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Key Points
- Sleep studies allow doctors to measure how much
and how well you sleep. They also help show whether you have sleep problems and
how severe they are.
- Sleep studies are important because untreated
sleep disorders can increase your risk for
high
blood pressure,
heart
attack,
stroke, and other medical conditions. People usually aren't
aware of their breathing and movements while sleeping. They may never think to
talk to their doctors about sleep- and health-related issues that may be linked
to sleep problems.
- Sleep studies can help doctors diagnose
sleep-related breathing disorders (such as
sleep
apnea), sleep-related seizure disorders, parasomnias (such as
sleepwalking),
narcolepsy,
insomnia,
and circadian rhythm disorders.
- Four common sleep studies are used to help
diagnose sleep-related problems: polysomnogram (PSG), multiple sleep latency
test (MSLT), maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT), and an actigraph test.
- A PSG is an overnight sleep study that
records brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, and blood pressure. It also
records the amount of oxygen in your blood, how much air is moving through your
nose while you breathe, and chest movements that show whether you're making an
effort to breathe. In some cases, breathing sounds, including snoring, also are
recorded. Your doctor also may use a PSG to find the right setting for you on a
continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
- An MSLT is a daytime sleep study that
measures how sleepy you are. It records brain activity to show various stages
of sleep. It also shows how long it takes you to fall asleep.
- An MWT is a daytime sleep study that measures
your ability to stay awake. Results may be used to show whether your inability
to stay awake is a public or personal safety concern or to assess your response
to treatment.
- The actigraph sleep study measures
sleepwake behavior while you go about your normal routine. Results give
your doctor a better idea about your sleep habits, such as when you sleep or
nap and whether the lights are on while you sleep. The actigraph is a small
device that's usually worn like a wristwatch.
- If you often feel very tired during the day, talk
to your doctor. This is a common sign of a sleep disorder. Other common signs
of sleep disorders are listed in "Who Needs a
Sleep Study."
- Certain medical conditions have been linked to
sleep disorders. These include
heart
failure,
coronary
artery disease,
obesity,
diabetes,
high
blood pressure, and stroke or
transient ischemic attack (TIA, or "mini-stroke"). If you have
one of these conditions, talk with your doctor about whether it would be
helpful to have a sleep study.
- Sleep studies are painless. The PSG, MSLT, and
MWT studies are usually done in a sleep center. The room the study is done in
may look like a hotel room. You don't have to go to a sleep center for an
actigraph test. You wear the device while you go about your normal daily
routine.
- After the sleep study, your doctor will get the
results. The results will include information about sleep and wake times, sleep
stages, abnormal breathing, the amount of oxygen in the blood, and any movement
during sleep.
- Your doctor will study the results and use them
and your medical and sleep histories to make a diagnosis and help develop a
treatment plan. You may not get the diagnosis until a few weeks after the sleep
study.
- The risks of sleep studies are minimal. There is
a small risk of skin irritation from the sensors. The irritation will go away
once the sensors are removed.
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What Are the Risks
Links
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