POTSDAM -- Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s (CPH) Sleep Disorders Center recently expanded its services to include home sleep apnea testing, allowing patients to sleep in their own environment where they are most comfortable.

In the past sleep apnea testing was done during overnight stays at the hospital’s sleep lab.

The center said the new home service received accreditation by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the national accreditation body for sleep medicine centers, in December.

“We remain the only center in St. Lawrence County to achieve accreditation,” said Dennis Maid, the center’s director. “To be considered, a service must undergo rigorous analysis, and meet academy regulations and outcomes.”

“In accordance with AASM, patients 18 years of age and older who pretest and qualify with the likelihood of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea with limited comorbidities, may be able to take advantage of home testing to detect obstructive sleep apnea,” nurse Natasha Wolpin said. “Most other sleep disorder conditions require the patient to visit the sleep center where the technologists would want to monitor sleeping activity in live-time.”