OCC to continue its sleep studies

Orange Coast College’s Polysomnographic Technology program has had its accreditation extended three years.

The program, which is the state’s only such accredited program, trains students in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders like sleep apnea, narcolepsy and insomnia. There are only 25 such programs in the United States.

An October state Senate bill requires that these practitioners to be certified.

It was reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education, which examined students’ board exam results and employment success rather than putting the program though a full self-study and site visit.

National surveys find that about 132 million Americans suffer from such problems, the school said.

Insufficient sleep is chronic in nearly two-thirds of all adults.

— Candice Baker