What Is In Lab Sleep Study?
If you are experiencing symptoms of any sleeping disorder or sleep apnea; being one of the most common, your doctor might first subject you to have an in-lab sleep study. But what to expect during it and how is it done? To answer these question continue reading this blog.
You will be required to stay overnight at a sleep center, hospital or a hotel room during an in-lab sleep study so they can monitor your sleeping habits. In general, you will just sleep the normal way and they will observe you using machine and sensors, the sensors measure your:
- Brain waves
- Chin muscle activity
- Heart rate
- Breathing
- Oxygen levels
- Leg movements
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Here are different kinds of an in-lab sleep study,
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Polysomnogram (PSG). A polysomnogram is an overnight sleep study that records brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, body movement, and more. Polysomnograms are used to help diagnose some of the following:
- Sleep-related breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Sleep-related seizure disorders.
- Sleep-related movement disorders such as periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)
- Sleep-related disorders caused by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).
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Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). An MSLT is a sleep study that is performed during the day to measure how sleepy you get or to discern whether breathing treatments for your disorder are working properly. MSLT's generally follow a Polysomnogram and record whether you fall asleep during the test, and if so, which stages of sleep you enter. In an MSLT you are generally given five 20-minute nap opportunities spaced 2 hours apart while a sleep technician monitors your brain activity and eye movements. An MSLT is often used to test for narcolepsy.
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Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT). A MWT is a daytime sleep study that measures how alert you are during the day and your ability to stay awake. They are usually performed after a PSG and can help determine if your sleepiness is a safety concern. Results of an MWT can be critical if a person's job involves public transportation. Often, employers will require an employee to have an MWT if they have a history of excessive daytime sleepiness or other related sleep disorders.
Many patients do not sleep as well as they would at home. This may be because of the sensors or the unfamiliar environment but this typically does not affect the results plus to further verify you may be asked to fill out a morning questionnaire that asks about the quality of your sleep and your experience in the sleep center. The in-lab study is complete once you are awake and the sensors have been removed.
After you are diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, don’t worry much since the very simple and most famous way of treatment might include using CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine. So we suggest that you check out this CPAP machine accessories and cleaner site that can help you in taking care of your CPAP device, effectively using and maintaining your device can treat your sleep disorder faster: VastMedic.
Resources:
https://vastmedic.com/collections/cpap-accessories
https://vastmedic.com/products/cpap-cleaner-and-sanitizer
https://www.alaskasleep.com
http://sleepeducation.org
