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IF YOU’RE EXPERIENCING
sleep prob-
lems and your physician refers you for a sleep
study test, you can rest assured that the highly
qualified team of experts at DCH Sleep Ser-
vices is exceptionally prepared to work with
you and your physician to find the cause of
your sleep problems.
The DCH Health System now has two sleep
centers, accredited by the American Academy
of Sleep Medicine, to help diagnose and treat
sleep problems. The eight-bed Sleep Center at
Northport Medical Center is in the Medical Plaza. The
six-bed Sleep Center at the Regional Medical Center is
in DCH Medical Tower I.
AASM accreditation is the gold standard by which the
medical community and the public can evaluate sleep
medicine services.The standards for accreditation ensure that
sleep medicine providers, such as DCH, display and main-
tain skills in areas such as testing procedures and policies,
patient safety and follow-up, and physician and staff training.
“DCH Sleep Services offers a broad range of treatment
for many sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleep apnea,
restless legs syndrome and narcolepsy,” said Sleep Services
Director Betty Seals. “Obstructive sleep apnea is the sleep
problem we see more of. We diagnose and treat parasom-
nias, such as night terrors, sleepwalking and nightmares.”
Dr. James Geyer, MD, DABSM, is Medical Director of the
DCH Sleep Center at Northport Medical Center. Dr. Narayan
Krishnamurthy, MD, FAASM, is Medical Director of the
DCH Sleep Center at DCH Regional Medical Center. “The
medical directors of the sleep centers are board-certified
in sleep medicine,” Seals said.
“Of the 14 full-time Sleep Center employ-
ees, 10 are registered through the Board of
Registered Polysomnographic Technologists,”
Seals said. “We have highly trained and cre-
dentialed staff, more than most sleep centers
in the nation.”
There are fewer than 10,000 people regis-
tered through the RPSGT board worldwide,
according to Seals. “To have 10 such employ-
ees in our sleep centers is remarkable,” she
said. “Sleep centers typically have only one or two, since
RPSGTs are few in number and availability.”
A TOP-NOTCH TEAM
“Sleep testing facilities that
employ RPSGTs have committed to providing their
patients with the highest quality of care,” Seals said. “To
be a registered technologist, you must have adequate
clinical experience, core knowledge, skills, abilities and
attributes. RPSGTs are governed by a board that has very
high standards of conduct and cultivates the highest
professional and ethical conduct possible.”
Sleep disorders can be very difficult to diagnose and
treat, Seals explained. “The information obtained from a
sleep study is vital for a physician to be able to understand
the complexity of the disorder and the best treatment op-
tions,” she said. “An experienced and credentialed staff is
vital for quality sleep testing.”
If you or someone you know has sleep problems, call
205-343-8628
to find out how a DCH Sleep Center
can help or go
www.dchsystem.com/sleep
.
A number of sleep disorders can disrupt the quality of
your sleep and make you overly sleepy during the day.
More than 70 sleep disorders affect some 40 million
Americans and account for an estimated $16 billion in
medical costs each year. And that doesn’t include the
time and money lost in other ways—missing work or
having a car accident, for example.
The four most common sleep disorders are:
■
Insomnia.
■
Sleep apnea.
■
Restless legs syndrome.
■
Narcolepsy.
Insomnia
Insomnia is characterized by the inability to initiate or
maintain sleep. Insomnia also may take the form of wak-
ing up early in the morning and being unable to go back
to sleep. Difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep
often cause excessive daytime sleepiness, and that can
result in difficulty functioning throughout the day.
Sleep apnea
Snoring may be more than just an annoying habit—it
may be a sign of sleep apnea. People with sleep apnea
characteristically make periodic gasping or snorting
noises and during this time, their sleep is briefly inter-
rupted. They also may experience excessive daytime
sleepiness because their sleep has been disturbed
several times.
Because sleep apnea can cause serious complica-
tions for a person’s health, symptoms of sleep apnea
should be taken seriously.
Restless legs syndrome
RLS is characterized by an unpleasant “creeping” sen-
sation. RLS often feels like it has started in the lower
legs, and it often is associated with aches and pains
throughout the legs. Since RLS is relieved by moving
the legs, going to sleep can be difficult.
Narcolepsy
The hallmark signs of narcolepsy are excessive
daytime sleepiness and sudden muscle weakness. Epi-
sodes of narcolepsy have been described as “sleep at-
tacks” and can occur in unusual circumstances, such
as walking and during other forms of physical activity.
Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes
of Health; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
4 common sleep stealers
YOU MAY HAVE STARTED
the New Year with a
resolution to get healthier. Maybe you promised yourself
you’d lose weight before it was time to wear your warm-
weather clothes. Well, warm weather is here, and maybe
that extra weight and inches are still here, too.
If that’s the case, don’t give up. “It’s not too late to get your
plate in shape,” said Cherie Simpson, MS, RD, LD, Clinical
Dietitian Coordinator at DCH Regional Medical Center.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture developedMyPlate,
a simpler way to plan your meals.
“Weight-loss programs from previous years focused on
tedious weighing and measuring, which often frustrated
people and caused them to give up before reaching their
goals,” Simpson said. “Many times I have heard from
people who want to lose weight say, ‘If you are going
to tell me to weigh and measure everything I put in my
GET YOUR PLATE IN SHAPE
mouth, you can forget it.’
“We live a busy lifestyle these days and
simply do not have the time or the patience
to analyze closely the contents of our food,”
Simpson said. “Nutrition professionals have
determined that it makes little difference if
you eat a few more green beans or a table-
spoon extra of mashed potatoes.”
The concept of MyPlate is:
●
●
Divide a 9-inch plate (often referred to as the salad
plate) into four equal sections.
●
●
Place one of the following in each section: lean pro-
tein, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
●
●
Add one serving of low-fat dairy, such as milk or yogurt.
“The platemethod is a great place to start your journey to
better overall health in a simplified manner,” Simpson said.
SLENDER U
“DCH provides
Slender U
, a weight-loss and
wellness program in coordina-
tion with The SpineCare Cen-
ter,” Simpson said.
Slender U
includes private
nutrition evaluation and ses-
sions to provide you with user-
friendly information to help you
meet your nutrition and wellness
goals. You may choose group or
one-on-one sessions to meet your wellness needs.
For more information about this program, visit
www.dchspinecare.com
and click on “Slender U”.
You also can call
205-759-7417
for details.
And for more information about nutrition, go to
www.dchsystem.com
and click on the list of departments
at the DCH hospitals to locate nutrition services.
Additional source: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
S P R I N G 2 0 1 2
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H E A L T H Y C O M M U N I T Y