Sleep Lab

OTMH
The Sleep Laboratory at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital will provide the sleep studies to diagnose and treat the following conditions.
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): caused by an obstruction of the upper airway characterized by repetitive pauses in breathing despite the effort to breathe .
  • Central Sleep Apnea:  similar to OSA but the brain stops sending signals to the muscles that control breathing; may be associated with other medical conditions such as obesity, heart failure or Parkinson’s  Disease.
  • Insomnia: sleeplessness or difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Hypersomnia: excessive daytime sleepiness and/or prolonged night time sleep; always ‘hungry’ for (more) sleep.
  • Narcolepsy: excessive daytime sleepiness characterized by the brain’s inability to regulate the sleep-wake cycle normally; frequent dream recall, may experience sudden muscle weakness often triggered by a strong emotion such as laughing or being frightened.
  • Parasomnias: an umbrella term for various abnormal behaviours during sleep such as:
    • Restless Leg Syndrome: the irresistible urge to move one’s body or limbs to stop odd or uncomfortable sensations which may provide temporary relief.
    • REM-Behaviour Disorder: is characterized by patients acting out their dreams, often resulting in injury to themselves or bed partner. It may be an early indicator of neurodegenerative disease (ex. Parkinson’s Disease) or may be a side effect of medication.
    • Night Terrors: are more common in children. It occurs in non-dreaming sleep. Person appears awake but is frightened, confused, unresponsive and inconsolable.
    • Bruxism: teeth grinding which can cause jaw pain and migraines