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Sleep Disorders Center

Center for Neurosciences

Getting a Good Night’s Rest

It’s important to get quality sleep.

Sleep is essential for your health and your brain function and you’ll spend a third of your life doing it.

Yet our sleep experts - at our Sleep Disorders Center, accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine - understand that many of you have difficulty sleeping.

That is why our multi-disciplinary team at the Sleep Disorders Center uses the most advanced diagnostics in assessing a wide variety of sleep disorders to determine the best treatment plan for you.

We specialize in a broad range of sleep disorders including:

  • Insomnia – Difficulty falling asleep
  • Sleep apnea – A serious disorder that causes you to stop breathing during sleep
  • Narcolepsy – Sudden sleep attacks and persistent sleepiness
  • Restless legs syndrome
  • Parasomnias – Abnormal and recurrent nighttime behaviors like night terrors and sleepwalking

Our treatments and diagnostics include:

  • Comprehensive medical evaluation and treatment plan
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia
  • Acupuncture
  • At-home and in-center sleep studies
  • Sleep Lab
  • At home sleep tests
  • Weight loss programs

Tips for Getting Good Sleep

A number of things can interrupt your sleep or make it more difficult to sleep.

Good sleep hygiene can help set you up for a better night’s rest.

  • Maintain a daily routine sleep schedule.
  • If you’re unable to fall asleep or remain asleep, leave the bedroom and try a quiet activity like reading.
  • Don’t watch television or scroll through social media.
  • Avoid caffeine and alcohol four to six hours before bedtime.
  • Avoid use of nicotine close to bedtime, as well as preferably avoiding it throughout the night.
  • Avoid napping, especially close to bedtime.
  • Use the bedroom for sleep and intimacy only.
  • Engage in a relaxing activity before bedtime to relieve stress and promote sleep.
  • Enjoy a light, caffeine-free snack before bedtime, but avoid large meals.
  • Create a comfortable bedroom environment for sleep with minimal light, limited noise and comfortable temperatures. Turn off the television.

Location & Contact Information

Appointments with our sleep specialists are available at both our Dover location at 10 Members Way and at the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Outpatient Center at 121 Corporate Drive (Building C) in Portsmouth.

Referrals to the Sleep Disorders Clinic and the Sleep Lab may be made by your primary care provider or specialty care provider.

Links to Trusted Resources

The CDC: Sleep and Sleep Disorders: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/index.html

Sleep Education (from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine): http://www.sleepeducation.org/external icon

National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project (from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine): http://www.sleepeducation.org/healthysleepexternal icon

American Sleep Association: https://www.sleepassociation.org/external icon

American Sleep Apnea Association: https://www.sleepapnea.org/

Our Sleep Questionnaire and Other Pertinent Forms

Meet Our Team 

Sleep Medicine

Rachel Higginbotham, MD

Wentworth Health Partners Coastal Neurology Services

Dover, NH 03820

See Profile
Neurology

Gary Usher, MD

Wentworth Health Partners Coastal Neurology Services

Dover, NH 03820

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Hospital Medicine

Kanistha Verma, MD

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital-Hospital Medicine

Dover, NH 03820

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Neurology

Kathleen Reid, APRN

Wentworth Health Partners Coastal Neurology Services

Dover, NH 03820

See Profile

Coastal Neurology Services

10 Members Way
Dover, NH 03820

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Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 


Phone:

Office: (603) 749-0913

Fax: (603) 749-0973

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Outpatient Center

121 Corporate Drive (Building C)
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Get Directions

Phone:

Office: (603) 610-8075

Fax: (603) 610-8076

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