Sleep Disorder Diagnosis & Treatment

Our team of experts at the University of Chicago Medicine Sleep Center have vast experience in treating a variety of sleep disorders. They have the expertise and depth of knowledge to accurately diagnose your symptoms and get you back on track towards a healthy, restful sleep routine.

Diagnosing Sleep Disorders

Polysomnography

A polysomnogram, also called a sleep study, is a test that records your brain waves, heart rate, breathing and eye and leg movements while you’re sleeping. Sensors placed on your head, face, chest and legs send electrical signals to a computer.

This recording of brain waves and eye movements allows a sleep technologist to determine how deeply you’re sleeping and whether you experience a type of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM).

Breathing monitors capable of detecting changes in air flow and oxygen levels help diagnose the severity of sleep apnea you may have. A finger clip tracks changes in the level of oxygen in your blood. Our sleep laboratory also has the capability of monitoring your ventilation by measuring exhaled and transcutaneous carbon dioxide levels.

Leg sensors show both minor twitches and major movements that can occur during the night.

Split Night Polysomnogram with CPAP or Non-invasive Ventilation Titration

If you have significant sleep apnea early on in your sleep study, the second half of the night may be used to determine the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) needed for treating your sleep apnea.

Home Sleep Test

Home sleep testing provides a sleep medicine provider with the information he or she needs to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. Home sleep testing allows you to sleep at home wearing equipment that collects information about how you breathe during sleep. You will usually set up the testing equipment yourself.

There are a variety of home sleep testing devices that have different sensors and equipment. All home sleep test devices measure your breathing and blood oxygen level. Some may also measure your heart rate or other information about your body.

Additional Diagnostic Services

Actigraphy

Actigraphy is a diagnostic procedure that utilizes a portable wristwatch-like device to record and store information regarding body movements over a period of time (typically 1 to 2 weeks). Actigraphy can be utilized to determine the extent of insomnia symptoms symptoms, rule-out inadequate sleep hygiene, insufficient total sleep time, and circadian rhythm disorders and document sleep/wake patterns.

Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT)

This is a type of sleep study that measures how alert you are during the day. It is used to see how well you can stay awake despite prime sleeping conditions.

Nap Studies/Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)

This sleep study measures how quickly you fall asleep during the day. It is also known as a nap study and is a way to check for excessive daytime sleepiness.

Sleep Logs

Sleep logs are daily records that track details about your sleep habits and patterns. They are used to get a more in-depth look at what factors could be influencing your sleep.

Treating Sleep Disorders

Positive Airway Pressure Therapy

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy uses a machine to help patients with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep. A CPAP machine sends a constant flow of air pressure to the throat to ensure the airway stays open during sleep.
• Automatic Titrating Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (Auto-PAP) therapy is set within a high- and low-pressure range determined by need. The machine automatically detects how much pressure a patient needs with each breath. The auto-PAP machine increases automatically as needed to allow normal breathing during sleep.
• Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi-level PAP) therapy delivers two different levels of pressure: one for inhaling, the other for exhaling. These pressures are pre-set (based on a prescription by a sleep specialist) and alternate just like a person’s breathing pattern.
• Non-invasive Ventilation (NIV) therapy is designed to alleviate sleep apnea and to improve ventilation. Our sleep laboratory has significant expertise in treating disorders of sleep hypoventilation with NIV. NIV titration is performed with simultaneous monitoring of breathing, blood oxygen levels and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.

Advanced Respiratory Care (ARC) program

Patients with complex sleep disordered breathing need care by experts in the field, knowledgeable in management of bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP) treatment, non-invasive and invasive home ventilation with the use of portable ventilators. Many patients also benefit from oxygen therapy, secretion management with cough assist devices or vest, suction, lung recruitment maneuvers, nebulizers, and medication management for optimization of respiratory status.

Our pulmonary-sleep team has experience in supporting patients and families with these complex needs, coordinating home respiratory therapy support and facilitating transition between inpatient and outpatient settings. We provide care for patients with chronic respiratory failure from neuromuscular diseases including ALS, to severe COPD, obesity hypoventilation syndromes, or other restrictive thoracic diseases. We work together with each patient’s care team for an effective multi-disciplinary approach.

We follow our patients closely, re-evaluating needs as they change and making recommendations to “step-up” or “step-down” treatment interventions.

Oral Appliances

A device similar to a mouth guard that is placed in your mouth and worn while you sleep. It helps snoring and sleep apnea by moving your jaw and tongue forward and keeping your airway open throughout the night.

Oral appliances are a treatment for snoring and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). an oral appliance is a small plastic device that fits in the mouth during sleep like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer. Oral appliances help prevent the collapse of the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat by keeping the airway open during sleep. Oral appliances may be used alone or in combination with other treatments for sleep-related breathing disorders, such as weight management, surgery or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Positional Therapy

A device that is worn around the waist or back to keep you on your side while sleeping. 

Surgical Options

Surgery may be a part of the treatment plan for some patients with sleep apnea or snoring. Your sleep team may recommend surgery if you can’t tolerate CPAP therapy, which is the most effective treatment option for sleep apnea.

Some surgeries are minimally invasive, while others are more complex. The goal of surgery is to treat the areas of the airway that collapse and block your breathing during sleep. Surgery may stiffen, remove or reposition tissues in and around your throat. These surgeries may focus on the:

• Soft palate and uvula
• Tonsils and adenoids
• Tongue
• Upper and lower jaw

Weight Loss Options

There is a strong correlation between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. There are several types of weight loss surgery available at the University of Chicago Medical Center, including:

• Bariatric surgery
• Medical weight management
• Chicago weight program