What's involved in a sleep study
When a sleeping disorder is suspected, spending a night or two participating in a sleep study might provide the detailed explanation experts need to get your sleep back on track.
Called a polysomnogram, an overnight sleep study, done at a sleep center, uses the latest technology to monitor the person's brain waves, heart rate, eye movement and muscle movements. Breathing patterns and blood oxygen levels are monitored, too. The person is videotaped while sleeping as well.
Here's how it works. At a specially equipped sleep center, electrodes are put on the person's head, chest, abdomen and leg. Sometimes, people are given medications, oxygen or what's called continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, therapy during the testing.
People go to sleep at their usual bedtime in a private room. If there are no other tests scheduled, they can go home once they wake up in the morning. The data from the polysomnogram is then tabulated by a sleep technologist and given to a physician at the sleep center to interpret.
Preparing for a Sleep Study
For at least a week before a sleep study, participants are asked to maintain a sleep log. They also fill out a sleep disorders questionnaire.
At the sleep center at the Cleveland Clinic, instructions given to people planning a polysomnogram include:
- Don't nap the day of the sleep study.
- Don't consume caffeine, alcohol, sedatives or stimulants for 24 hours, unless your doctor says it's OK.
- Eat a regular evening meal before arriving at the sleep center.
- Bring regularly scheduled medications and take them as you normally would, unless otherwise directed by your doctor.
- Also bring a list of your regular medications, including dose strength and dosing schedule.
- Make sure your hair is free of oil, hair spray and other products.
- Bring comfortable sleep clothes but avoid silk.
- If you use CPAP, bring your mask and headgear.
Depending on what the polysomnogram reveals, treatment might include medication, changing sleep surroundings or behaviors, diet changes, oral appliances or CPAP.
Another type of sleep study is called a multiple sleep latency test. It assesses how sleepy you are during the daytime.