Overview
If a sleep disorder may be keeping you from getting enough rest, treatment begins with a proper diagnosis.
Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital’s fully accredited Sleep Disorders Center has an experienced team of expert, board-certified physicians to evaluate and treat pediatric patients (ages 13 years and older) to seniors.
Overnight sleep testing, which is noninvasive and painless, can diagnose a variety of common sleep disturbances. Our Sleep Disorders Center also offers home sleep testing accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for individuals who qualify.
Diagnostic studies are covered by Medicare and most insurance plans.
If you have symptoms of a sleep disorder, ask your family physician to refer you to our Sleep Disorders Center or call 330.489.1456 for the center at Mercy Hospital or 330.830.6113 for the center at Jackson Urgent and Outpatient Center.
Services
Mercy Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center, accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, provides:
- Evaluation of sleep problems by board-certified sleep medicine physicians.
- Polysomnographic tests, or sleep study evaluations, performed by registered sleep technologists.
- Home Sleep testing for patients who qualify. To learn more about Home Sleep Studies, please visit the “Home Sleep Studies” tab.
- Review of medications/home medical equipment plans, including CPAP machines (continuous positive airway pressure equipment).
- Regular patient follow-up and education.
- Multidisciplinary team approach, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, ear, nose and throat (ENT), dentists, neurologists, pulmonologists and dietitians.
Mercy Hospital Sleep Disorders Center treats the following sleep disorders:
- Sleep Apnea
- Periodic Limb Movement (PLM)
- Restless Legs
- Insomnia
- Narcolepsy
- Parasomnias
What to Expect During a Sleep Test (Polysomnogram)
We offer two sleep disorders testing centers for your convenience — one at Mercy Hospital’s main campus and one at our Jackson Urgent and Outpatient Care.
Our sleep testing usually involves an overnight stay in our sleep lab, where you’ll have your own private room, including a TV, free Wi-Fi, and a private bathroom with shower. Sleep Labs are equipped with the latest technology for sleep monitoring and testing.
Most sleep tests last from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. However, times can vary based on your specific needs. After you arrive at our sleep lab, a certified sleep technologist will affix sensors, or electrodes, to your scalp, face, chest, arms, legs and a finger. This will enable the technologist to monitor your body’s internal activities as you sleep. Your entire sleep study will be monitored by a registered sleep technician and reviewed and interpreted by a board-certified sleep physician.
On the day of your study, you should continue your normal activities, including taking any prescribed medications unless a physician tells you otherwise. However, you should not nap or consume any caffeine after noon.
What to Bring to Your Sleep Study
We recommend that you bring a two-piece set of pajamas or something else you will feel comfortable sleeping in. You should also pack:
- Toiletries
- Any medications you already take at night or in the morning
- Any sleep aids you currently take
Oxygen is available at our sleep labs, if needed.
CPAP Sleep Study
If you are diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the first line of highly effective treatment is a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. To prevent the airway collapse that occurs with OSA, the CPAP’s positive air pressure acts as a splint, keeping your airway open.
Before you receive your own CPAP machine, an overnight CPAP sleep study may be ordered by your physician. As with diagnostic sleep testing, you will be hooked up to electrodes during the CPAP study. The only difference is that you will also wear a CPAP mask. Our technologist will remotely adjust the pressure to eliminate snoring and apnea events.
Based on the CPAP study results, your physician will prescribe the machine and the pressure level that’s most appropriate for you. All CPAP machines must be ordered from a durable medical equipment company of your choice with a physician order.
Your CPAP Machine and Mask at Home
There are several types of CPAP masks. All are effective in treating OSA. Types you can choose include full-face masks, partial masks that cover just the nose, and tubes that go into the nostrils. You can change the type of mask you use after treatment begins. They should be replaced frequently.
Side effects many include nasal congestion, dryness and mask discomfort. However, these issues are easily corrected. Often, an adjustment of the machine’s humidifier or a different type of mask is all that is needed.
Follow-up is very important. Most insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid require follow-up with your physician 31-90 days after treatment begins and yearly after that. Keeping these appointments is often necessary for insurance coverage of the machine.
Home Sleep Studies
Sleep Testing at Home for Qualified Patients
Mercy Hospital offers home sleep studies for those who qualify. Because home sleep studies only detect OSA, you must have a high probability for OSA. Also, certain medical conditions may preclude you from taking a home sleep study.
Symptoms of OSA include frequent loud snoring, gasping and/or choking during the night, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Some physicians also consider neck circumference of greater than 17 centimeters, a body mass index of 30 or higher, and diagnosed hypertension as indicators for a sleep study.
Getting Your Home Sleep Study Equipment
To take a home sleep study, you will still need an appointment with one of our two sleep labs. However, you will not stay overnight. A sleep technician will instruct you on the device and its use. The procedure is simple and safe.
It will be important to ask questions if you don’t understand something. Written instructions will also be provided, and support is available 24 hours a day by phone.
The Results of Your Home Sleep Testing
After you complete a home sleep study, you will need to return the equipment to one of our Sleep Labs where a technologist will download the data collected on the device. The data will be reviewed and scored by a board-certified sleep physician, and the results will be sent to your physician. You will also have the option to go over the results with one of our sleep physicians.
If a physician suspects a false negative with a home sleep study, you may need overnight sleep testing in one of our labs
Our Team
Mercy’s experienced, board-certified sleep physicians provide the very best care for patients who seek treatment for sleep disorders.
- Evaluation of sleep complaints or concerns.
- Discussion of polysomnographic studies.
- Recommendation if further testing or treatment is needed.
- Review of medications/home medical equipment plans.
- Regular patient follow up.
- Offering patient education on sleep disorders.
- Pediatric appointments (ages 3 and above) are available.
Appointments
Our Sleep Labs at Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital and Jackson Urgent and Outpatient Care feature private, homelike bedrooms, each with a double bed, TV and bathroom. An unobtrusive infrared camera pointed at the bed allows the sleep technician (polysomnographer) to observe the patient’s sleep activity even in complete darkness.
Make an appointment at one of our two convenient locations:
ASTEP Program
Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program (ASTEP)
To learn more about becoming a sleep technologist, download the informational flyer here.
For additional information, please contact:
Mercy Sleep Center
1330 Mercy Drive N.W.
Canton, Ohio 44708
330.489.1456
