An in-lab sleep study, also known as polysomnography, isย an overnight test performed in a specialized sleep laboratory where a technician monitors your sleep patterns and body functions.ย It helps diagnose sleep disorders by recording brain waves, heart rate, breathing patterns, and muscle activity during sleep.ย
- Purpose: The primary goal of an in-lab sleep study is to identify and diagnose various sleep disorders, such asย sleep apnea,ย narcolepsy,ย and others.ย
- Procedure: During the study, a sleep technologist attaches sensors to your body, including the head, chest, and limbs, to record different body functions.ย You will spend the night in a comfortable room within the sleep lab, and the technologist will monitor your sleep in a separate room.ย
- Measurements: The study typically measures various parameters, including brain activity (using anย electroencephalogram,ย or EEG), heart rateย (electrocardiogram,ย or ECG), breathing patterns, eye movementsย (electro-oculogram,ย or EOG), and muscle activityย (electromyogram,ย or EMG).ย
- Results: In-lab sleep studies collect large amounts of data. The technologist collecting the data will start marking some of the “events” during the night. The study is then forwarded to 1 or 2 two technologists that will get the data ready for final interpretations. Most sleep studies collect between 800 and 1000 EPOCHs, or pages, or data. After the data is scored, a sleep specialist will review the collected data to determine your sleep patterns and identify any potential sleep disorders.ย A final report is usually generated within 2 weeks of completing the test.
Follow-up after a sleep study:
- If your test was ordered directly by your primary care doctor or another specialist, the final report will be sent back to the ordering provider.
- If your test was ordered by a sleep medicine provider from Keldik Sleep Medicine Clinic, our staff will contact you.
- Most test reports are very complex and require a follow up visit to review potential treatment options and future evaluations.
- Some tests are very simple and can be reviewed over the telephone.