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Overview
Windham Hospital's Diagnostic Sleep Laboratory is one of the few in the state accredited by the American Sleep Disorder Association.
Using the latest technology to diagnose and treat sleep-related breathing disorders, it is the first eastern Connecticut hospital to offer an accredited sleep lab. These tests help to diagnose sleeping disorders and treat them. In the lab the person sleeps and their breathing is observed and monitored. The polysomnography evaluation is performed by the Computerized Real Time Biological System and records breathing data, pulse oximetry, nasal/oral air flow, tracheal noise, body position, chest and abdominal effort, EEG, EMG (muscle activity), EOG (eye movement), and ECG (heart rhythm and rate). A physician must refer a patient to the sleep lab; warning signs of sleep apnea are loud snoring, depression, forgetfulness, irritability, morning fatigue, waking up with a headache or thirsty, and insomnia. In 1999, there were 206 sleep studies performed; Windham Hospital decided to begin expanding the sleep lab to accommodate the demand and will double its diagnostic space.
Common types of sleep-related breathing disorders diagnosed in the lab are:
- Obstructive sleep apnea: most common, airway is obstructed and prevents airflow.
- Central sleep apnea: lack of respiratory muscle contraction, absence or airflow.
- Upper airway resistance syndrome: disrupts sleep and increases limb activity (restless legs)
Hours of Operation
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