Sleep Lab
The Sleep Lab at Barnesville Hospital is a comprehensive, outpatient sleep program designed to diagnose and treat sleep disorders under the direction of board-certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist Sunil Sharma, MD, and board-certified neurologist and sleep medicine specialist Gurmeet Singh, MD.
We provide a variety of sleep studies to help diagnose your condition and develop a treatment plan to improve your quality of sleep. We offer patient education and a follow-up program to address any ongoing needs you might have.
The Barnesville Hospital Sleep Lab is recognized for excellent patient care with accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Why do I need a sleep study?
If your doctor recommends that you receive evaluation for a sleep disorder, a sleep study is a safe, noninvasive medical test that provides valuable information to your physician about the issue you’re experiencing. A sleep study monitors your breathing, heart rate, and other measurements that can help your doctor develop a treatment plan for your sleep disorder.
What kind of sleep study do I need?
Our sleep medicine specialists may recommend a specific sleep study based on your individual condition, including:
- Polysomnogram – evaluates snoring and sleep apnea (periods of interrupted breathing).
- Continuous positive airway pressure study – similar to a polysomnogram, but you wear a mask fitted around your nose and/or mouth and a technologist introduces a stream of air into your airway to help you breathe and sleep comfortably.
- Multiple sleep latency test – evaluates excessive daytime sleepiness and narcolepsy and determines how long it takes you to fall asleep with monitored naps throughout the day.
- Maintenance of wakefulness test – evaluates your ability to stay awake and is an important test
for pilots, long-haul truckers, and others who need to be alert for public safety. - Home sleep apnea test – a simplified breathing monitor tracks your breathing and oxygen levels. An overnight sleep study provides much more detailed information.
What happens during a sleep study?
Your sleep study will begin around 10 or 11 pm and will end anywhere between 5 to 7 am. Testing is done on an outpatient basis, and you will have a private room with a television and bathroom. The room is monitored with a video camera and a telecom, so that you can communicate with the sleep technician.
The night will begin with some paperwork and questionnaires to help with treatment. You’ll change into your sleep attire, and the sleep technician will discuss information regarding common sleep disorders and treatments and apply several monitors for recording sleep functions. This process is painless, and patients may watch television or read during the setup procedure.
The sleep study setup includes placing electrodes on the face and scalp with a paste that will wash off easily in the morning. Two breathing sensors are taped to the area between the nose and upper lip to monitor breathing. These sensors do not block the airways. Three adhesive electrodes are attached to the upper chest and shoulder blade to monitor heart rate and rhythm. Two electrodes are taped to each leg to record all leg movements that occurs throughout the night. A cloth belt will be placed around the chest and the abdomen to monitor breathing. These belts are not restrictive and easily fit over clothing. A probe is also placed on a finger to record the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Once the sleep study ends, the sleep technician will disconnect all the wires. The results of your sleep study will be given to one of our board-certified sleep medicine physicians for interpretation. The results will be available during your follow-up visit with your referring physician.