What do you expect during sleep study?

Polysomnogram (PSG): an overnight stay that typically lasts for 8-10 hour. It records brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and body movement. It is a painless procedure used to diagnose many types of Sleep Disorder including:

• Sleep related breathing disorders such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea ( OSA ).
• Sleep related movement disorders such as periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).
• Sleep related disorders caused by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).

On the night of your sleep study, you will be assigned to a private bed room in a sleep center facility. The technicians watch and check on you while you sleep from the central monitoring area. They observe sleep activity by looking at the video monitor and the computer screen that displays all the data second by second.

During the polysomnogram

Sticky patches with sensors called electrodes are placed on your scalp, face, chest, limbs, and a finger. It may look unconformtable. While you sleep, these sensors record your brain and muscle activity and eye movements, these signals are recorded digitally.

• EEG (electroencephalogram) to measure and record brain wave activity.
• EMG (electromyogram) to record muscle activity such as face twitches, teeth grinding, and leg movements; it also helps in determining the presence of REM stage sleep.
• EOG (electro-oculogram) to record eye movements are important in determining the different sleep stages, particularly REM stage sleep.
• EKG (electrocardiogram) to record heart rate and rhythm.
• Elastic belts are placed around your chest and belly. They measure chest movements and the strength and duration of inhaled and exhaled breaths.
• A bandage-like oximeter probe on your finger measures the amount of oxygen in your blood.
• Nasal airflow sensor to record airflow.
• Snore microphone to record snoring activity.
• Wires attached to the sensors transmit the data to a computer in the next room. The wires are very thin and flexible. They re bundled together so they don’t restrict movement disrupt your sleep, or cause other discomfort.