BOARDMAN - Mercy Health opened a Sleep Medicine Center on Marwood Circle off of Market Street in Boardman on Friday afternoon to treat patients with sleep disorders. The facility combines the area's sleep medicine services under one building.

The center contains 8 beds, an upgrade from the previous facility's 6 beds. The building also has Positive Airway Pressure machines for patients to improve breathing during sleep.

The center provides monitored sleep sessions called sleep studies. 

A practitioner monitors a patient's sleep patterns and make recomendations to doctors.

Dr. Joseph Cataline says that many people do not realize that they have a sleep disorder and the condition goes undiagnosed.

"They say that 'I've been snoring', 'I'm more tired', 'it's just the weather', 'I'm exhuasted', 'I have low energy', 'I might have low testosterone,' they might start reaching for diagnoses that they may not have and that is usually a telltale sign of a sleep disorder," he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around one in three Americans are sleep deprived. 

The CDC also reports that 39.9% of Ohio adults do not get enough sleep according to a study from 2022.

Dr. Cataline attributes this to Ohio's cold weather as well as the nature of shift work in the state.

"When you have shift workers who are against circadian rhythm, it can cause massive issues," he said

Circadian rhythm is defined as the pattern the human body follows based on a 24-hour day, which includes sleep, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Toimprove sleep, Dr. Cataline recommends a regular sleep schedule.

"Same time at night, same time in the morning, through everyday. don't sleep in on the weekends, don't shorten yourself on sleep through the weekdays," he said.

Dr. Cataline adds that people should not mask symptoms of a sleep disorder such as snoring, choking, gasping for air, headaches in the morning, teeth-grinding, or many trips to the bathroom at time.

A primary care referral is required to get an appointment with the Mercy Health Boardman Sleep Medicine Center. The referral does not have to come from within the Mercy Health network.