The Trinity Sleep Disorders Center staff is trained to provide your patients with care, compassion and technology while evaluating their condition in the field of sleep medicine. Our main goal is to exceed the patients’ expectations for their sleep diagnostics experience.
The Medical Director and sleep technologists performing studies at Trinity have highly specialized training and years of experience collecting and interpreting sleep data to adequately diagnose and treat numerous sleep disorders.
Trinity Sleep Disorders Center is a four-bed diagnostic and treatment center located on the second floor of Professional Office Building 860 inside the Trinity Medical Inn. The center is designed specifically for patient comfort, privacy and to facilitate the most comprehensive outpatient care available today.
Each of the hotel-style sleep rooms are complete with private bath/shower, wall mounted flat screen television, adjustable beds with memory foam mattresses and Wi-Fi internet access.
Meet the Doctor:
Alan Q. Thomas, M.D. joins Pulmonary Associates of the Southeast, PC and will provide diagnosis and treatment for Pulmonary Diseases and Sleep Disorders.
Dr. Thomas trained at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School for his medical degree and residency in internal medicine. He then completed a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Following training, he has practiced pulmonary and sleep medicine for seven years in Tyler, Texas prior to joining Pulmonary Associates of the Southeast, PC in Birmingham, AL.
Dr. Thomas is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.
As Medical Director of Trinity’s Sleep Disorders Center, Dr. Alan Thomas will assist Trinity Medical Center to insure that the latest technology and trained staff are utilized in his approach to determine the appropriate treatment option for the studied sleep disorder.
The Sleep Disorders Center evaluates disorders including:
- Snoring
- Sleep apnea
- Sleep-disordered breathing
- Narcolepsy
- Idiopathic hypersomnolence
- Abnormal night behaviors: sleep walking, sleep talking, sleep eating, night terrors, etc.
- Nocturnal seizures
- Restless leg syndrome
Testing performed in the Sleep Disorders Center:
- Routine Nocturnal Polysomnography (overnight sleep study for diagnostic monitoring only)
- Treatment Nocturnal Polysomnography (overnight sleep study for monitoring during treatment)
- Split Night Nocturnal Polysomnography (overnight sleep study where diagnostics and treatment are both performed during a single night)
- Multiple Sleep Latency Testing (daytime nap test to evaluate daytime sleepiness)
- Maintenance of Wakefulness Testing (daytime study to evaluate daytime wakefulness)
- Actigraphy (motion sensor watch used to identify disorders of the body’s internal clock)
- Portable Monitoring (a limited channel sleep study that can be used in the hospital or at home if access to the sleep center is limited)
Physicians referring patients to the Sleep Disorders Center can expect:
- A simple process for scheduling. Call the center at 599-2350 or email brett.berry@trinitymedicalonline.com.
- Prompt scheduling of initial evaluation by a board certified sleep physician.
- Sleep study scheduled within two weeks of initial evaluation (if indicated).
- Official sleep study results sent to referring physician in less than 72 hours.
- Next day raw sleep study reports available upon request.
- Dictation of any follow up visits within 48 hours.
Who might need a sleep study?
Everyone knows at least one patient, family member, friend or co-worker who can fall asleep just about anywhere or at any time regardless of their surroundings. Chances are this person may be an excellent candidate for a sleep evaluation. In contrast, many underlying sleep disorder patients present initially with complaints of insomnia and may have very little daytime sleepiness.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:
- Snoring
- Pauses in breathing or gasping for air while sleeping
- Morning headaches
- Short term memory problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Drowsy driving
- Unable to sleep supine
- Uncontrolled hypertension
- Acid reflux
- Difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep
- Wake early and unable to get back to sleep
- Legs kicking while asleep
- “Crawling,” cramping, or burning sensations in legs at night
- Vivid dream like scenes upon falling asleep or awakening
- Any loss of muscle tone associated with extreme emotion
- Feeling unable to move upon falling asleep or awakening
Sleep Disorders Center
800 Montclair Road • Birmingham, Alabama 35213
Phone: (205) 599-2350 • Toll free: (877) 241-4616