GVMH Updates Sleep Lab Equipment

Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare would like to announce that the Sleep Lab recently installed all new computers and amplifiers.  This new equipment will enhance patient testing and provide more detailed patient reports.  Some estimates say that nine percent of all males and four percent of all females in the U.S. have some form of sleep disorder. 

Untreated, sleep disorders can greatly affect daytime functioning.  Some sufferers awaken with headaches; others may be irritable and forgetful, sometimes finding it difficult to concentrate for the rest of the day.  With our new equipment, we are able to diagnose various sleep disorders by correlating physiological measurements with the patient’s body movements.  When the patient comes to the Sleep Lab, a technician places sensors on different parts of the body.  These sensors measure heart rate, brain wave patterns, muscle activity, leg and arm movements and eye movement, which indicate the stage of sleep.  An elastic band with gauges is strapped around the chest and abdomen to monitor respirations.  Pulse oximetry is used to measure oxygen levels during sleep, an important indicator of sleep apnea.  People with sleep apnea actually stop breathing for several seconds, then strenuously gasp for air hundreds of times a night. 

The new computers in the Sleep Lab record each measurement and display all recorded measurements together so that all signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea can be correlated with each other.  For more information on sleep testing call GVMH Respiratory Care at 890-7194.