Sleep Disorder Assessment

Sleep is a vital part of our daily lives yet 80 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder and approximately 95 percent of those affected remain undiagnosed and untreated. We are located in the heart of the Silicon Valley in Los Gatos, California. Our facility offers a tranquil state of the art sleep evaluation and treatment experience. Our integrated model takes care of the A to ZZZs in caring for patients with sleep disorders.

Previously, the thought of finding and spending the night in a sleep center or sleep clinic has caused significant anxiety. Now you can be free from that worry! Technology has come a long way in the last five years. We now offer a portable and easy way to have a sleep study done in the comfort of your own home and, most importantly, your own bed.

While there are a variety of systems available, right now we work with the ARES monitor from WaterMark Medical. The ARES home sleep system measures a number of critical components of your sleep cycles such as blood oxygen saturation, pule rate, airflow, respiratory effort,snoring levels, head movement and position etc.

These measurements are used by our sleep physician to determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea. A home sleep study cannot be used to rule out central sleep apnea (CSA), REM behavior disorder and some other sleep disorders. If we suspect conditions that require further testing, we refer out to one of our partner, credible sleep centers.

Taking a Home Sleep Study Test

Below is a short video on the ARES home sleep apnea test system. We chose the ARES as it is recognized as the industry leader in home diagnostic testing for OSA. It is also recognized by more sleep physicians and medical insurance companies as the most accurate and easy to use system.

Scheduling a Home Sleep Study

Its easy to set up a home sleep study with our office. If you have medical insurance we honor your in-network coverage. We also offer home sleep testing for patients without medical insurance coverage. Set up and training only takes a few minutes. Once we have the data it usually takes our sleep physician a few days to interpret your results.

Innovative Treatment Programs

Depending on your symptoms and test results, we may refer you for further consultation. Our physicians and sleep specialist have years of experience managing sleep disorders with innovative treatment programs, created for every individual's unique situation. Our goal is to give you back the quality of life you deserve!

Insomnia

Insomnia, the most common sleep complaint, is the feeling that you have not slept well or long enough. Insomnia is seen in different forms. Most often it is characterized by difficulty falling asleep (taking more than 30 to 45 minutes), awakening frequently during the night, or waking up early and being unable to get back to sleep.

Often, insomnia is a symptom of a problem, and not the problem itself. Good sleep is a sign of health. Poor sleep is often a sign of some malfunctioning and may signal either minor or serious medical or psychiatric disorders. Insomnia can begin at any age; and, can last for a few days (transient insomnia), a few weeks (short-term insomnia), or indefinitely (long-term insomnia). Explore your insomnia with your doctor to discover what treatments can help you finally get to sleep!

Narcolepsy: Sleep Attacks

Now and then, everyone can be sleepy at times during the day for many reasons. But, if you continually experience excessive daily daytime sleepiness - sometimes expressed as tiredness, lack of energy, and/or irresistible sleepiness - you could be suffering from another little-known, chronic sleep disorder called narcolepsy. According to the American Narcolepsy Association, 1 out of every 100 Americans is afflicted with this disorder. Yet, between 50 and 80 percent of them remain undiagnosed.

People with narcolepsy suffer from sleep apnea more often than the general population, although apnea is not a core feature of the disorder. During an attack, the person may find it physically impossible to stay awake and will sleep for periods ranging from a few seconds to a half hour. An attack can occur while watching TV, reading, or listening to a lecture. More surprising, these sudden attacks of sleep can also strike while walking, eating, riding a bike, or carrying on a conversation.

Despite growing knowledge about narcolepsy, people who have these symptoms often do not seek medical help for years. At first, the symptoms are rather mild, but over a period of years, they can increase in severity. Reserve time for a sleep test to help determine if this condition could relate to you.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most frequently seen sleep disorder. OSA is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. An “apnea” is an event where the patient stops breathing. This can happen upwards of 100 times per night in severe cases. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Sleep apnea is very common and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. A major warning sign is snoring. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences such as increased risk of:

• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Weight Gain
• Development of Diabetes
• Headaches
• Impotency
• Poor Quality of life due to constant fatigue and lack of concentration

An easy sleep test can tell you if you may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Even after the first night of treatment, patients often announce that they feel more refreshed upon awakening than they have in a long time! enjoyable, relaxing experience.

Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological condition that is characterized by the irresistible urge to move the legs. In order for you to be officially diagnosed with RLS, you must meet the criteria described in the four bullets below:

• You have a strong urge to move your legs which you may not be able to resist. This need is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Some words used to describe these sensations include:creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, or gnawing.
• Your RLS symptoms start or become worse when you are resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be
• Relief of symptoms improve when you move your legs. This can help relieve your symptoms a little or all together. As long as you are moving, you feel better.
• Your RLS symptoms are worse in the evening especially when you are lying down. Activities that bother you at night do not bother you during the day.

RLS can also cause difficulty in falling or staying asleep- one of the chief complaints of the syndrome. Some people who have RLS also have periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS). These are jerks that occur every 20 to 30 seconds on and off throughout the night. These movements can often cause awakenings that disrupt sleep. This lack of sleep most likely leads to poor quality of health, concentration and personal relationships.