Sleep Studies for Sleep Apnoea

If you or your family suspect that you have sleep Apnoea, you should have it diagnosed and then get proper treatment. Sleep Apnoea is not treated just so you can sleep better, neither is it to simply stop that awful snoring that bothers your spouse. Treatment is to prevent serious medical conditions such as a stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and type II diabetes among others that have the potential to have serious consequences that are often not even associated with the condition of Sleep Apnoea.
If your personal physician suspects that your problems are caused by Sleep Apnoea, your physician may recommend that you participate in a sleep study.

Sleep Study for Correct Diagnosis

A sleep study or “Polysomnography” is done on an outpatient basis at a sleep clinic, sometimes at a private home if the patient is unable to stay overnight at a sleep clinic. It is a test that will give a definite diagnosis of sleep Apnoea. It will also determine the type of Apnoea that you have. There are three types of Apnoea, the Obstructive, Central and Mixed types of Sleep Apnoea. Treatment for each one may vary so it is important to get proper diagnosis with a sleep study.

Preparation for Sleep Study

A sleep study will take several hours to complete and involves staying overnight at a facility where you will be tested while you sleep. Electrodes and monitors will be attached to your body. It is a painless procedure but you may experience slight discomfort when belts with sensors are placed around your chest and abdomen. These belts will monitor your breathing. Electrodes are placed on your scalp to determine the stage of sleep you are in.
The electrodes attached to your limbs will determine how often you move around while you sleep. You will also have a small wire attached above your lip to measure airflow as you breath. An oxygen sensor watches your blood oxygen levels. A mask will be placed over your nose part of the time to provide air pressure that clears the way for air to flow freely into your lungs.

Sleep Study Analysis

When you awake in the morning, the sleep specialist may go over the results with you to give you a general idea of the outcome. The sleep study will be further analyzed by some sleep experts at the clinic and share the results with your personal physician or with a sleep specialist to determine the proper course of treatment for your type of sleep Apnoea.

There are also other kinds of sleep studies such as the CPAP Study or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure test that uses a device that clears your airways so you can breathe easy all night. If the Polysomnography test determines that you have Sleep Apnoea, a CPAP device may be prescribed for you. The CPAP test will help the sleep specialist calibrate your device to specifications recommended by your doctor.

Other Sleep Studies

Another test, the MSLT or the Multiple Sleep Latency Test is a sleep study that determines your level of sleepiness during the day. It works by testing you while you take a daytime nap. You will be required to try to take a nap in quiet surroundings. The device will map your nap patterns such as the time it takes for you to fall asleep. This test is also used to diagnose other conditions like narcolepsy and other sleep disorders that involve excessive napping during the day, even in places and conditions that do not induce sleep.

The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test or MWT is often taken after you start treatment for sleep Apnoea. The test will require you to be free of elements that influence sleep such as noise and light. It will determine if you can stay wake for a certain amount of time. It will also show how well you can drive safely and function in surroundings that may induce sleep such as quiet surroundings and conditions that do not involve physical activity.