep Disorders Center
is located on the third floor of the medical office building
attached to Saint Mary's Health Care at 260 Jefferson.
Our Medical Staff
- R. Obo Addy, MD, Medical Director
Sleep Medicine, Clinical Neurophysiology, Psychiatry
- Timothy E. Daum, MD
Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine
- Steven Fitch, MD
Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine
Specific Sleep Disorders
- Insomnia: trouble falling or staying asleep; can
be caused by psychological conditions (like chronic depression
or temporary stress), environmental conditions (such as
noise), or physiological conditions (like pain or chronic
breathing disorders). Insomnia can also be caused by a change
in the sleep-wake rhythm (such as shift work) or by the
misuse or overuse of sleeping pills.
- Narcolepsy: People, who feel excessively sleepy
during the day and feel muscular weakness when they are
angry, surprised, or amused may have narcolepsy. Narcoleptics
sometimes have terrifying dreams or hallucinations just
as they fall asleep. This disorder often emerges in young
adulthood and is a life-long medical problem.
- Sleep Apnea and Snoring: Heavy snoring can be a
symptom of a serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea.
People with sleep apnea stop breathing again and again during
sleep. These apneic episodes may last 10 to 90 seconds and
can occur hundreds of times each night.
- Periodic Limb Movements. People who have excessive
movements during sleep may not get proper rest.
- Nightmares and Night Terrors: Though they often
disappear after adolescence, nightmares may occur at any
age. This may be a sign of a serious disorder. Sleep evaluation
is used to determine whether a physiological or biological
condition triggers the episodes.
- Sleepwalking and Sleeptalking: These disorders
are common in childhood but can occur in any age group.
Sleep evaluation is helpful to determine whether the troublesome
behavior is benign or a sign of sleep related epilepsy or
other problems.
- Breathing Problems: When patients have chronic
breathing problems or lung disease, their symptoms often
worsen during sleep. Complete evaluation of such respiratory
diseases requires measuring blood oxygenation during sleep.
Contact Us
Saint Mary's Sleep Disorders Center
260 Jefferson SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
Phone:616-685-6330
Email: The Sleep
Disorders Center |
