A
Night At Our Sleep Center |
What is an Overnight Sleep Study?
A sleep study (polysomnogram), charts your brain waves, heart beat,
and breathing as you sleep. It also records your eye and leg movements as well
as muscle tension. Sensors are placed on your head, face, chest and legs sending
tiny electrical signals to a computer.
It is a painless process which uses sensors to record a patient’s sleeping
patterns. Many people are concerned that they will be unable to sleep when the
sensors are hooked up to them. Usually however, patients are able to fall asleep
fairly easily and do stay asleep most of the time.
The signals show when you are asleep and awake during the night. The brain-wave
and eye-movement detectors show stage of sleep you are in. The breathing monitors
show the number of times you stop breathing. They can also detect low air flow
and changes in oxygen level.
The leg sensors show both minor twitches and major movements that occur during
the night. A sensor will also be placed on your finger to note changes in the
level of oxygen in your blood.
What
should I bring to my sleep study?
If you're
coming to the Sleep Center for an overnight study, we suggest
you pack as if you were visiting a hotel. The
Sleep Center provides shampoo, soap, a blow dryer and towels.
Because you will be monitored by a technician and a video
camera, we require our patients to wear sleepwear during
the study.
In order to feel more comfortable, you are encouraged to
bring your own pillow to the sleep center. Some patients
also like to bring a book or magazine to read before going
to
sleep.
What to Expect at the Clinics.
When you arrive at the clinic, we'll give you a tour and
orientation. You'll meet the technician who will be present
during your study and you'll see the bedrooms, which we have
tried to make as home-like as possible. After your orientation,
we will set you up with the sleep study equipment and then
you'll go to sleep.
For studying the quality of sleep, electrodes are applied
to the scalp, sides of the head and under the chin, chest
and leg. This lets us measure brain waves, heart rate, and
eye movements. A sensor is placed by the nose and mouth for
measurement of airflow. Belts are placed around the rib cage
and abdomen for measurement of breathing movements. A clip
is placed on a finger for measurement of blood oxygen levels.
Other measurements may be done as required. There are no
needles and no pain. The electrodes are connected to a box
by the bedside for relaying the signals to a central control
room. In addition, all patients are videotaped while asleep.
In the central control room, the technologist monitors the
patient’s sleep and general condition. Any problems
with the study may be easily dealt with. Patients may call
the technologist if there is a problem as well.
For some patients who have sleep apnea, the effects of continuous
positive airway pressure (CPAP) are evaluated. Usually these
are patients who have had a previous sleep study to diagnose
the condition. During the CPAP study, everything is done
as is for a diagnostic study. In addition, a mask is fit
around the nose or around the nose and mouth. During sleep,
we attempt to find a pressure level that holds the airway
open and lets the patient get a good night’s sleep.
Patients generally get out from the study around 6:30 to
7 in the morning. However, if an earlier wake-up is needed,
the patient just needs to let the technologist know.
If the sleep study takes place on a weeknight, most people
get up the next day at whatever their preferred time is,
and you can shower and go to work as usual. Most people don't
experience much interference with their sleep. However, some
people may experience poor sleep and may want to plan on
taking the following day off.
Once the sleep study is completed, it is scored by a scoring
technologist and sent to a sleep specialist for interpretation.
This entire process takes 7–10 days. The interpretation
is sent to the physician who ordered the sleep study and
appropriate follow-up is arranged.
Sleep studies are generally easy to tolerate, comfortable
for patients, and give the sleep physician the information
he/she needs to accurately diagnose and treat the sleep disorder.
How do I get the results?
Once your diagnostic study has been scored, your
referring doctor will receive a copy of the results and you
will receive a phone call from the sleep center advising
you of the results. Your referring doctor may also want to
review the results with you.
For those patients who are diagnosed with sleep apnea, three
to six weeks after the CPAP study they will have an appointment
with the center’s Sleep Specialist. At that time, the
Sleep Specialist will go over the results of their studies,
answer any questions the patient may have, and evaluate current
symptomology to ensure no additional treatment is needed.
