The
Florida Hospital Altamonte
Sleep Center
Do
you suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness?
Take our free Daytime Sleepiness
Assessment.
About
Sleep
Restful
sleep is very important to your health - not too much or too
little sleep, but just the right amount. It’s estimated
that two out of every five Americans have a serious sleep
disorder. Sleep disorders can interfere with the ability to
fall asleep, maintain sleep or cause excessive daytime sleepiness.
These disorders, which can affect all types of people at all
ages, stem from a wide variety of causes.
The Florida
Hospital Altamonte Sleep Center helps individuals with sleep
disorders achieve more normal sleep patterns. An interdisciplinary
team meets with each individual to discuss lifestyle factors
that may affect sleep patterns. At Florida Hospital Altamonte,
we want to help you achieve optimum health by creating a stronger,
healthier mind, body and spirit. That means helping you create
a healthy balance of activity, nutrition, spiritual fulfillment
and rest.
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Common
Sleep Disorders
Insomnia - the inability to sleep. About 70 million Americans
experience fragmented and disrupted sleep. Causes of insomnia
include stress, breathing disorders, temporary pain, and misuse
or overuse of sleeping pills. Daytime symptoms often include
headaches, hypertension and concentration/memory difficulties.
Narcolepsy
- sudden and uncontrollable attacks of excessive sleepiness
during the day. This disorder causes an individual to sleep
at inappropriate times such as while driving, eating or in
meetings. Common complaints include frequent, vivid nightmares
or hallucinations upon falling asleep, sudden muscular weakness
when angry, surprised or amused and momentary paralysis upon
awakening.
Apnea
- periods of not breathing, as frequently as several hundred
times during sleep. Causes of apnea include a blockage of
the upper airway and diseases of the central nervous system.
Apnea victims may experience excessive daytime sleepiness,
high blood pressure, rapid weight gain, morning headaches,
personality changes, impotence, signs of heart failure or
enlargement and heavy snoring. They may also have sleep attacks
during the day, similar to those associated with narcolepsy.
Parasomnias
- somnambulism (sleepwalking), nightmares and night terrors.
Nocturnal Myoclonus and "Restless Legs" Syndrome
- multiple arousals during sleep, excessive daytime drowsiness,
aching muscles upon awakening and crawling or restless sensations
in the legs. This condition is often mistaken for insomnia.
Other
Disorders - seizures, bruxism (grinding of the teeth)
and other conditions that cause improper sleep patterns.
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Admission
Procedures
You can be self- or physician-referred to the Florida Hospital
Altamonte Sleep Center. Ask your physician to send any pertinent
information and recent laboratory data (less than six months
old) to the Center. You will be asked to complete a questionnaire
concerning your medical, psychological and sleep history.
This information will be reviewed by the medical directors.
The review panel accredited to the Sleep Center includes neurologists,
psychologists, pulmonary specialists and ENT (ear, nose and
throat) physicians.
Prior
to your sleep study, a consultation with a sleep specialist
will be scheduled. At the time of the consultation, a brief
history and physical will be done along with an orientation.
Please call the Center between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm to schedule
your appointment.
Laboratory
testing usually takes place overnight between 7:30 pm and
7:00 am. For a more conducive sleep setting, we encourage
you to bring your own pajamas, robe and favorite pillow. A
specialized team of professionals uses the latest diagnostic
equipment to record and monitor your sleep patterns, heart
activities, breathing and body movements. Afterward, you will
be referred to the appropriate specialist for consultation
and treatment.
You may
be directed to a nutrition counselor as well as a fitness
specialist to help you create a program that will optimize
your physical and mental health thereby improving your sleep
patterns. Upon completion of the program, you will be referred
back to your original physician.
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Insurance
Coverage
A diagnosis from the Sleep Center is an accepted medical procedure
and is covered by most third-party carriers. Because it is
impossible to predict how much of an individual guest’s
expenses will be covered, we suggest that you contact your
insurance representative for a ruling on specific policy coverage.
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Accreditation
The Florida Hospital Altamonte Sleep Center is accredited
by the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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Medical
Directors
Patient care is overseen by our medical directors, Morris,
Bird, MD and Robert Thornton, MD, both board certified in
Sleep Medicine.
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The
Sleep Disorder Center at Florida Hospital Altamonte
For more information, please call the Florida
Hospital Altamonte Sleep Center at 407-303-2654 or
submit your request online.
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