Sleep Disorders

Sleep is proven to restore, rejuvenate and energize the body and brain, boost the immune system and contribute to overall health and quality of life. If you have a sleep disorder and are not getting adequate rest, everything in your life is adversely affected.

Most common sleep disorder symptoms

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Waking a lot during the night
• Waking  up too early and not being able to get back to sleep
• Waking up and not feeling refreshed
• Snoring
• Unpleasant sensations and movement in the arms or legs
• Pauses in breathing

Common sleep disorders

• Sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• Periodic limb movement disorder
• Insomnia
• Parasomnias 
• Shift-Work disorder

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is an extremely common sleep disorder and one that is a serious risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke. Most people who suffer from sleep apnea don’t even know it. While you sleep, it collapses your upper airway, causing muscles in the soft palate to collapse while the tongue is relaxed, making it difficult to breathe.

You may have sleep apnea if you notice any of the following symptoms

• Loud snoring
• Gasping, choking or coughing throughout the night
• Waking up frequently
• Being tired throughout the day
• Obesity
• Morning headaches
• Lack of energy

It is relatively easy to diagnose, and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is one of the most effective and common treatments. Therefore, adjustment to and compliance with CPAP is a major focus of our Sleep Disorder Lab here in South Florida. When a patient is referred to our Sleep Disorder Lab because he/she has not had a good night’s sleep in years, a sleep study is performed to determine the cause. A treatment is prescribed, and after one night with a CPAP mask, the patient wakes up feeling refreshed and full of energy.

Learn more about sleep apnea and other sleep disorders by visiting our health library.  

Comprehensive Sleep Disorder Center

Holy Cross Neuroscience Institute's Comprehensive Sleep Disorder Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a full-service facility providing overnight sleep studies and the interpretation of the sleep parameters. Located in the Holy Cross Medical Plaza at 5601 N. Dixie Highway, our Sleep Disorder Center offers diagnosis and treatment for nearly 90 known sleep disorders. The Center provides physicians with scored reports attained by an in-house sleep technologist and Sleep Med, Inc. This formula assures the quality of the study and provides Holy Cross sleep staff with a network of sleep specialists for consultation issues as needed.

The studies are attended by specially trained sleep technologists. Today we know that sleep disorders are one of the most common medical conditions but are underdiagnosed and undertreated. Sleep disorders can lead to numerous medical conditions (including an increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, obesity and mental impairment) that could be prevented with proper diagnosis and treatment. As an organization, we are eager to provide these services and are committed to excellence.

Our Sleep Disorder Center provides comfortable private sleeping quarters with a private bathroom, TV, and a technical workstation for the polysomnographic technologist. Our facility and staff help patients feel at ease and comfortable. We make the environment suitable for a completely thorough, non-invasive sleep study and we provide refreshments, snacks and complementary breakfast.

CPAP Clinic

Whether you are currently using a CPAP or Bilevel device for your sleep apnea, recently referred for sleep testing or suspect you may have a sleep disorder, join us at our CPAP Clinics!

What: Attending our CPAP Clinic provides you with:

• Education on sleep disorders
• Information from our clinicians on compliance improvement
• Inspection of your device and all related accessories (if you are already using devices)
• Product and accessory displays for your education
• Availability of our clinicians to answer your questions regarding sleep disorders, our Sleep Disorder Lab, equipment, etc.

Who Attends Our Clinics? 
If any of the following apply to you, you will benefit from our Clinic:

• Think you might have a sleep disorder? 
• Having sleep symptoms despite therapy compliance?
• Feel like your CPAP/BiLevel isn't working right?
• Having problems with your mask?
• Want to check out the latest equipment and supplies?