For you to understand the meaning of sleep study it is an overnight exam. It allows your doctors to observe while you sleep to know what is the behavior in your body and brain. You will have to stay for overnight to watch your sleeping pattern and you will do it in a hospital or a sleeping center. There will be an EEG monitor to use to know your sleep stages and cycles of REM, non-REM, or NREM. It is a type of monitor that identify any disruptions in the pattern of your sleep. The study will measure your eye movements, snoring, body movements, and oxygen levels in your blood. After the session they will get the data and later on it will be evaluated by your doctor. The result will take two weeks and you will be later scheduled for the follow-up to talk about the results.
Types of sleep studies
Sleep Wise are gathering data on the person’s body while they are sleeping. There are types of sleep studies that you can avail but it will depend on the symptoms and disorders that they are experiencing.
Polysomnography
The Polysomnography there is a sleep technician that monitors the patient who is staying overnight at a certain clinic. There are certain things that it needs to be measured during the tests. The brain and muscle activity, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, eye movements, and body positioning.
Multiple Sleep Latency Test
The test will range on how fast someone can fall asleep and how they can enter a REM sleep during the daytime naps. It identifies when they have daytime sleepiness that causes narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia.
CPAP Titration
CPAP is a known treatment when you have sleep apnea. They will know the amount of air pressure that the patient needs from their CPAP. The machine has to be programmed to use in your home. The CPAP titration needs to have a second sleep study. And once the sleep apnea is suspected there has to be a split-night sleep study to know what it causes. They will be using polysomnography to determine sleep apnea during the first night and CPAP titration on the second night.
Home Sleep Apnea Testing
It gathers data about the heart rate, breathing, and different factors overnight. But when you compared it with polysomnography, the home testing will give lesser information. Also, it doesn’t need to have a technologist to look for the results.
Who needs the sleep study?
Sleeping studies are a critical diagnostic tool for those people that have a sleeping disorder but it is not necessary for all the cases. A doctor can only give them a prescription depending on the symptoms and overall health. You can reach out to your doctor when you are having a hard time sleeping or daytime symptoms like drowsiness, depression, or fatigue. And for those with obesity that has sleeping problems have to undergo sleep apnea. Your doctor will tell you the ideal sleep study.
