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Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry

Treatment of Sleep Disturbances

Overview

WVU Hospitals Sleep Evaluation Center opened August 2008 with the expansion from four to. to eight beds. The Center provides comprehensive services for the identification and treatment of sleep-related disorders. Patients may be physician-referred or may be evaluated through self-referral to the Sleep Disorders Clinic located at the Physicians Office Center. Staffed by physicians affiliated with West Virginia University School of Medicine, the clinic offers a multidisciplinary approach to assessing sleep-related complaints. Physicians with specialized training in diseases of the lungs as well as central nervous system disorders are available to provide a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. Coordination between the Sleep Disorders Clinic and the Sleep Evaluation Center offers the most complete program of diagnosis and treatment of all sleep disorders available in the state. Patients evaluated in the laboratory at Ridgeview Business Park, 205, Baker’s Ridge Road, are eligible to receive ongoing and needed care through the Sleep Disorders Clinic at the Physician's Office Center.

Services

Testing services for all types of sleep disorders are available. The testing is conducted by experienced technologists who have received extensive and specialized training in preparing patients for and conducting technically correct sleep studies. The results are interpreted by physicians experienced in treating all types of sleep disorders.

What We Treat

  • Insomnia: inability to fall asleep and stay asleep
  • Sleep apnea: when one stops breathing during sleep. Symptoms include loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, and weight gain. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to serious, life-threatening complications such as high blood pressure and heart problems.
  • Narcolepsy: unexplained sudden sleep attacks that one cannot fight off, often accompanied by "drop" attacks and strange sensations upon awakening.
  • "Restless Legs" (myoclonus): characterized by restless legs during bedtime and leg cramps upon awakening.
  • Parasomnias: nightmares, sleep-walking and talking, bed-wetting.
  • GER (gastro-esophageal reflux): characterized by heartburn during sleep, awakening with a sour taste in the mouth, repeated awakenings during the night.
  • Alpha Intrusion (also known as alpha-delta sleep): This occurs when the brain activity seen during wakefulness occurs during the sleep stages.The most common symptom is that one can swear, "I didn't shut my eyes all night."

Other commonly seen disorders include shift workers' difficulties, sleep/wake cycle disorders, and circadian rhythm disturbances.

Referrals

Physician referrals or self-referrals may be made to the WVU Hospitals Sleep Evaluation Center located at Ridgeview Business Park, 205, Baker’s Ridge Road. The Center may be reached from Route 119, Point Marion Road in Morgantown. 304.598.4285.