Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where are you located?

Directions to 5477 Glen Lakes Dr
Dallas, TX 75231-0946
Dallas office and new Research sleep lab
5477 Glen Lakes Drive, Suite 100 (One block north of Walnut Hill Lane off of 75 north)
Dallas, Texas 75231
Phone: 214-750-7776
Fax: 214-750-4621

Directions to 8200 Walnut Hill Ln
Dallas, TX 75231-4426
Dallas sleep lab (Sleep Medicine Institute)
8200 Walnut Hill Lane (Presbyterian Hospital)
Jackson Building, Ground Floor
Dallas, Texas 75231
Phone: 214-345-8563
Fax: 214-345-7920

Directions to 4708 Alliance Blvd
Plano, TX 75093-5340
Plano office and sleep lab
Plano Sleep Lab (Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano)
4708 Alliance Blvd. Pavilion 1 Professional Building
Suite 725
Plano, Texas 75093
972-312-8832
Fax: 972-312-8634

2. How do I refer a patient to Sleep Medicine Associates of Texas?

Click HERE for instructions and Referral form.

3. Will my Insurance cover services at Sleep Medicine Associates of Texas?

Sleep Medicine Associates of Texas, P.A. are participating providers for several managed care organizations as listed HERE. If your provider is not on this list, call our office at 214-750-7776 for more information.

4. How much sleep do you need?

There is no 'normal' amount of sleep. The average amount of sleep for adults is 7 - 8 hours. But the range of nighttime sleep duration must be expanded to between 6 - 9 hours in order to include the large majority of people. The amount of sleep that 'you' need is that optimum amount which allows you to function throughout the day without feeling drowsy when you sit quietly.

5. Will the Laser Surgery fix sleep apnea?

Laser-Assisted Uvulaplasty (LAUP) is a relatively new laser surgery on the uvula and soft palate that is reported to diminish snoring, but no controlled studies have been done to show that it reduces sleep apnea.

Since this procedure has been developed, it has been somewhat heavily advertised as a "cure for snoring" in magazines and newspapers. While the procedure may sometimes be effective in helping people who snore but do not have apnea, the main danger from LAUP is that people may eliminate their snoring and assume that their problems are solved, when in fact they may still have untreated sleep apnea which may continue to get worse but be ignored because its primary alarm signal (snoring) has been silenced. Potential patients should be careful that they don't see an ad in the paper, call the doctor, and rush into a LAUP procedure without research and consideration.

The American Sleep Disorders Association has published standards of practice for LAUP. Their recommendations are as follows:

"Because adequate peer-review objective data do not exist regarding the effectiveness of LAUP for the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders, including OSA [sleep apnea], LAUP is not recommended for the treatment of these disorders.
Surgical candidates for LAUP as a treatment for snoring should undergo pre operative clinical evaluations that include an objective measure of respiration during sleep. A significant number of patients who present with a symptom of snoring will have underlying, undetected, sleep-related breathing disorders.
Patients should be informed that the risks, benefits and complications of LAUP have not been established.
Patients who elect to undergo LAUP for the treatment of snoring may be at risk of incurring a delay in the diagnosis of OSA, may be obviated by this surgical procedure. Patients must be specifically informed of this risk and should be evaluated on a biennial or preferably, annual basis.
The perioperative use of narcotics may pose risks for patients who have undergone LAUP operations; therefore, careful clinical judgment should be used when prescribing pain medications. Patients should avoid the use of sedative medications, sleeping pills, and alcohol during the perioperative period."

Reference: SLEEP Volume 17(8):pages 744-748.

6. What if you don't dream?

As far as scientists know, everyone dreams but some people do not remember their dreams. Because they do not remember, they believe that they do not dream.