St. Mary’s Sleep Studies

What is a sleep study?
A sleep study records your body’s functions throughout the night. A series of electrodes and sensors are placed on your body to monitor brain wave activity, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, body position, snoring and respiratory rates. Once reviewed, our physicians can see sleep and wake patterns, respiratory functions and diagnose if there is a sleep disorder.

Why should I have a sleep study?
Many sleep disorders go ignored and untreated and can pose serious threats to your health. Sleep disorders have been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and sudden death. Not only will a proper diagnosis and treatment help prevent and possibly reverse the affects, it will improve your quality of life.

Some sleep disorders include:
- Sleep related breathing problems, including snoring and sleep apnea
- Insomnia - difficulty initiating and/or maintaining sleep
- Sleep related myoclonus - spasms, twitches, and movement in the arms and legs
- Narcolepsy - the tendency to fall asleep suddenly without warning
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
- Parasomnias and other problems, including sleep walking, night terrors, bedwetting and night seizures

Common symptoms of sleep disorders
- Snoring
- Fatigue
- Excessive tiredness
- Falling asleep while driving
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Morning headaches
- Dry mouth in the morning

How do I schedule my sleep study?
To have a sleep study done at one of our locations, you should first speak with your primary care physician about your sleep problems. He/She will fax a prescription for your sleep study directly to our center at 815.773.9099. Within 24 hours, one of our Office Assistants will contact you personally to schedule your appointment and verify insurance benefits for you. Sleep studies are available seven days a week.

What can I expect?
Once you arrive, you will meet your technician who will be administering your sleep study. The technician will be monitoring you from another room through a series of electrodes and sensors that they will hook to various parts of your body. This is painless and non-invasive. The majority of our patients have no trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. If you need to use the washroom during the night, just let the technician know. They are here to make your experience as comfortable as possible.

What do I bring?
Arrive at 9:00 p.m. the day your test is scheduled with comfortable clothes to sleep in. Please take all of your medications as prescribed by your doctor, bring a photo ID, your insurance card and if you prefer, you may bring your own pillow. Be sure to be showered, avoid applying any creams or hair gels, as this may affect the sensors. Enter the hospital in the front parking lot, go in the front ER door and check-in with admissions. A technologist will then be called to escort you to your room.

What is CPAP/Bi-level therapy?
This is the gold standard treatment option for patients diagnosed with sleep apnea or other forms of sleep disordered breathing. A medical device that delivers a steady, gentle flow of air through a variety of soft, pliable mask interfaces. Comfortable and affordable, the device helps you breathe easy throughout the night.

Click here for a list of sleeping tips.

Contact us
For more information about sleep studies, you may contact us at 815.673.2311 or at our alternate number 815.773.0836. You may also consult with your primary care physician.