General Sleep Disorders Clinics

Patients are seen in the Med Inn building, Room C728. (Getting to Med Inn) The appointment desk can be reached at 734-936-9020, but a referral from a physician also is needed for a first-time visit to the Clinic.

The most common problems that bring patients to the Sleep Disorders Clinic are sleepiness during the day, insomnia at night, or loud snoring. However, a wide range of other problems are also seen frequently at the University of Michigan clinics, which serve as a referral center for difficult, challenging, or refractory sleep disorders patients from a multi-state region. Some patients have abnormal nocturnal behaviors, such as acting out dreams, sleep walking, or seizures during sleep. Others have circadian rhythm problems, such as difficulty going to sleep at night combined with difficulty waking up early enough for work or school. A common complaint is restless legs, in which patients cannot fall asleep because they have an irresistible urge to move their legs. Some patients have memory or attention difficulties that can arise from problems with sleep, and others (especially children) come with problems related to daytime hyperactivity or other behavioral issues. Poor sleep health habits or difficulties with sleeping pills are also common reasons for people to be seen in the Sleep Clinic.

If you come to the Sleep Disorders Clinic, a clinician will spend much of the first visit asking you about your medical and sleep history. He or she will perform a physical examination. You will then hear some ideas about what may be causing your sleep problem. Often, but not always, an overnight sleep study (polysomnogram) in a sleep laboratory will be recommended. The purpose usually is to confirm the presence of a medical sleep disorder, or to help assess how severe it is. A letter summarizing the information reviewed during your visit, and the sleep specialist's impressions, generally is sent to your referring physician.

Diagnoses made and later treated at the Sleep Disorders Clinics vary widely. Some of the most common diagnoses are obstructive sleep apnea, psychophysiological insomnia, inadequate sleep hygiene, and restless legs syndrome. Other diagnoses include, for example, central sleep apnea, narcolepsy, sleep-related seizures, REM sleep behavior disorder, sleepwalking, periodic leg movements during sleep, delayed sleep phase syndrome, and limit-setting sleep disorder.