Christine Whelley, NP

Christine Whelley, NP, is a nurse practitioner at UW Health. She cares for people with many types of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea (breathing stops and starts repeatedly while asleep), narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness), insomnia (trouble falling asleep or staying asleep) and shift work sleep disorder (sleep trouble due to late or overnight work shifts).

Since a lack of quality sleep plays a role in other health problems, Christine partners with her patients to troubleshoot and diagnose the cause of their sleep trouble. They work together to create a treatment plan designed for the patient’s unique situation. Christine may suggest lifestyle and behavior changes, medication, counseling, or a referral to a doctor for a physical issue. For sleep apnea patients, she may prescribe a CPAP device, which uses continuous positive airway pressure to help patients get healthy sleep.

Her hope for patients is that they are well informed about their treatment options and eventually achieve better sleep patterns and live healthier lives.

When not caring for patients, Christine enjoys community gardening and working on elections.

Success is the most rewarding part of patient care — when people sleep so much better after treatment.