Located near Tift Regional Medical Center at:
1493 Kennedy Road, Suite C
Tifton, Georgia 31794
Directions to the Sleep Center

Main Line: 229-353-7425
Scheduling: 229-353-7476
Fax Line: 229-388-5617
E-mail: sleepcenter@tiftregional.com

A service of the TRMC Neurodiagnostics Center, the Sleep Center is an outpatient facility that utilizes polysomnography to diagnose and determine the severity of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. 

What is Polysomnography?   Polysomnography is a study that monitors you as you sleep, or try to sleep, in a special room at the Sleep Center.   The room is similar to a hotel room.   The test is often done during the night so that your normal sleep patterns can be studied. 

Polysomnography measures your sleep cycles and stages by recording:

• Air flow in and out of the lungs during breathing
• Blood oxygen levels
• Body position
• Brain waves (EEG)
• Breathing effort and rate
• Electrical activity of muscles
• Eye movement
• Heart rate

What can I expect?   You will be asked to arrive about two hours before bedtime.  A specially-trained technician will place electrodes on your chin, scalp, and the outer edge of your eyelids. These must remain in place while you sleep. 

Signals from the electrodes are recorded while you are awake (with your eyes closed) and during sleep. The time it takes you to fall asleep is measured, as well as the time it takes for you to enter REM sleep.  Monitors to record your heart rate and breathing will be attached to your chest. These also must stay in place while you sleep. 

The technician will observe you while you sleep and note any changes in your breathing or heart rate. The number of times that you either stop breathing or almost stop breathing will be measured.  A video camera will also record your movements during sleep.

What does the test diagnose?  The test is done to diagnose possible sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Often, OSA is suspected because of the following symptoms:

• Daytime sleepiness (falling asleep during the day)
• Loud snoring
• Periods of breath holding, followed by gasps or snorts
• Restless sleep

Other sleep disorders that polysomnography may be used to diagnose are: 

• Narcolepsy
• Periodic limb movements disorder (moving the legs often during sleep)
• REM behavior disorder (a condition in which people physically "act out" their dreams)

The results of your study will be shared with your physician, who will then work with you in developing a treatment plan.

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