What is a Sleep Study?
One of the best tools for detecting a sleep disorder is the sleep study, which physicians often call a polysomnogram. Your sleep study provides the information that will help the Sleep Center and your health care provider identify the cause of your sleep problem.
When is a sleep study needed?
A study is often used in the following cases:
- To identify sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea.
- To set correct levels of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders.
- To identify narcolepsy (used in conjunction with a daytime nap study).
- To identify behaviors during sleep that could be harmful to the patient or others.
You might also participate in a sleep study if you have been treated for a sleep disorder but your symptoms are not improving. The sleep study can help your doctor identify why treatment has not been successful.
What happens during a sleep study?
You will be asked to come to EISC in the evening. All tests are performed in our facility on the second floor of the PCI building near downtown Cedar Rapids. Each room is equipped with its own temperature controls, a very comfortable full-size bed, a flat-screen television, a bathroom with a shower, and an intercom and speaker system for easy communication between patients and technicians. EISC also has two extra large rooms to accommodate patients needing a parent or caregiver to stay with them during their study. The technician staff at the Sleep Center will go out of their way to help you relax and prepare to sleep.
Sensors will be gently placed on your skin and connected to a computer. The wires are long enough to let you move around and turn over in bed. When the sensors are initially placed, you will be asked to move your eyes, clench your teeth and move your legs, to ensure the sensors are working correctly. An infrared light and camera in the room allows a technician to monitor you from the technician control room. The technician may enter your room if a sensor comes loose during the study. Technicians are also able to detach the wires if you need to use the bathroom during the night.
You are free to read or watch TV until the sleep technician comes and says "good night". The lights will then be turned off and you should then try to fall asleep.
The polysomnogram is not a test that you can fail. Nearly everyone falls asleep during the study. Most people do not sleep as well as they do at home, which will not impact the results of your study. The sleep study lasts six hours — eight hours of sleep are not necessary to identify the source of your problem.
You will be woken in the morning by the technician, who will remove the sensors. This will complete the study, and you will be free to shower and get ready for the day before leaving. You may be tired if you did not sleep well during the night. Otherwise, you can return to normal activities the day after a sleep study.
What is monitored during a sleep study?
Sensors are placed on your head, face, chest and legs sending tiny electrical signals to a computer. They monitor how your body acts while you sleep. Charts are made of many physical measurements, including your brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing, and blood oxygen level. The sensors also record your eye and leg movements, as well as muscle tension. Breathing monitors detect low air flow, minor changes in oxygen level, and if breathing stops.
In addition, sensors will indicate when you are asleep and awake during the night. Brain-wave and eye-movement detectors note when you are in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage of sleep in which your brain waves are very active, and when most dreams occur.
Will my sleep study be painful?
No, you will not feel any pain during the polysomnogram. Sensors simply monitor your body and sleep patterns during the study.
Who evaluates a sleep study?
A sleep technician is the first person to look over the data from a sleep study. First, they will chart your sleep stages and then look for any events of abnormal breathing or leg movement. The results of your study will be printed off and placed in your patient chart. One of our sleep-trained physicians will then review the study to determine the sleep disorder you may have.
Is the Eastern Iowa Sleep Center an accredited sleep center?
EISC is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). AASM sets strict standards for sleep centers to maintain, in order to ensure that patients with sleep disorders receive the highest level of care. Sleep study results are always reviewed by a board-certified sleep specialist.
How and when do I receive the results of my sleep study?
It typically takes about ten business days to evaluate your sleep study, and then fax the results of your sleep study to your referring physician. Your health care provider will then contact you to discuss the results, and recommend treatments or any additional testing. If there is any need for a follow-up study, EISC will contact you to set it up an study.