Sleep study

We offer comprehensive adult and pediatric sleep studies from certified sleep specialists and sleep technologists. We’re committed to helping you find a better night’s sleep through an in-depth analysis.

What is a sleep study?

A sleep study, also called a polysomnogram, is a test to diagnose sleep-related issues. Your provider uses cameras and specialized equipment to assess your sleep states and physical activities.

Sleep studies collect in-depth information about your sleep health, such as your:

• Blood oxygen levels
• Brain activity
• Breathing patterns
• Eye movements
• Heart rate
• Leg movements
• Muscle activity

Types of sleep studies

Some sleep studies assess for sleep-related disorders, while others help optimize your treatment. Your provider will recommend a sleep study based on your symptoms, medical history and needs.

We offer a range of sleep studies, including:

• Initial sleep study: This test detects a variety of sleep disorders. It often helps identify sleep-related breathing disorders, including sleep apnea.
• CPAP/Bi-PAP/ASV titration studies: We do these studies for people living with sleep apnea and need devices to help keep the airway open during sleep. They help determine and set up the right air pressure for breathing support devices.
  • CPAP – Continuous positive airway pressure
  • Bi-PAP – Bilevel positive airway pressure
  • ASV – Adaptive servo-ventilation
• Home sleep testing: Also called a home sleep apnea test, this study collects information about your breathing and oxygen levels. Your provider gives you a portable device to wear at home overnight.
• Maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT): An MWT measures your alertness. It assesses whether you can stay awake during a certain time frame during the day, and if so, how sleepy you are during that time. Multiple speed latency test (MSLT): This test measures how quickly you fall asleep during daytime in quiet situations. It also shows how quickly you enter the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase. We mainly use an MSLT to diagnose narcolepsy.
• PAP nap: We do this study to help people get used to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy for sleep-related breathing disorders. The test takes place during the day and is for people who are claustrophobic, anxious about starting PAP therapy or have difficulty tolerating PAP therapy.

Sleep study uses and benefits

Your provider analyzes sleep study results and your medical history to determine if you have a sleep disorder. Understanding your sleep allows you and your provider to find therapies that best help you sleep well.

Sleep studies detect sleep-related disorders that commonly affect adults, such as:

• Central sleep apnea, when breathing stops repeatedly during sleep
• Insomnia, trouble falling or staying asleep
• Narcolepsy, a neurological disorder that makes you tired during the day and causes you to fall asleep suddenly
• Obstructive sleep apnea, when breathing stops during sleep due to a blocked airway
• Periodic limb movement disorder, when your arms and legs move uncontrollably during sleep
• REM sleep behavior disorder, when you physically act out dreams during your REM sleep cycle

We also offer pediatric sleep studies to check for issues that commonly develop during childhood or adolescence, such as:

• Bed-wetting
• Circadian rhythm disturbances (problems in your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle)
• Night terrors
• Teeth grinding or clenching

Who needs a sleep study?

We do sleep studies in adults and children age 6 or older with signs of sleep disturbances. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Children need 10-11 hours of sleep each night on average, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Common symptoms of untreated sleep disorders include:

• Bed-wetting
• Daytime sleepiness
• Headaches
• Irritability or mood changes
• Memory problems
• Restless sleep
• Trouble concentrating

Children and adolescents specifically may experience:

• Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tendencies
• Bed-wetting

What to expect with a sleep study

Sleep studies involve multiple parts, depending on the evaluation you need. Most sleep studies take place overnight and require you to come to our sleep center. If your child has an overnight sleep study, you’ll need to stay with them during testing. Certain tests, including an MWT, MSLT and PAP-NAP, take place during the day.

Your first appointment with a sleep specialist

You first meet with a sleep specialist to discuss the reason for your visit. They do a physical exam and ask about your medical history, current medications, sleeping patterns and symptoms. If needed, we schedule a sleep study for you.

Preparing for a sleep study

Your provider will share instructions on how to prepare for your specific sleep study, including whether to continue taking any daily medications. You should avoid caffeine and shouldn’t take any naps the day of your test. If you have an overnight sleep study, bring clothes for sleeping and any toiletries you need for bedtime.

During a sleep study

For overnight sleep studies, you’ll arrive at 8:30 or 9:30 p.m. You’ll complete consent and information forms. A certified sleep technologist will show you to your room and explain the tests that will be completed.

They’ll put sensors on your head and body. After testing the equipment, the technologist will monitor you from a separate room. They can see and hear everything in your room using video cameras. They’ll collect information about your sleep throughout the night using specialized equipment.

In the morning, the technologist will wake you and remove all monitoring equipment. You’ll also complete a post-sleep assessment.

Sleep study results

Your provider – a board-certified sleep specialist – reviews all test results. You’ll have a follow-up appointment to discuss the results with your provider and determine next steps.

Sleep study risks and side effects

Sleep studies are considered safe and generally have few, if any, side effects. Our sleep technologists work to keep you as comfortable as possible during testing. You may experience mild skin irritation from the sensors placed on your skin.