The Sleep Center at Christ Hospital

The Christ Hospital Sleep Center

The Christ Hospital Sleep Center has been providing the highest quality care to the Hudson County Community since 1996. Located on the third floor of Christ Hospital, our Sleep Center, accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides a wide range of services designed to evaluate, diagnose, treat and help manage sleep disorders.

At Christ Hospital, our experienced staff of Board Certified Sleep Specialists and Registered Polysomnographic Technologists will provide you the highest level of care, both clinically and personally. Our private accommodations will ensure your stay will be similar to the comforts of home. Each of our bedrooms is furnished with full sized beds, flat panel televisions and private bathrooms. Our combined clinical experience and technical expertise will assure that you are diagnosed correctly and treated effectively.

If you've been previously diagnosed with a sleep disorder and have had difficulty in finding effective treatment for it, please call us. We can help.

The Christ Hospital Sleep Center is an accredited member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).For more information about the AASM, please click here.

On the Importance of Good Quality Sleep
Instinctively, since our earliest beginnings we have known that sleep is necessary and important. But not until recently through scientific research, has there been such a wealth of information about its critical role in maintaining a healthy and happy life. The wealth of information about sleep and sleep disorders is tremendous and dynamic. So, here are some great websites that will help get you and keep informed about sleep.

Some Facts about Sleep Disorders
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) an estimated 50-70 million US adults have a sleep or wakefulness disorder like Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, Narcolepsy or Restless Legs Syndrome. Remarkably, just this year, the CDC issued a statement calling Insufficient Sleep “a Public Health Epidemic.”

Sleep Disorders may lead to serious injury, increased risks of morbidity and mortality and more generally, a diminished quality of life. An untreated sleep disorder can reduce your daytime productivity, increase your risk of work-related or driving accidents, and put you at risk for illness and even early death. A well-known study in 1999 estimated that untreated Sleep Apnea alone resulted in over $3.4 billion in additional medical costs. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes. It can also increase the risk of, or worsen heart failure and make arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats more likely.

While there are over 70 distinct sleep disorders, the most common major types are:

Insomnia — difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, waking too early or having sleep that is non-restorative or of poor quality which results in some sort of daytime impairment.
Sleep Related Breathing Disorders — Sleep Disorders in this subgroup are by characterized by disordered respiration during sleep, the most common being Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA is distinguished by repetitive disruptions in breathing (e.g. Apneas — the cessation of airflow, Hypopnea — diminished airflow with corresponding drops in blood oxygen levels or Respiratory-Effort Related Arousals — brief awakenings arising from increased respiratory effort or diminished airflow)
Hypersomnia of Central Origin — A class of sleep disorders in which the primary complaint is daytime sleepiness and there is no apparent disturbed nighttime sleep or misaligned circadian rhythms.
Sleep Related Movement Disorders — Conditions characterized by simple, usually stereotyped movements that disrupt sleep. Movement Disorders may occur during both wake and sleep.

Do I Have A Sleep Disorder?
Without a proper sleep evaluation it's difficult to say. But some daytime symptoms that may point to a sleep disorder(s) include un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep, difficulty awakening in the morning, morning headaches, excessive daytime sleepiness, drowsy driving, falling asleep unintentionally (e.g. at work, on the bus or train, while watching TV, reading, while relaxing or sedentary, etc . . .) physical fatigue, poor memory or concentration, irritability, short temper or mood disorders, nighttime or morning dry mouth or poor academic, personal or professional performance.

Some nighttime symptoms that either you or your family may notice include difficulty falling asleep, restlessness, discomfort with or difficulty sleeping on your back, nighttime shortness of breath, gagging, coughing and/or choking, chest pain or palpitations, difficulty maintaining sleep, fragmented sleep, excessive nighttime perspiration or waking during the night feeling overheated, unpleasant dreams or nightmares, sleep paralysis, bed-wetting, seizures, teeth grinding, sleepwalking or acting out in your sleep.

So, if have symptoms that are of concern, a discussion with your primary care physician should be your first step. Or if you prefer, for a referral to one of our Sleep physicians, call the Sleep Center directly at 1-888-SLEEP CH or 201.795.5807.

Physician Name	Specialty	Office Address	Phone
Dr. Jyoti Matta, MD, FCCP, D, ABSM **	Sleep Medicine	550 Newark Avenue Jersey City NJ 07306	201.795.9155
Dr. Chaudhry Aman, MD, FCCP	Sleep Medicine	550 Summit Avenue Suite 205 Jersey City NJ 07306	201.217.3222
Dr. George Ciechanowski, MD, FCCP	Sleep Medicine	408 Summit Avenue Jersey City NJ 07306	201.963.7000
Dr. Mazhar El Amir, MD, FCCP	Sleep Medicine	192 Harrison Avenue Jersey City NJ 07305	201.333.5363
Dr. Aseel Sadik, MD, FCCP	Sleep Medicine	36 Pacific Street Newark NJ 07105	973.578.4808
Dr. Ved Sharma, MD, FCCP, D, ABSM	Sleep Medicine	2769 Kennedy Blvd. Jersey City NJ 07306	201.795.0050

** Medical Director of Administrative Affairs
(FCCP: Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians)
(D, ABSM: Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine)

Sleep Quiz

Determining whether or not you may suffer from a sleep disorder is as easy as taking this simple quiz:

1.	Are you sleepy during the day?	Yes No	11.	Has your spouse, family or friends complained about your irritability, short temper, bad moods or depression?	Yes No
2.	Do you doze off while reading, watching TV, riding the bus or train, in church or at meetings?	Yes No	12.	Has anyone mentioned that you gag, gasp or stop breathing for short periods at night?	Yes No
3.	Has anyone mentioned that you snore loudly at night?	Yes No	13.	Upon falling asleep or waking up, do you sometimes see, hear or feel things that you know aren't there (hallucinations)?	Yes No
4.	Do you wake up frequently at night or awaken earlier in the morning than you have to?	Yes No	14.	Do you have trouble maintaining attention, concentration or have a poor memory?	Yes No
5.	Do you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep?	Yes No	15.	Do you have "spells" when you unexpectedly drop things?	Yes No
6.	Are you restless at night? (i.e. do you hit, kick, or slap your bed partner or change positions frequently?)	Yes No	16.	Do you ever feel unable to move (or paralyzed) just before you fall asleep or wake up?	Yes No
7.	Do you get morning headaches?	Yes No	17.	Have you had a lack of sexual desire or a problem with impotence or ED?	Yes No
8.	As an adult, have you ever wet the bed or walked in your sleep?	Yes No	18.	Do you have trouble maintaining attention, concentration or have a poor memory?	Yes No
9.	Do you sweat during the night or prefer your bedroom to be very cool?	Yes No	19.	Are you overweight or obese, have high blood pressure, diabetes, nighttime asthma or GERD?	Yes No
10.	Do you wake up very tired, foggy, confused or disoriented? Or do you have great difficulty "getting going" in the morning?	Yes No	20.	Do you ever get an uneasy feeling in your legs? (i.e. a creeping, crawling sensation or feelings like you just have to move them.)	Yes No

*This test is informational only and does not take the place of medical advice. If you've answered yes to more than five questions, talk to your physician or call us and we will direct you to one of our qualified affiliated physicians.