What is polysomnography or sleep study?
A polysomnography or sleep study is considered the Gold Standard to test a patient who has complaints about inadequate or poor sleep. Some sleep complaints include:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness with little or no energy
- Headaches
- Drowsy driving
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Witnessed apnea while sleeping
- Leg kicks
During a polysomnography the patient will sleep in a private room that has been designed to simulate a bedroom as closely as possible. Electrodes will be placed on the head, face, chest and legs to measure the patient’s brain waves, heartbeat and breathing as they sleep throughout the night. This data will be used to evaluate the stage of sleep you achieve and when sleep disruptions occur. Sleep studies are a non-invasive procedure, and the electrodes are applied so that the patient can turn and move in their sleep as they normally would without discomfort.
Who needs a sleep study?
Sleep studies are most often used to help diagnose certain sleep conditions, including:
- Sleep apnea
- Restless leg syndrome
- Narcolepsy
- Long-lasting insomnia
- Parasomnias
What should I expect from a sleep study?
It’s important that you follow the directions given to you by the sleep center prior to a sleep study. Avoiding alcohol and caffeine prior to the test is ideal, as they can make symptoms of a sleep disorder worse. It’s also important that you avoid the use of lotion or makeup on your body prior to the test, as these substances can affect or interfere with the electrodes used during the sleep study.
Following the sleep study, the data collected will be evaluated by a polysomnography technologist. Information from eye movements, brain waves, leg movements, and heart and breathing rates will all impact your possible diagnosis. This data will help provide possible treatment recommendations and identify if further evaluation is needed.
Can any therapies be tried during a sleep study?
Yes. Some sleep studies are designed to start CPAP if there is clear obstructive sleep apnea present in the first few hours of the study. Other sleep studies are done with CPAP to begin with so the appropriate pressure level can be found to control the sleep apnea and oxygenation.