Hunterdon Healthcare Opens Sleep Disorders Center in Clinton

Pictured: A room at the Sleep Disorders Center in the Clinton Health Campus. 

Published May 13, 2009

Hunterdon Medical Center has just opened a Sleep Disorders Center in the Clinton Health Campus located at 1738 Rte. 31 North in Clinton. This is in addition to the Sleep Disorders Center at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington.  The Sleep Disorders Centers provides a state-of-the-art program to monitor, evaluate and treat various sleep disorders in adults and children, including obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, periodic limb movements/restless legs syndrome, and insomnia.

“About 12 million Americans have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a disorder in which air flow is blocked in the upper airway during sleep,” says Tina Kerschner RRT, BS/BA, MBA, Director of the Sleep Center.  Individuals with sleep apnea awaken briefly during the night, usually with a cough or gasp that opens their airway.

Loud snoring is a classic symptom of the condition. Risk factors include: being overweight, having high blood pressure, having a decreased size of airways in nose, throat or mouth.  Left untreated, sleep apnea can increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke. Untreated sleep apnea can also increase the risk for work-related or driving accidents.

Not surprisingly, people with sleep disorders often wake up in the morning feeling exhausted instead of refreshed. Daytime drowsiness makes it difficult to concentrate and can lead to forgetfulness and, over time, even depression.  Proper diagnosis can lead to effective treatment.

Individuals referred to the Sleep Disorders Center will fill out a detailed questionnaire covering their sleep habits and complaints.  If appropriate, a nighttime sleep study, or polysomnogram, will be scheduled. “During a sleep study, a patient will spend the night under observation.  A skilled technologist will monitor oxygen levels, heart rate and rhythm, breathing, body movements, air flow, and brain waves, all of which reflect sleep quality,” stated Tina Kerschner, RRT, BS, BA, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Hunterdon Medical Center.
To learn more about the Sleep Disorders Center call 908-788-6392 (Hunterdon Medical Center) or 908-735-3939 (Clinton Health Campus).