Sleep Institute of Spokane

RECORDS UPDATE: The transferring of records to the custodial company Iron Mountain is complete. The process took longer then expected and for that we are sorry. Iron Mountain is finally ready to receive your record requests.

Patients can mail, email, or fax requests to:

Irom Mountain Release of Information
11333 E. 53rd Ave.
Denver, CO 80239

email: [email protected]
Phone: 303-373-5764
Fax: 303-576-6874

Please Note: 1. On the request you will need your doctors name:
Dr. Jeffery Elmer or Dr. Donald Howard. 2. You will need the address of the clinic .

The Sleep Institute of Spokane and Spokane Respiratory Consultants, 324 S. Sherman bldg. A5, Spokane, WA 99202

Update: Our clinic and office are permanently closed.

Dr. Howard will begin with Providence on November 8th. If you are needing care between now and Nov. 8th you will need to contact your primary care provider. If you are in need of medications that your primary will not refill please call Providence Sleep at 509-465-3919.

UPDATE: Dr. Howard’s new location beginning November 8th.

Providence Sleep Medicine-North

9631 North Nevada St
Suite 300
Spokane, Wa 99218

Office 509-465-3819
Fax 509-468-0705

UPDATE: Scheduling an appointment with Dr. Howard

We want to thank you all for your patience during this transition, we know it has not been easy. We now have information from Providence regarding how to schedule an appointment with Dr. Howard at his new location. ALL PATIENTS will need to get a referral from their Primary Care Doctor. Please have your Primary Care Doctor fax a referral for Dr. Howard to Providence Sleep. Their fax number is 509-468--0705. Once Providence receives the referral from your doctor they will call you within two weeks to schedule an appointment. Please do not call Providence Sleep directly at this time as they have many request to fill.

NOTE: The Sleep Institute of Spokane can not send a referral to see Dr. Howard at Providence. All patients must go through their Primary Care Doctor.

RECORDS UPDATE: We wanted to give you an update on obtaining your medical records. We are in the process of getting records ready for transfer to a Custodian of Records company that will hold your records for future use. This is a very common practice in medicine when a practice closes. This process take a bit of time to complete. We anticipate this should be completed by the end of October. At that time we will post the contact information for you or your provider to request your records and they will be mailed free of charge. If you are in need of your records for a medical appointment before the end of October, please have your medical provider fax a medical records request to 509-343-0134. We appreciate your patience with this process.

UPDATE: We appreciate your patient as Dr. Howard transitions to his new practice. Here is what we know so far... Dr. Howard will be joining Providence Pulmonary and Sleep. Dr. Howard and Providence are diligently working together to complete the transition as quickly as possible. We are waiting on news of Dr. Howard's practice location and a start date for his clinic. It looks like Dr. Howard could begin seeing patients as early as late November. Providence is not yet ready to schedule patients for Dr. Howard's clinic. As soon as they are ready we will post an update with all the information you will need to schedule an appointment. Please keep watching Facebook for more updates.

The Sleep Institute of Spokane business office will remain open for a couple of months to collect payments and handle business matters. If you have a question about your account you can call our business office at the phone number listed on your statement 509-309-8643 or mail your payment to the address listed on your statement

The Sleep Institute of Spokane
324 South Sherman
Building A, Suite 6
Spokane , WA 99202

Keep watching our page for more updates.

Our office is officially closed. If you are in need of refills for medication please contact your primary care doctor for your refills. Continue to watch Facebook for information on Dr. Howard's new practice information.

We are still working to provide you with access to your records after our closure. This process is quite complicated and does take time. We understand your concerns and are doing everything we can to expedite this process. We appreciate your patience.

The Sleep Institute Of Spokane Will Be Closing After 33 Years.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the retirement of Dr. Jeff Elmer after 34 years of practice. Dr. Elmer founded the Sleep Institute of Spokane (SIS) in 1988 and it has remained the premier Sleep Center in Spokane for decades. He now has plans to spend his time with his wife Peggy, 28 grandkids and pursuing numerous interests in his life.

Dr. Don Howard will continue to practice Sleep Medicine in Spokane. He does not plan to practice as a solo practitioner but will continue to serve his current and future patients. The details of this transition are still being worked out to include practice location in Spokane. We ask that you avoid calling the clinic for more information. We will share details of Dr. Howards future plan and how to obtain your medical records on our page ( Sleep Institute of Spokane). You can also drop off a stamped, self addressed stamped envelope at our current practice location( 324 S Sherman St.) until August 15th, 2021 if you would like us to send you a letter with details of Dr. Howards new location and start date.

We want to thank all of you for your support over the years!

Did you know...Sleeping 6 hours or less per night is linked to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life? A new study published Tuesday , found sleep duration of six or less hours a night for those aged 50 to 60 was associated with a 30% increase risk of late-onset dementia compared to consistent normal sleep of seven hours. Out of nearly 8,000 people, researchers found 521 had been diagnosed with dementia at an average age of 77. Experts say this study highlights the importance of sleep and how certain behaviors can contribute to the risk of developing dementia. Americans can use this information to not only change their sleep habits but also incorporate a healthy diet and daily physical exercise to help reduce that risk.

Lets talk about Restless Leg Syndrome (RSL).... Restless Leg Syndrome is the overwhelming urge to move your legs at night. This is usually in response to unpleasant sensations, such as creeping, crawling, tingling, burning, achy or itchy feeling. Moving the legs often relieves these sensations. If you are experiencing these symptoms you should consider seeing a sleep specialist. A sleep specialist is the best choice for advanced care and treatment of clinical sleep disorder. Here at the Sleep Institute of Spokane we can help you with your sleep concerns. To make an appointment with one of our doctors call 509-353-3960.

Happy New Year Everyone! Many people like to start off the new year in a healthy way. Here are some tips to getting a better night sleep in 2021. DON'T SMOKE: Ni****ne stimulates the body in ways that disrupt sleep, which helps explain why smoking is correlated with numerous sleeping problems. REDUCE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: Alcohol may make it easier to fall asleep, but the effect wears off, disrupting sleep later in the night. As a result, it's best to moderate alcohol consumption and avoid it later in the evening. CUT DOWN ON CAFFEINE: Because it's a stimulant, caffeine can keep you wired even when you want to rest, so try to avoid it later in the day. Also be aware if you're consuming lots of caffeine to try to make up for lack of sleep. DON'T DINE LATE: Eating dinner late, especially if it's a big heavy, or spicy meal, can mean you're still digesting when its time for bed. In general, any food or snack before bed should be on the lighter side.

Ever Wonder How Holiday Stress Affects Sleep?... Elevated stress levels can have a negative effect on our health, specifically our quality of sleep. Stress causes many people to lose hours of much-needed rest, as they lie in bed worrying. Lack of sleep, in the short term, can affect concentration, mood, and increase the risk of accidents and injury. Long-term sleep deprivation increases the risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Getting a good night sleep can reduce the effects of stress. Here are a few tips to help manage holiday stress. EAT A HEALTHY DIET...During the holidays we tend to indulge in foods that are rich in fat and sugar and can make us lethargic and less capable of combatting stress. What you eat during the day effects how you sleep at night. High -fat and high sugar meals leads to indigestion and a night of tossing and turning. DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES... Our holiday to-do lists are overwhelming. Ask family and friends to help out. PRACTICE STRESS REDUCTION TECHNIQUES... practicing deep breathing and meditation can help you relax and improve sleep. EXERCISE- All forms of exercise help the brain to release feel -good hormones such as endorphins which can help combat stress. Studies have shown that exercise also improves sleep.

Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at the Sleep Institute of Spokane

Did you know...How you prepare for bed can determine how easily you will be able to fall asleep. KEEP YOUR ROUTINE CONSISTANT...Following the same steps each night, including things like putting on your pajamas and brushing your teeth, can reinforce in your mind that it's bedtime. BUDGET 30 MINUTES FOR WINDING DOWN...Take advantage of whatever puts you in a state of calm such as soft music, light stretching, reading, and/or relaxation exercise. DIM YOUR LIGHTS.. Try to keep away from bright lights because they can hinder the production of melatonin, a hormone that the body creates to facilitate sleep. Finally UNPLUG FROM ELECTRONICS!! Build in a 30-60 minute pre-bed buffer time that is device free. Cell phones, tablets, and laptops cause mental stimulation that is hard to shut off and also generate blue light that may decrease melatonin production.

In our last post we talked about having a fixed wake-up time and prioritizing sleep. If you want to shift your sleep times MAKE GRADUAL ADJUSTMENTS. Don't try to do it all in one fell swoop because that can throw your schedule out of whack. Instead, make small, step-by-step adjustments of up to an hour or two so that you can get adjusted and settle into a new schedule. DON'T OVERDO IT WITH NAPS... Naps can be a handy way to regain energy during the day, but they can throw off sleep at night. To avoid this, try to keep naps relatively short and limited to the early afternoon.

Setting Your Sleep Schedule.... Having a set schedule normalizes sleep as an essential part of your day and gets your brain and body accustomed to getting the full amount of sleep that you need. HAVE A FIXED WAKE-UP TIME : Regardless of whether it's a weekday or weekend, try to wake up at the same time since a fluctuating schedule keeps you from getting into a rhythm of consistent sleep. PRIORITIZE SLEEP: It might be temping to skip sleep in order to work, study,socialize, or excercise, but it's vital to treat sleep as a prioity. Calculate a target bedtime based on your fixed wake-up time and do your best to be ready for bed around that time each night.

How Do You Practice Good Sleep Hygiene?...Good sleep hygiene is all about putting yourself in the best position to sleep well each night. Optimizing your sleep schedule, pre-bed routine, and daily routines is part of harnessing habits to make quality sleep feel more automatic. At the same time, creating a pleasant bedroom environment can be an invitation to relax and doze off. In our next post we will discuss a handful of tips that can help in each of these areas, they aren't rigid requirements. You can adapt them to fit your circumstances and create your own sleep hygiene checklist to help get the best sleep possible. stay tuned....

What Are Signs of Poor Sleep Hygiene?... Improving sleep hygiene has little cost and vertually no risk, making it an important part of a public health strategy to counteract the serious problem of insufficient sleep and insomnia in America.
Having a hard time falling asleep, experiencing frequent sleep
distrurbances, and suffering daytime sleepiness are the most telling signs of poor sleep hygiene. An overall lack of consistency in sleep quantity and quality can also be a symptom of poor sleep hygiene.

Why Is Sleep Hygiene Important?....
Obtaining healthy sleep is important for both physical and mental health, improving productivity and overall quality of life. Everyone, from children to older adults, can benefit from better sleep, and sleep hygiene can play a key part in achieving that goal. Research has demonstrated that forming good habits is a central part of health. Crafting sustainable and beneficial routines make healthy behaviors feel almost automatic, creating an ongoing process of positive reinforcement. On the flip side, bad habits can become engrained even as they cause negitive consequences. Do you have good or bad habits? We will discuss the difference in our next post...

Did You Know...Paying attention to SLEEP HYGIENE is one of the most straightforward ways that you can set yourself up for better sleep. Strong sleep hygine means having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep. Keeping a stable sleep schedule, making your bed comfortable and free of disruption, following a relaxing pre-bed routine, and building healthy habits during the day can all contribute to ideal sleep hygiene. Every sleeper can tailor their sleep hygiene practice to suit their needs. In the process, you can harness positive habits to make it easier to sleep soundly throughout the night and wake up well-rested.

Have you ever wondered what kind of training your sleep physician has?

A sleep specialist is a physician who specializes in treating diseases related to your sleep, a field know as sleep medicine. Sleep medicine is a subspecialty under several medical specialties, so your sleep specialist may be board certified as a pulmonologist, internest, neurologist, otolaryngologist or psychiatrist.

All doctors complete a training program called residency after they finish medical school. But sleep specialist receive considerable training beyond that. Sleep specialists spend an additional year in a fellowship, during which they train under experienced sleep specialists and focus on patients with sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. At the end of this period, specialists can qualify to become board-certified sleep specialists.

Dr. Howard and Dr. Elmer have completed a 3 year residency in Internal Medicine followed by a 3 year fellowship in Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Disorder Medicine.

Dr. Elmer has been board certified in Sleep Medicine since 1989 and has been practicing in Spokane for 32 years.

Dr. Howard has been board certified in Sleep Medicine since 1996 and has been practicing in Spokane for 21 years.

Have you ever wondered what having an apointment at the Sleep Institute will be like?

On your first visit a physician who specializes in sleep medicine will evaluate you. If a sleep study is needed you will set up an appointment for the sleep study. You may then spend the night at the sleep Institute for testing(polysomnogram). There is a private bedroom for each patient. Each room has state-of-the-art equipment for monitoring sleep patterns, breathing, heart activity,and body movements throughout the night. In some cases home studies are an option. If a home study is scheduled you will attend a one hour class the morning or afternoon of your study to learn all you need to know to complete your study at home. Shortly after your sleep study you will return to the Sleep Institute to meet with your sleep physician and go over the results of your sleep study. All decisions and recommendations regarding treatment made by the sleep physicain are sent to your primary physician. If you have any questions regarding scheduling a sleep study please feel free to call our office we would be happy to answer your questions.

Did you know...Sleep apnea has been associated with an increased risk of death, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. It has also been associated with obesity, diabetes mellitus and smoking. Most researchers consider sleep apnea a risk factor for these other conditions, although their exact relationship is not clear. In addition, sleep apnea can have an impact on your daily functioning. Consequences of Sleep Apnea include: Risk of high blood pressure, coronary arterial disease, stroke, impairment of memory, cognition and functioning, heart failure, diabetes, daytime sleepiness, impaired quality of life and increased risk of dealth.

Let's talk about Oxygenation Problems....When people have chronic breathing problems or lung disease, their symptoms often worsen during sleep. Complete evaluation of such respiratry diseases sometimes requires measurement of blood oxygen levels during sleep.

Are you having trouble sleeping at the proper time?....When the regular pattern of sleeping and waking is disrupted, some individuals find that it is difficult to resume a sleep-wake schedule that fits their needs. This may be caused by shift work or other changes in schedule. Some complaints of insomnia or daytime sleepiness may be due to undiscovered changes in the sleep-wake rhythm.

Lets talk about Insomnia.... Insomnia,or sleeplessness, may be related to any of the following conditions:psychological (chronic depression or temporary stress),environmental (noise) or physiological ( chronic breathing disorder or temporary pain). Another common cause of insomnia is misuse and overuse of sleeping pills.

Let's talk about Narcolepsy...Narcolepsy is a condition that causes people to suddenly fall into a brief, deep sleep. People with this disorder may also feel muscular weakness when they are angry, surprised or amused. Sometimes narcoleptics experience terrifying dreams or hallucinations just as they fall asleep. Narcolespy often emerges in young aldulthood and is a life long medical disorder.

Patient care is our first priority here at the Sleep Institute of Spokane. We are following the CDC recommended guidelines for Covid 19.

We are excited to see you at our new location. We are getting feedback that GOOGLE MAPS HAS NOT UPDATED OUR NEW ADDRESS YET. They are behind due to Covid 19. Please enter our new address into google maps when looking for our location. Our address is 324 S Sherman, Building A, Suite 5, Spokane WA 99202. Feel free to call us at 509-353-3960 if you need directions.

Let's Talk About Bed-wetting, Sleepwalking,and Sleeptalking...These disorders are common in childhood. Bed-wetting is particularly common and, in most cases, the cause is unknown. Sleepwalking can be dangerous. Sleepwalkers should be protected by reducing the risk of falling and removing other dangers from their bedroom. Sleeptalking is usually not understandable and is rarely of psychological signicance. It is important to determine whether the troublesome behavior is harmless or a sign of a sleep-related seizure or disturbance.

Lets talk about Nightmares and Night Terrors... Nightmares are frightening dream experiences which can later be recalled. These may occur at any age. Night terrors are often accompanied by an anguished scream-yet the victim seldom recalls the experience. Night terrors generally disappear after adolescence. The cause of nightmares and night terrors are unknown.

Lets talk about Sleep Apnea and Snoring....Snoring is not always just a normal annoying occurence. If light, it may indeed be trivial. However, heavy snoring my be a symoptom of a serious sleep disorder called sleep apnea. People with sleep apnea stop breathing again and again during sleep. These apneas last 10 to 90 seconds and may occur several hundred times a night. Some symptoms of sleep apnea may include excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure and heavy snoring. If you are concerned about your snoring you should speak with your physician.

Did you know...Everyone dreams every night...and in color! Some people do not recall their dreams,leading them to think that they never dream. Dreams can be enriching with their imaginative content and psychological meaning,but they can also become nightmares and cause sleep problems.

Did You Know...Sleep patterns change with the aging process. Infants may sleep up to 16 hours per day, while the elderly may experience more disturbed sleep and a greater need for naps. Daytime naps may disturb sleep for some people, but for others they are a normal part of a healthy sleep-wake pattern.

Did you know... Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep a night. When an individual's sleep is adequate, that person should feel alert throughout the day. You can determine your sleep needs by measuring daytime alertness. Some people fall asleep at times when they should normally be able to stay awake. This symptom is dangerous. Such abnormal sleep is a sign of several different sleep disorders and can be sucessfully treated. At the Sleep Institute of Spokane our board certified sleep physicians diagnose and treat patients with sleep related disorders.

We are excited to be at our new location in the 3RD and Sherman Medical Plaza! We are an essential business and open during Covid-19