How the Test is Performed. There are two types of sleep: Rapid eye movement REM sleep. Most dreaming occurs during REM sleep. Under normal circumstances, your muscles, except for your eyes and breathing muscles, do not move during this stage of sleep.
Non-rapid eye movement NREM sleep. A sleep study measures your sleep cycles and stages by recording: Air flow in and out of your lungs as you breathe The level of oxygen in your blood Body position Brain waves EEG Breathing effort and rate Electrical activity of muscles Eye movement Heart rate Polysomnography can be done either at a sleep center or in your home.
You will be asked to arrive about 2 hours before bedtime. You will sleep in a bed at the center. Many sleep centers have comfortable bedrooms, similar to a hotel. The test is most often done at night so that your normal sleep patterns can be studied. If you are a night shift worker, many centers can perform the test during your normal sleep hours.
Your health care provider will place electrodes on your chin, scalp, and the outer edge of your eyelids. You will have monitors to record your heart rate and breathing attached to your chest. These will remain in place while you sleep. The electrodes record signals while you are awake with your eyes closed and during sleep. The test measures the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep and how long it takes you to enter REM sleep.
A specially-trained provider will observe you while you sleep and note any changes in your breathing or heart rate. The test will record the number of times that you either stop breathing or almost stop breathing. And finally, there are the types of sleep disorders that wake you up with a jolt in the middle of the night, and, these are called parasomnias, and they can severely interrupt your sleep.
You may walk in your sleep, or act out your dreams. Children often have night terrors, in which they wake up from a deep sleep in a terrified state.
The good news is that you don't have to live on fewer hours of sleep, because there are decent treatments for sleep disorders. If you're struggling to sleep throughout the night, and dragging through the day as a result, talk to your doctor, who can refer you to a sleep specialist for an evaluation. Most people have short periods during sleep where their breathing stops or is partly blocked. AHI results are used to diagnose obstructive or central sleep apnea.
Chokroverty S, Avidan AY. Sleep and its disorders. Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; chap American Academy of Sleep Medicine position paper for the use of a home sleep apnea test for the diagnosis of OSA in children.
J Clin Sleep Med. PMID: pubmed. Sleep disorders. Conn's Current Therapy Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; Management of obstructive sleep apnea in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians.
Ann Intern Med. Sleep apnea and sleep disorders. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. Shangold L. Polysomnography is basically done to detect sleeping disorders. Polysomnography records the following while a patient is asleep:. A polysomnography test may be performed at a sleep center or in a special room in the hospital. The patient is usually asked to come in the late evening for the polysomnography test, in order to record the various sleep patterns while the patient is asleep.
The entire process of polysomnography is being monitored and then analyzed by an experienced sleep specialist. Non-rapid eye movement is further divided into 2 stages:.
Hence, a person without any sleep disorders will shift between Non-REM to REM phase in every 2 hours, having 4 to 6 sleep cycles each night. The sleep specialist carefully monitors the body reactions and the sleep cycles of the patient, and hence, detect any disruptions in the sleep pattern. The normal process of polysomnography starts when the patient falls asleep and this stage is known a Non-REM. During this phase of sleep, the activity of the brain of the patient is recorded.
As this phase passes, the activity of the brain gradually decreases. These brain waves are recorded by Electroencephalography EEG. The movement of the eyes is not much during this stage as compared to the later stage. After 1 to 2 hours, the brain starts becoming active again and the patient enters the REM stage of the sleep. People mostly dream during this stage. The doctor might advise a polysomnography test if any of the following conditions are observed:. Polysomnography is a safe, non-invasive and painless procedure.
It is a sleep test performed on a person who is completely asleep, to detect sleeping disorders. Having any complications with polysomnography is very rare. However, in some cases, a person might get skin irritation due to the adhesive tapes, which are used to attach electrodes or test sensors to the body.
The doctor or the sleep specialist will explain the polysomnography test in detail to the patient. A trained sleep technician will be with you in the sleep lab during the testing period. Nightmares during nondream stages of sleep sleep terrors , sleep walking or talking, and rapid eye movement disorders are less common conditions that may also require a sleep study.
More than 60 million Americans suffer from poor sleep quality, and more than 40 million meet the diagnostic criteria for sleep disorders. There are no known risks for a sleep study other than possible skin irritation due to the attachment of the electrodes to the skin. Tell your healthcare provider of all medicines prescription and over-the-counter and herbal supplements that you are taking.
They may alter test results. Avoid caffeine-containing products for several days before the testing as they may cause you to take longer to fall asleep. Unless directed by your healthcare provider, sedatives are usually not allowed during the sleep study as they can alter results.
A sleep questionnaire or diary may be given to you and your bed partner, if applicable to fill out ahead of time. Do your best to give true responses. Showering before going to the sleep lab may be helpful. But, avoid using lotion or oil on your skin because the electrodes may not stick to the skin.
If needed, you may be able to shower and dress for work the morning after the sleep study. A sleep study is generally done on an outpatient basis at night. Procedures may vary based on your condition and your healthcare provider's practices. You will need to remove any jewelry or other objects that may interfere with the procedure. Pulse oximetry measures the oxygen level in the blood vessels through a small clip placed on your finger.
Air flow monitors measure breathing. The temperature of the room may need to be maintained at a certain level, but blankets can be adjusted as needed. For multiple wake testing MWT , you will be asked to try and stay awake for certain periods.
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