Sleep studies are now part of the services offered at Pana Community Hospital this year. These comprehensive and informative studies are non-invasive and comfortable for those who are having their sleep interrupted or experiencing sleeping-related issues like narcolepsy.

Jean Applegate, the Director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Pana Community Hospital. Applegate explained the four levels of sleep that individuals look to reach during their sleeping hours. One reading of the sleep study will follow brain patterns to identify the levels of sleep one is entering. This process is one way doctors understand and diagnose sleep-related ailments.

Applegate says trips to a sleep study commonly concern sleep apnea, where the use of a CPAP or a BiPAP machine would open the airways slightly to end snoring. These findings appear during the sleep study to allow doctors to prescribe the correct treatment.

Many struggle with the sleeping factor of the study as this is a controlled, medical environment that seems a long way off from one's bedroom. Applegate says for specific situations if the healthcare provider notices a risk of having obstructed sleep apnea, a home sleep study can occur.

For information on sleep studies or other services offered by Pana Community Hospital, contact them at 217-562-2131.

Jean Applegate appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.