An evaluation at the Sleep Disorders Center begins with an initial consultation with the director of the Center. In many instances, one visit is sufficient for a diagnosis to be made and a treatment plan formulated. For some patients, however, more extensive testing is required. If an all-night sleep study is required, it is performed at our laboratory in The Presbyterian Hospital /Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
The all-night sleep study is a safe and completely painless technique by which physiological functions in sleep are measured. Patients spend one or more nights in a private and comfortable laboratory during which a series of measurements are taken with sophisticated monitoring devices. Patients arrive at the laboratory in the evening and leave the following morning; it is usually not necessary to miss a day of work.
In the course of your night at the sleep laboratory, over 1000 pages of data are collected, along with a complete video tape record. This data is thoroughly reviewed by our expect staff and when necessary, by additional consultants. A detailed final report is usually ready within one week.