A highly trained, multi-disciplinary team of physicians and staff who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.

About Us

The Sleep Center at Galion Community Hospital provides a safe, compassionate and cost effective environment where sleep disorders can be diagnosed and effective treatment recommended by highly trained sleep professionals. Testing is performed in private, home-like sleeping rooms.

The Sleep Center staff is a highly trained, specialized team of sleep professionals under the direction of a board certified sleep specialist. Our team includes sleep technicians, registered nurses, respiratory therapists and board certified medical consultants. We bring neurology, pulmonology, psychiatry and internal medicine backgrounds into our practice of sleep medicine, so you will guaranteed that we are providing a most well-rounded approach. Patients are treated on an outpatient basis. Physician visits and follow-up care are provided at the clinic.

Assessment and Sleep Testing

After you have had a thorough evaluation with one of our sleep specialists, we will determine whether or not you need sleep testing, call polysomnograpy. Sleep studies are performed in a private, comfortable home-like sleeping room. We encourage you to bring your own pillow and pajamas. You may also want to bring a book or magazine to read. When you arrive for testing you will be greeted by a sleep technician who will explain the procedure and prepare you for your study. The technician will also attach electrodes to your head, legs, chest, abdomen and under the nose to monitor various brain wave and muscle activities while you sleep.

Diagnosis and Treatment

With the information obtained during your initial consultation and the many pages of data that will be gathered during your sleep study, our sleep specialists will determine if you have a sleep disorder. Once you have been properly diagnosed, our sleep specialists will devise an effective treatment plan that works with your life to help you get a good sleep at night.

Many People Suffer:

Did you know that more than 40 million Americans have chronic, debilitating sleep disorders? As a matter of fact, there are over 84 classified sleep disorders --- all of which are diagnosable and treatable. So, if you are suffering with a problem related to sleep, you are not alone.

Statistics show that many sleep disorders go undiagnosed, and therefore, untreated. Not only do untreated sleep disorders leave their sufferers feeling very sleepy and fatigued, they impair concentration, memory, emotional stability, problem solving ability and basic cognitive ability. There are negative health consequences, too. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and even congestive heart failure.

Additionally, excessive sleepiness, the kind caused by a sleep disorder, is to blame for many accidents. Sleepiness --- something we wrongly seem to consider normal in today's society -- increases the risk of accidents at home, at work and on the roads. Believe it or not, sleepy drivers can be compared to drunken drivers in terms of accidents and fatalities. Further, it may surprise you to know that all of the major industrial accidents of the 20th century have been blamed, in part, by excessive sleepiness. The Challenger, Exxon Valdez, Three-Mile Island, Chernobyl, all caused by human error --- impaired human judgment as a result of extreme sleepiness.Believe it or not, recent evidence shows sleepy drivers can be compared to drunken drivers in terms of accidents and fatalities.

Signs and Symptoms

Even though many of us lead hectic, fast-paced lives, with the proper amount of quality sleep, you should be able to fall asleep at the end of the day and rise after a good night's sleep ready to face the next day. Sleep disorders, however, will keep you from it. Listed below are just some of the signs of a possible sleep disorder:

* daytime sleepiness
* night sweats
* irritability
* headaches
* personality change
* dry throat upon awakening
* mood swings
* arousals with choking
* memory problems
* chest pain
* restless sleep
* shortness of breath

 

Do you have a sleep disorder?

   
Yes
No
1. I have been told that I snore.
2. I have been told that I hold my breath while I sleep.
3. I have high blood pressure.
4. I have been told that I am grumpy and irritable.
5. I wish I had more energy.
6. I wake up with headaches.
7. I wake up gasping for air.
8. I wake up with chest pain.
9. I wake up with a dry mouth.
10. I have difficulty with nasal breathing at night.
11. I nod off easily during the day.
12. I become sleepy while driving.
       
  For questions 1-12, I answered YES _____ times.    
       
13. I have difficulty falling asleep.
14. My mind races when I'm trying to fall asleep.
15. I worry about things and have trouble relaxing.
16. It is more than 30 minutes before I fall asleep.
17. I often feel sad or depressed because I can't sleep.
18. Even before bedtime, I worry I won't sleep.
       
  For questions 13-18, I answered YES _____ times.    
       
19. I have trouble concentrating at work or school.
20. When I laugh, my muscles go limp.
21. When angry or surprised, my muscles go limp.
22. I've felt paralyzed upon waking in the morning.
23. I remember dreams during my daytime naps.
24. I have dreamlike episodes while I am awake.
25. I have fallen asleep while driving.
26. I've fallen asleep at work, movies, parties, etc.
       
  For questions 19-26, I answered YES _____ times.    
       
27. I wake up with an acid/sour taste in my mouth.
28. I wake up with a sore throat.
29. I have heartburn at night.
       
  For questions 27-29, I answered YES _____ times.    
       
30. Late in the day, my calves or thighs ache.
31. While relaxing, my calves or thigh ache.
32 For leg relief, I walk, shower or bathe.
33. My legs jerk before I fall asleep.
34. I've been told my legs jerk while I am sleeping.
       
  For questions 30-34, I answered YES _____ times.    
       

Are you at risk? Add up your results to find out.

Questions 1-12: If you answered YES to three or more questions, you have symptoms of SLEEP APNEA, a potentially serious sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing many time throughout your sleep.

Questions 13-18: If you answered YES to three or more questions, you have symptoms of INSOMNIA, a persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Questions 19-26: If you answered YES to three or more questions, you have the symptoms of NARCOLEPSY, a disorder that causes extreme desire to sleep during the day, regardless of the rest you may have acquired during the night.

Questions 27-29: If you answered YES to one question or more, you have symptoms of GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX.

Questions 30-34: If you answered YES to three or more questions, you have the symptoms of RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROM or PERIODIC LIMB MOVEMENT DISORDER.

Let us help you

If you have symptoms of a sleep disorder, we can help. Contact us and we'll arrange an initial consultation to get you on the way to a good night's sleep.

 

Phone: (419) 468 - 0864
  The Sleep Center
  269 Portland Way South
  Galion, Ohio 44833