Get the best sleep on campus
Janet Moulis
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Pulse
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On Sept. 20, UIC celebrated the grand opening of the new Sleep Science Center. With the goal of creating a comfortable and relaxed environment, the new Center provides facilities for both night time and day time sleep studies, an education and conference room for patients, sizing rooms for equipment and the opportunity for professionals to continue studying sleep apnea, excessive sleepiness, restless leg syndrome and sleep problems in shift workers.
"Our new sleep center furthers our mission of placing our patient's need first while increasing space to advance the field of sleep science through clinical and translational research," said Dr. James Herdegen, associate professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and director of the Sleep Science Center.
The 10-bed clinic is more like a hotel than a hospital. With private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs and artwork on the walls, patients can feel more comfortable allowing physicians to treat them better.
Two of the 10 rooms are designed specifically for pediatric patients. They have greater space and chairs that can convert into beds for parents.
"We are seeing more children and adolescents with sleep disorders," said Herdegen.
Patients, who can be as young as four years-old, have to wear sensors to monitor heart rate, breathing, oxygen levels, sleep stages and even leg movements. With all this equipment on, a young child can feel very nervous and overwhelmed, and then calmed by the presence of a parent.
On average, the current sleep center sees 150 patients per month, while the lab will see 1200 patients per year. With the new Sleep Science Center comes increased space and the expectation of more patients. This additional space allows the Center to be unique because the clinic, sleep studies and medical equipment can be contained in the same place employing the "continuous care model from clinic, to laboratory, to follow up, to treatment," said Herdegen.
Sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by pauses in breathing while sleeping, affects more than 12 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children, but most often afflicts males, those that are overweight and persons over the age of 40. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain, impotency and headaches. Sleep apnea can also increase the risk of motor vehicle crashes and cause job impairments.
Currently, the Sleep Science Center is working on several different studies. One study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health examines sleep problems in patients with chronic renal insufficiencies. Other studies include clinical trials with medication data being reviewed and a university-sponsored study that looks at patients suffering from type II diabetes and sleep apnea.
The Sleep Science Center also offers training for health care professionals. The BioBehavioral Nursing Research Training is a predoctoral and postdoctoral nurse researchers training program which focuses on the study of neurobehavioral and cardiopulmonary components of health and illness and how the two are related. The Sleep Science Center also offers a two-year Sleep Medicine Fellowship for doctors.
Those who are interested in these programs can contact the center directly at (312) 996-7708.
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"Our new sleep center furthers our mission of placing our patient's need first while increasing space to advance the field of sleep science through clinical and translational research," said Dr. James Herdegen, associate professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine and director of the Sleep Science Center.
The 10-bed clinic is more like a hotel than a hospital. With private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs and artwork on the walls, patients can feel more comfortable allowing physicians to treat them better.
Two of the 10 rooms are designed specifically for pediatric patients. They have greater space and chairs that can convert into beds for parents.
"We are seeing more children and adolescents with sleep disorders," said Herdegen.
Patients, who can be as young as four years-old, have to wear sensors to monitor heart rate, breathing, oxygen levels, sleep stages and even leg movements. With all this equipment on, a young child can feel very nervous and overwhelmed, and then calmed by the presence of a parent.
On average, the current sleep center sees 150 patients per month, while the lab will see 1200 patients per year. With the new Sleep Science Center comes increased space and the expectation of more patients. This additional space allows the Center to be unique because the clinic, sleep studies and medical equipment can be contained in the same place employing the "continuous care model from clinic, to laboratory, to follow up, to treatment," said Herdegen.
Sleep apnea, a disorder characterized by pauses in breathing while sleeping, affects more than 12 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children, but most often afflicts males, those that are overweight and persons over the age of 40. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain, impotency and headaches. Sleep apnea can also increase the risk of motor vehicle crashes and cause job impairments.
Currently, the Sleep Science Center is working on several different studies. One study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health examines sleep problems in patients with chronic renal insufficiencies. Other studies include clinical trials with medication data being reviewed and a university-sponsored study that looks at patients suffering from type II diabetes and sleep apnea.
The Sleep Science Center also offers training for health care professionals. The BioBehavioral Nursing Research Training is a predoctoral and postdoctoral nurse researchers training program which focuses on the study of neurobehavioral and cardiopulmonary components of health and illness and how the two are related. The Sleep Science Center also offers a two-year Sleep Medicine Fellowship for doctors.
Those who are interested in these programs can contact the center directly at (312) 996-7708.
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