• NOW AVAILABLE ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY.
  • PURCHASE A CPAP TODAY!
  • PURCHASE A HOME SLEEP TEST TODAY!
Questions:

How will I be able to sleep with all those wires?
How can I sleep in a strange laboratory environment?
What should I bring on the night of the study?
Should I take my usual medications?
What is a Polysomnogram (PSG)?
What sensors are applied during a sleep test?
Is a sleep test painful?
Who will be present at the sleep center while I am sleeping?
Will the recording procedure disrupt my sleep?
Will I be given a sleeping medication?
What happens to my sleep recordings after the test is completed?
Can I shower at the sleep center before I leave?
What should I do on the day of the test?
What should I bring to my sleep test?
What causes Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
How can I treat my snoring problem or Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
How severe is my Sleep Apnea?


Answers:

How will I be able to sleep with all those wires?
This is the most common question. The monitors are all quite small and designed to be as comfortable as possible. The monitoring wires will be gathered together in a ponytail behind your head so you can easily roll over and change positions just as you would at home. The devices may feel strange on your skin, but most people find that they do not prevent them from falling asleep.

How can I sleep in a strange laboratory environment?
Many people expect the sleep laboratory to be a cold, impersonal place with flashing lights, beeping alarms and stiff hospital mattresses. This does not apply to our facility. Our facility is modern and uniquely indulgent hotel-like experience and beautiful settings for patient s comfort. Our sleep testing rooms are all high degree private, provide personalized homey feel and feature comfortable queen size bed and are decorated to make our patients feel less like they are in a testing facility and more like they are at a five-star hotel room.

Sleep Testing Rooms

•We offer new bedding w/down comforters, designer duvets, fluffy pillows.
•Luxurious amenities that ensure a comfortable and productive stay at our Glendale facility.
•Equipped with high-speed Internet access for the business patients.
•All guest rooms are smoke free.
•Renovated guest rooms with 32" HDTV's.

Serenity Sleep Labs is the very new state-of-the-art, comfortable and convenient sleep testing facility in Los Angeles County.

What should I bring on the night of the study?
Before coming to the center, you should pack an overnight bag, just as if you were staying overnight at a friend's house or a hotel. Bring anything you need to feel at home. If you have special needs, the sleep center personnel should be able to accommodate you.

Should I take my usual medications?
It is important for us to know both your prescribed and over-the-counter medications. This includes dietary supplements such as diet pills, melatonin, kava kava, valerian root, etc. Since many substances affect sleep, certain medications need to be discontinued prior to your study so that results can be interpreted correctly. Please do not discontinue any medications without speaking to your physician first.

What is a Polysomnogram (PSG)?
Polysomnogram (PSG) is sleep study in which a continuous monitoring and recording of selected body functions during sleep. The test also records brain waves, eye movements, and various muscle activities, which together determine the various sleep stages. Heart rate/rhythm, sleep movements, and snoring sounds are also monitored and recorded. For a possible Sleep Apnea, we also record breathing pattern and the blood oxygen level. Additional measurements can be performed in patients with other suspected sleep disorders.

What sensors are applied during a sleep test?
Most of the sensors/electrodes are small, gold plated disks that are applied to the scalp and skin. Blood oxygen level is monitored using a small, lightweight, cushioned plastic clip that is kept on a finger or applied to an ear lobe. Respiration is closely monitored by using a thin, plastic sensor that is placed between the nose and the upper lip. Breathing effort is recorded using belts placed around the chest and abdomen.

Is a sleep test painful?
No. None of the sleep equipment is painful. Patient with sensitive skin may notice mild skin irritation from electrode paste or adhesive that we use; however, a sleep study is not an invasive procedure. We use no needles during the procedure.

Who will be present at the sleep center while I am sleeping?
While our patients sleep in private rooms, a trained Sleep Technologist will monitor their sleep testing progress from a nearby Control Room. Our Sleep Technologists have the responsibility of making our patients test experience with us as comfortable and safe as possible while obtaining a high-quality sleep recording.

Will the recording procedure disrupt my sleep?
Although our patients may sleep in different positions at home, our Sleep Technologist will ask them to sleep on their back most of the time throughout the test. Most people find that the procedure does not disturb their sleep. Keeping in mind, when we score and interpret the sleep study result, we take into account any disruptive effects of sleeping at the sleep laboratory.

Will I be given a sleeping medication?
No. If a patient has a significant Insomnia at home, his/her referring physician may order a medication to improve sleep at the sleep center. Since these medications may affect other aspects of the test, such as various sleep stages and breathing, the referring physician has to take these factors in to consideration against the possibility that the patient may not sleep as well without the sleeping medication. PLEASE REVIEW ANY CHANGES IN MEDICATION WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN PRIOR TO TAKING ANY ACTION.

What happens to my sleep recordings after the test is completed?
A Sleep Technologist will review the test data the next morning, and one of our sleep specialist physicians will perform the final evaluation of the test. A detailed test result report will be sent to the referring physicians office via fax and mail within 2 to 3 business days after the test. The patient should then make a follow-up appointment with the referring physician to discuss test results and review the possible treatment options. At that time, the referring physician may also request another sleep test and/or request the patient to schedule a formal consultation with one of our sleep specialist physicians for further care.

What should I do on the day of the test?
Since the sensors and electrodes are placed on the skin and scalp, we ask that all patients shower and shampoo their hair before arriving to the sleep center. Please do not apply oil, hair spray or heavy conditioners on the hair. For an overnight sleep study, we usually ask our patients to remain awake all day on the day of the test and avoid taking any naps on the day of the test. Please eat the evening meal, the dinner before arriving to the sleep center.

What should I bring to my sleep test?
Use the following checklist to assemble the items that will be needed for your overnight sleep test. We provide all bedding-related items including sheets/linens, blankets, and pillows.

• A lightweight, cotton nightgown, pajamas or any comfortable sleepwear of your choice, preferably with a
button down front.
• Please feel free to bring a favorite pillow, blanket, etc. ( teddy bears are allowed!)
• Toiletries: comb, hairbrush, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and shaving materials.
• Clothes for the next day.
• Any medications needed (our Sleep Technologists cannot supply or administer medications).
• A list of all medications taken (during the 2 weeks prior to the test).
• Do not consume any food or beverages containing caffeine or alcohol within 4 hours prior to the
scheduled appointment.
• A laptop, a book, magazine or any other reading materials of your choice.
• Insurance card(s).
• Insurance Referral (if required).
• Physicians Order/Prescription.
• Drivers License or Photo ID.

If the patient feels excessively sleepy or drowsy on the night of the test, a family member or a friend should drive him/her to and from the sleep center. If this is not possible, our facility can make exceptions and provide transportation.

What causes Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?
During sleep the muscles located at the back of the throat relax. In some people, these muscles relax to the point that the wall of the throat collapses; therefore, as they try to breathe, the air cannot get in. Eventually, the effort of breathing wakes them up for a short period of time, and this may happen repeatedly throughout sleep, more than 100 times per hour (or hundreds of times each night). These people are not aware of waking-up frequently to breathe, but even the mildest form of OSA can cause daytime sleepiness, poor memory and concentration, and depression.

How severe is my Sleep Apnea?
To diagnose the severity of breathing problems during sleep from the mild end, called primary snoring, to severe Sleep Apnea, the main factor we rely on is the total number of times per hour that a patients brain waves show brief arousals to breathe. This number is referred to as the Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI) or the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI).

<<< Mild Severe >>>
___________________________________________________________________________________

Primary Snoring Mild Sleep Apnea Moderate Sleep Apnea Severe Sleep Apnea
RDI < 5 per hr RDI = 5-15 per hr RDI = 15-30 per hr RDI > 30 per hr

Login form

Private Messages

FaceBook

Click Here to Visit our FaceBook Page

Click Here

Twitter

Click Here to Visit our Twitter Page

Click Here

Yelp

Click Here to Visit our Yelp Page

Click Here