Somnology

Somnology Center

Somnology Center is a multifunctional center for the diagnosis and treatment of the entire spectrum of sleep disorders. We have all the resources to successfully help patients with even long-term, complex and complicated sleep disorders.

• Patients with stress insomnia receive special relaxing procedures and consultations by a psychotherapist
• In secondary sleep disorders (due to pain or thyroid disorders), we resort to an interdisciplinary approach. The patient receives an individual treatment plan prepared with the participation of a somnologist and a doctor specialized in the patient’s underlying condition
• For sleep apnea, the optimal CPAP therapy regimen is selected
• For patients with snoring without respiratory arrest, surgery, mouth guards, or another method may be recommended depending on the cause of the disorder

Treatment of diseases at the Somnology

The multifunctional Somnology Center performs diagnostics and treatment of the entire spectrum of sleep disorders. We have all the resources to help patients effectively, even with complex, long-term or complicated sleep disorders. We provide treatment for the following diseases:

• Chronic insomnia
• Drug dependence on sleeping pills
• Increased daytime somnolence
• Narcolepsy
• Circadian rhythm disorders
• Various neurotic disorders, including depression
• Snoring and respiratory arrest during sleep (apnea)
• Eating disorders due to sleep problems (obesity)
• Increased urination at night
• Erectile dysfunction
• Nocturnal arrhythmias, difficult-to-treat hypertension, attacks of suffocation at night, vegetative crises, migraine
• Restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movements during sleep
• Bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, confusional arousals, sleep-speaking, sleep cramps, sleep paralysis, and other disorders

Types of interventions

• Night-time polysomnography, including with the possibility of assessing erectile dysfunction
• Cardio-respiratory monitoring
• Multiple sleep latency test
• Selection of CPAP therapy
• Encephalophony («Music of the Brain»)
• Psychotherapy
• Inhalation of xenon at therapeutic doses

Center Director

The center is headed by Natalya v. Ligun (Лигун Наталья Владимировна), a neurologist, somnologist, and member of the Russian Society of Somnologists.

Quality diagnostics

MEDSI sleep center performs polysomnography (PSG). It is the main and most reliable diagnostic method in sleep medicine. Polysomnography is performed in no more than 40 medical centers in Moscow, and MEDSI is one of them.

• We use advanced PSG equipment: compact and convenient systems which allow the patient, even with sensors fixed to the body, sleep without feeling discomfort or waking up
• We use all the potential of polysomnography and record the maximum number of sleep parameters, which ensures high diagnostic accuracy
• Our specialists do not rely on automatic analysis of the data obtained during the study, but manually decode polysomnographic records, which makes the results obtained even more accurate

Another diagnostic method can be used to identify breathing disorders during sleep: cardio-respiratory monitoring. It simultaneously records parameters of breathing (including snoring and respiratory arrest, i.e. apnea), heart function (heart rate, arrhythmias) and blood oxygen.

• The study is non-invasive, painless and safe, just like polysomnography
• Its scope is sufficient to diagnose all breathing disorders during sleep (snoring, apnea, chronic nocturnal hypoxemia)
• The study can be performed at home

Clarifying the causes of sleep disturbances requires a detailed interview of the patient, assessment of test results or filling out special questionnaires. Our specialists use internationally validated questionnaires that allow accurate identification of sleep disorders and their possible causes.

Work experience over 20 years

Somnology in Russia has rather short history, only about 50 years. We have accumulated extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of all sleep disorders. We have monitored the results of different treatment methods, tracked the condition of the treated patients and the course of chronic sleep disorders for many years. This makes the somnological services in MEDSI of exceptional quality and ensures high treatment efficacy.

Even for chronic sleep disorders that cannot be completely cured by current medicine (narcolepsy, apnea syndrome), we prepare a treatment plan so that the patient feels good, has no symptoms, lives and works fully.

Innovative treatment methods

We follow the current trends in somnology and introduce innovative treatment methods into our practice.

• We recommend modern safe drugs for sleep disorders requiring medication treatment
• We use effective methods of psychotherapy to fight long-term psycho-physiological insomnia
• We apply a unique method of treating chronic insomnia: encephalophony or Music of the Brain, which has no analogues in the world
• We perform instrumental therapy of sleep apnea using the latest generation CPAP devices, which simultaneously provide maximum efficacy and comfort. The latter is very important for patients, as CPAP therapy is a long-term treatment used every night
• We cooperate with other physicians, whose help is sometimes needed: some sleep disorders occur in patients who already have cardiac, therapeutic, endocrine disorders and other diseases

Diagnosis of diseases

Night-time polysomnography is the «gold standard» for diagnosing sleep disorders.

The method provides the most complete information about the functioning of various body systems during sleep. In our work we use Neuron Spectrum SM, an expert class polysomnograph by Neurosoft.

«Neuron-Spectrum-SM» can record an electroencephalogram (EEG) on 21 channels of the «10–20%» system. In addition to EEG channels, the Neuron-Spectrum-SM device contains a full set of polysomnographic channels (corresponds to type 2 according to the AASM guidelines). It also has a built-in pulse oximeter for recording blood oxygen saturation during sleep (SpO2), breathing channels (thermistor and cannula), movements of the chest and abdominal wall, tone of the chin muscles, ECG, snoring, eye movements. It also has a dedicated DC link. Motion and light sensors built into the recorder unit complete the picture.

Since the device is completely autonomous (powered by batteries and saves data to a built-in memory card), the patient can move freely during the examination, while the recorded data remains under the full control of the medical staff.

The study can be carried out both at the Somnology Center and at home.

Cardio-respiratory monitoring is a method for diagnosing breathing disorders during sleep (snoring and sleep apnea) at home using the ApneaLink Air (Resmed) device: an efficient type III device capable of recording up to five information channels: respiratory pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, nasal pressure and snoring. Diagnostic results provide clear diagnoses and effective reports that meet the AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) and CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) definitions. The patient receives the device for the night, and returns to the medical institution in the morning. Self-installation of the device before bedtime is simple and problem-free. The small number of sensors does not interfere with sleep, so ApneaLink Air is extremely convenient for diagnosing snoring and sleep apnea.

Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is an objective method for assessing daytime somnolence. It is important for the correct diagnosis of narcolepsy (excessive daytime somnolence) or other conditions that accompany this symptom.

Penile tumescence test registers spontaneous erections using the Androscan MIT device. The test is indicated for patients with identified neurological and psychological disorders, when the role of these disorders in the development of erectile failure is unclear. The test is important for patients with psychogenic impotence.

Treatment methods

Treatment, is a unique non-drug method of treating insomnia, anxiety, depression, and chronic stress through daily listening to music files obtained by computer processing of the patient’s own EEG (assessment of the electrical activity of the brain).

An inhalation-based treatment method that uses a xenon-oxygen mixture. Performed through a mask using special equipment. Due to its efficacy and safety, xenon penetrates well through cell membranes and has a beneficial effect on the molecular composition of cells. Xenon does not cause chemical or biochemical reactions; it is excreted from the body without side effects and is not toxic. It has a deep restorative, tonic and healing effect on the human body.

Light therapy

The method is based on the use of special glasses that generate light waves of a certain length that normalize the circadian rhythms, i.e. restore the sleep-wake cycle.

It is recommended for people with sleep disorders, the elderly, those who fly frequently, students and anyone who wants to be successful and use their potential effectively.

CPAP therapy

CPAP therapy (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is a unique method for treating respiratory arrest during sleep. It creates constant positive airway pressure using a special apparatus. The CPAP method is effective both in eliminating sleep apnea and snoring, and in treating associated diseases: hypertension, obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiac arrhythmias, lipid metabolism disorders, etc.

As a result of treatment, the risk of dangerous cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke is significantly reduced, and the probability of death over the next decade is reduced by more than 3 times. The Center’s specialists help the patient adapt to the device, select the mask and the initial comfortable pressure, and teach how to use the equipment. We do our best for the most effective use of the CPAP device at home.

Positive psychotherapy methods

Physiological and mental reactions are different manifestations of the individual internal state of a person. Going through the times of stress, conflict and problems, getting into a life crisis, the human body can experience prolonged states of tension, which inevitably leads to various sleep disorders.

The main objective of positive psychotherapy is the transformation of the patient’s beliefs about their own disease and a search for new opportunities of the internal reserve to overcome the disease.

The methods of positive psychotherapy are aimed at helping the patient to realize that they need to live their own life (positum) in such a way that it becomes brighter, brings health, respect and acceptance of their own uniqueness.

Cognitive psychotherapy

Cognitive psychotherapy is the correction of existing psychopathological symptoms both in relation to sleep itself and to disorders observed during wakefulness. It involves reducing the level of anxiety, the most common symptom associated with night sleep disorder. Psychotherapy involves searching for the primary factors triggering the development of sleep disorders and working through them. Patients with insomnia tend to «catastrophize» their illness. They believe that the later they fall asleep, the less energy they will receive and the worse the next day will turn out, and this increases the anxiety and tension. Cognitive therapy targets dysfunctional sleep beliefs and maladaptive behavioral strategies. It involves behavioral experiments and dialogue, when the patient is asked successive questions and independently formulates correct judgments by answering those questions. As a result, the patient forms realistic ideas about the body’s need for sleep and the sources of daytime energy and stops «blaming» insomnia for daytime failures, as they have other objective reasons.

Relaxation methods

1. Jacobson’s neuromuscular relaxation technique involves a set of exercises alternating maximum tension and relaxation of muscle groups. Exercise relieves tension of specific parts of the body, which causes a decrease in emotional tension.

The method of sensory reproduction of images involves relaxation through the presentation of images, objects and holistic situations associated with rest. The attention is focused on correct breathing and pleasant sensations in various parts of the body.

The autogenous training method is based on teaching the possibilities of self-hypnosis. In the course of training, connections are formed between self-orders and psychophysiological processes in the body. A patient who has undergone a training course can, with the help of certain self-hypnosis formulas, induce the desired feeling of relaxation and peace.

Ericksonian hypnosis

It is considered one of the most effective and elegant methods of modern psychotherapy. This is «mild» non-directive hypnosis. It utilizes our ability for involuntary hypnotic trance: the state of the psyche that makes it most open and ready for positive changes.

Moreover, each of us plunges into a state of trance every day.

When we are falling asleep, but are not yet asleep, different images appear in our mind, which immerse us in a world between reality and sleep. During Ericksonian hypnosis, a person remains awake: they see, hear, feel. But their attention is focused not on the outer world, as in ordinary life, but on the inner one: memories, fantasies, images. This state opens access to internal resources forgotten by the person, but preserved in their unconscious. During Ericksonian hypnosis, nothing is suggested to the patient. The goal here is to release the knowledge, experience, sensations and thoughts that already exist in the person’s subconscious, and to create on its basis completely new resources and discover the sources of problems.

Comfortable conditions

The doctors of the Center practice individual approach to each patient. We offer comfortable conditions of stay in the Center, no queues, personal support during diagnostics and treatment. Attention from specialists, the use of expert equipment, and high quality of medical services are guaranteed to all patients.

• We have the ability to conduct tests at home, which helps obtain more accurate diagnostic results
• You can visit the center at a convenient time, including weekends and holidays
• For your convenience, the center offers a «pillow menu»: anatomical pillows of various shapes with additional properties (memory effect, cooling effect, the ability to neutralize electromagnetic radiation) that do not cause allergies and provide free air exchange
• There is free parking near the clinic, which is available throughout the time required for diagnosis and treatment