Sleep Medicine
Sleep medicine is the study, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with disorders affecting sleep and daytime alertness. The most common sleep disorders are sleep apnea and insomnia. Others include snoring, narcolepsy, sleepwalking and sleep-related seizures.
The Center for Sleep Disorders at Good Shepherd diagnoses sleep disorders through polysomnography (PSG), a procedure that monitors and records blood oxygen levels, heart and respiration patterns, sleep stages and body movements. A Polysomnogram is commonly used to diagnose a variety of conditions such as Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder, insomnias, nocturnal seizures, etc. The Center evaluates the sleeping functions of the body to determine the causes preventing normal, restful sleep.