Trident Sleep Lab

Are you one of the 70 million Americans who suffer from chronic fatigue, snoring or insomnia? These symptons of common unhealthy sleep patterns could be a warning signal of a sleep disorder. The Sleep Lab, a program of Trident Health System, is dedicated to diagnosing and treating sleep-related disorders.

Waking up to a Sleep Disorder

There are a variety of disorders which can affect adults and cause a range of symptoms. When symptoms are identified and diagnosed, the Sleep Lab plays a key role in developing a personal treatment plan. Recognition of these symptoms is the first step in treatment. The severity of a patient's condition can vary greatly with treatment ranging from medication, to surgery, to mechanical devices.

Sleep Apnea: The absence of breathing during sleep for ten seconds or more. It can occur several hundred times a night, causing a shortage of oxygen to the major organs. Fluctuations in blood pressure and serious heart abnormalities can result from sleep apnea. This disorder often intensifies with age and weight gain.

Narcolepsy: characterized by frequent, uncontrollable attacks of drowsiness and sleep throughout the day.

Insomnia: best described as difficulty in falling asleep or maintaining sleep.

Nocturnal Myoclonus: characterized by fragmented sleep, nocturnal myoclonus usually involves spastic leg jerking movements during sleep. Often referred to as PLMD.

Oxygenation Problems: patients with oxygenation problems usually have a choronic breathing problem or lung disease which tends to worsen while sleeping.

Making Time for Appointments: Patients are accepted into the Sleep Lab with a physician referral. During diagnosis, all patients are interviewed by board-certified, pulmonary specialist. Study and interview results with treatment recommendations are forwarded to the referring physician.

Most insurance companies cover the majority of expenses associated with this procedure. Coverage, however, does vary.

Summerville Medical Center outpatient registration verifies insurance coverage before treatment. Sleep studies are scheduled for Sunday through Friday evenings. Trident Sleep Lab is located at Summerville Medical Center.