Helping You Get a Good Night’s Sleep

The sleep medicine expertise of Johns Hopkins Medicine and Sibley Memorial Hospital serves the Greater Washington, D.C. region. The sleep center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and offers advanced technology for the diagnosis of sleep problems. All of our technologists are Registered Polysomnographic Technologists meeting the highest standards of the field.

A majority of Americans report problems with their sleep, yet many suffer needlessly because they have not sought help. Left untreated, sleep disorders can contribute to heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, clinical depression, diabetes and excessive daytime sleepiness that interferes with normal activities of daily living.

If you believe you have a sleep disorder, talk to your primary care physician and ask for a referral to the Sleep Disorders Center.

Contact the Center

If you believe you have a sleep disorder, you should consult your primary care physician. Primary care physicians or specialists can refer patients to the Sleep Disorders Center. Patients referred for an evaluation will receive a call from the Sleep Disorders Center staff to explain details about the testing procedures. In addition, all billing and administrative issues or questions will be answered before patients are tested at the Sleep Disorders Center. Most insurance contracts and HMOs are accepted.

We recommend the following steps to arrange for a sleep study:

• Download and print a Sleep Study Prescription Referral Form, and take it to your primary care physician to complete. You must have your physician's signature in order to schedule an appointment.
• Call the Sleep Disorders Center at 202-660-7956 to schedule the sleep study.
• If you do not have a primary care physician, please call our free Physician Referral Service at 1-855-JHM-3939 (1-855-546-3939).

If you have any further questions regarding our sleep program, please call 202-660-7956. Staff are available to schedule your study and answer questions between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Conditions We Treat

• Sleep Apnea
• Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (a type of dyssomnia)
• Narcolepsy
• Conditional Insomnia
• And other sleep-related conditions

Diagnostic Services

All of these tests are painless and have no risk associated with them.

• Sleep study, or polysomnogram (for patients 18 and older): combination of several diagnostic tests that record sleep patterns, brain activity, breathing, heart activity and body movements simultaneously during sleep. If the patient is 17 and under, you can contact the Pediatric Sleep Center in Baltimore.
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) titrations
• Multiple Sleep Latency Tests (MSLT)
• At-home sleep testing, mail-to-home sleep study
• Split night sleep study

Sleep Studies

During a sleep study, electrodes are attached with adhesive to the scalp and face to record brain wave activities, eye movement and chin muscle activity. Respiration is measured using a light plastic wire with a thermometer in it that is positioned on the face and by elastic bands around the chest and abdomen to record movement. A small attachment to a finger monitors oxygen content of the blood. A registered polysomnographic technologist will attach the monitoring equipment and will be on duty throughout your overnight stay.

Although it might seem that equipment attachments would be uncomfortable, patients rarely report discomfort or experience interference with sleep.

On the day of your study, please avoid napping in the afternoon before your sleep study. Eat dinner before you arrive. Make sure your scalp is clean and dry — no hair spray or mousse products.

Remember to bring with you:

• Personal identification and insurance card
• Sleepwear, robe, slippers and toiletries
• Prescribed medications
• Your own pillow, if you like

Your study will last approximately eight hours and you will be asked to leave between 6 am and 6:30 am.

Our professional, experienced staff will give you personalized explanations of procedures for your sleep study and will make your stay as pleasant as possible.

Home Sleep Testing

The Sleep Disorders Center at Sibley Hospital now offers home sleep testing. In some cases, your insurance company may decide they want you to have a home study before you schedule a hospital-based sleep study, or you may prefer to test in the comfort of your bed.

A home sleep test is used exclusively to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and is appropriate for otherwise healthy adults with a high risk of obstructive sleep apnea.

Call our Intake Specialist at 202-660-7956 to learn more and see if a home sleep study is right for you. The Sleep Technologists at Sibley Hospital provide hands-on education and instruction on the testing process, easy set-up and use in your home.

Once the device is returned, the data is downloaded and shared with a Physician Sleep Specialist who will review your study and provide your referring physician with a report. The technologist scores the sleep study within 48 hours and sends it to the Sleep Center medical director, a physician who is board-certified in sleep medicine. Your referring physician will receive the results and will set up a time to review them with you. As clinically indicated, you may need a facility-based study or be set up with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine directly.

Learn more about at-home sleep testing.