Madigan welcomes renovated, expanded sleep laboratory

By Ron Swarner on February 20, 2014

It's 3:21 a.m. and you're awake.

You've already, unwillingly so, opened your eyes at 12:48 a.m. and 2:34 a.m. As it is, you had a hard time falling asleep because you couldn't get your mind to stop racing, moving through to-do lists things to remember for the next day. When you finally do fall asleep, it's often a fitful one, laden with frenzied dreams of drill sergeants, night sweats and, ultimately, long periods of waking up and lying in bed with nothing to do, but think ... and wait to, hopefully, fall asleep again.

Madigan Army Medical Center feels for you. In fact, the hospital wants to help you sleep. But first, the brain trust at Madigan had to end its restless nights. And, Feb. 25, the brain trust will finally get a good night's sleep.

A state-of-the art sleep facility, dedicated to improving the sleep quality and mission readiness of military personnel through enhanced sleep studies, will officially open its doors Feb. 25 at Madigan Army Medical Center.

According to a news release, "The newly renovated and expanded sleep laboratory boasts eight comfortable beds each situated in separate, sound resistant rooms featuring double blinds to block all ambient light."

"At Madigan we perform assessments for the full spectrum of sleep disorders," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Vincent Mysliwiec, Madigan sleep medicine chief. "All of the laboratory construction and enhancements were carefully planned to create an ideal sleep experience for our patients."

Beyond the hotel-styled rooms, the sleep laboratory features a control room where technologists monitor and record patients' brain waves, eye movements and heart rates, among other items, throughout the night.

"Everything we capture and observe during a sleep study is used as part of a comprehensive sleep medicine evaluation to ensure service members receive an accurate diagnosis for their sleep disturbances," said Mysliwiec.

Dreams do come true, huh Madigan?