Sleep Disorders Center

The Sleep Medicine program at HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital provides comprehensive diagnostic testing and connections to sophisticated treatment options for people struggling with a wide variety of sleep problems.

A Well Rested you is a Better you

When you do not get the recommended daily amount of sleep (which according to the National Institutes of Health is an alarming number of teens and adults in the U.S.) you’re not just depriving yourself of a good night’s rest – you’re setting yourself up to become vulnerable to a host of other preventable health conditions. Additionally, a bad night’s sleep ensures that your productivity will be lower, you won’t enjoy work or play time the fullest, and even your relationships can be affected because of the emotional and physical stress sleep disorders cause when left undiagnosed and untreated 

What is the recommended amount of sleep for every age group?

According to the National Institutes of Health, the following are the most current recommended sleep guidelines for daily sleep requirements.

Infants
Birth–2 months need 12–18 hours
3–11 months need 14–15 hours

Toddlers/Children
1–3 years need 12–14 hours
3–5 years old need 11–13 hours
5–10 years old need 10–11 hours

Adolescents
10-17 years need 8.5–9.5 hours

Adults
7–9 hours

Sleep studies

Today, there is a very simple step you can take to help your care provider and you determine what is at the root of your sleep problems. Undertake a sleep study.

A sleep study does require a physician order. Once you talk with your provider and share your symptoms, he or she will perform a physical exam to rule out other factors. They may require you to undergo a series of tests such as a simple lab draw to find out what’s going on within your body. They may also recommend you for a sleep study.

Sleep studies are performed overnight and can also be done during daytime hours for those who work overnight shifts. Our professional team will walk you through how the program works and you can be assured that from the moment you arrive at the sleep study lab, our goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible. Our sleep rooms are designed to give you the feeling that you are in a warm, homelike environment. Throughout the night, you will be connected to gentle leads which will be placed at various places on your body. This equipment, monitored throughout the evening by skilled and trained sleep technicians, ultimately supplies your provider with the data needed to identify the root of your sleep disorder and carefully create a treatment plan designed for you.