Sleep Disorders Clinic

Sleep Disorders Clinic

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Sleep Laboratory, Mater Private Network, Eccles Street, Dublin 7, D07 WKW8 ereferrals@materprivate.ie

Please note that a referral letter is required before an appointment can be confirmed.

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About our services

At Mater Private Sleep Disorders Clinic we treat a whole range of sleep disorders. We are the only clinic in Ireland providing a full range of services for both adults and children. The Sleep Disorders Clinic was founded in 1994.

Sleep disorders treated 

Poor quality sleep can have a hugely negative impact on patients and their family members, affecting all parts of their life. Some of the more common side effects include low energy levels, change in moods, ability to concentrate and overall health. 

At the Sleep Disorders Clinic our role is to work with patients to diagnose and manage their sleep condition and to help people return to restful sleep. Our diagnostic systems are used to record sleep physiology overnight in single rooms, connected by video to the monitoring laboratory. Our laboratory is situated on a quiet ward run by highly trained technicians and supported by caring nurses. 

Once diagnosis is confirmed, a treatment programme will be put in place appropriate to specific patient needs. Mater Private Sleep Disorders Clinic is unique in its access to a wide variety of professionals which enable us to put cohesive treatment plans in place, no matter what the diagnosis. 

Contact the Sleep Disorders Clinic between 10am-4pm to make an enquiry regarding the treatments and procedures available. 

To book an appointment for a procedure, following a referral from your GP, please contact:

  • Dr Elaine Purcell (all disorders) on 01 811 7713
  • Dr David McSharry (sleep apnoea only) on 087 406 9390 

Obstructive sleep apnoea 

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a disorder of disrupted breathing during sleep. The airway or windpipe becomes excessively floppy during sleep, where it becomes narrow (causing snoring and shallow breathing known as hypopnoeas) and may even close over completely, causes pauses in breathing /choking spells (apnoeas). This disturbs patients’ sleep causing tiredness or excessive sleepiness during the day. In the short term, patients are at increased risk of car accidents. Over the long term this can lead to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and/or high blood pressure. 

Restless leg syndrome 

Restless leg syndrome is usually described by patients as a creepy- crawly type feeling in the legs, associated with the urge to move the legs. The symptoms are relieved by movement only to return at rest. This can impair patients’ ability to fall asleep or even wake them from sleep. 

Abnormal behaviours during sleep 

This is a heterogenous group of disorders which includes sleep walking, night terrors, sleep-related violence, acting out dreams, abnormal movements in sleep. 

Disorders of excessive sleepiness 

This includes narcolepsy, a rare condition whereby patients fall asleep recurrently throughout the day often accompanied by cataplexy; whereby they may have weakness in the leg, neck or facial muscles in response to emotion. Other disorders treated include Kleine-Levin syndrome and idiopathic hypersomnia. 

 

Please note we do not manage insomnia (difficulty falling asleep). Services to manage insomnia (such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) can be accessed by your GP.  

Children are seen from the age of three and upwards. 

  • Obstructive sleep apnoea 
  • Sleep walking 
  • Body clock issues 
  • Abnormal behaviours during sleep 
  • Night terrors 
  • Narcolepsy 

Once diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, there are numerous treatments available to you at Mater Private Network depending on your particular issue: 

  • Full diagnostic polysomnography (full sleep study) 
  • CPAP titration studies (initiating treatment for sleep apnoea) 
  • Multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT) – testing for narcolepsy 
  • Maintenance of wakefulness testing (MWT) 
  • Actigraphy (to assess body-clock issues) 
  • Overnight oximetry (measuring oxygen levels during sleep) 
  • CPAP compliance monitoring (to ensure appropriate usage of CPAP) 
  • Christine Gibson, Manager of Sleep and Clinical Physiology Department.
  • Dr Elaine Purcell, Consultant in Sleep Disorders Medicine. 
  • Dr. David McSharry, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine and Sleep Disorders Medicine.

Our consultants