Reduced Seven in 10 adults say they experience frequent sleep problems, according to a recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. The root of these problems often stems from undiagnosed sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, one of the more prevalent disorders, is as common as adult diabetes and affects more than 12 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. The center recently moved from its two-bed facility to a larger area and hired two additional technicians. This improvement has reduced scheduling delays and patient wait time.
Patients report here and spend the night.
Now the center operates six nights per week. With the increased staff size and larger location, that time has been reduced to an average waiting period of 20 weeks for a clinic visit and nine weeks for a sleep study. Staff of the center project that more than 800 sleep studies will be conducted this year, nearly doubling that conducted last year.