Sleep Study Clinic Q&A

Sleep studies track the brain’s activity during sleep, which can help sleep doctors diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. They can also serve as an evaluation for certain causes of excessive sleepiness, such as narcolepsy. Also known as polysomnography, a sleep study measures how much time you spend in light and deep stages of sleep, whether you are receiving enough oxygen, how often you awaken when sleeping, and whether sleep is disrupted by factors such as arm and leg movements.

Sleep studies can diagnose a wide number of sleep disorders, including:

• Insomnia
• Sleep Apnea
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Narcolepsy
• Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
• Sleepwalking (Somnambulance)
• Sleep Talking (Somniloquy)
• REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Sleep studies are set up to monitor how patients sleep and therefore require an overnight visit. This visit can be anywhere from 8 to 10 hours, depending on the number of tests performed. The setup typically takes 45 minutes, where the technician will hook up the electrodes on the patient’s body. After that, the patient is observed while they sleep.

Sleep studies test for sleep disorders and look at the following factors:

The average number of apneas and hypopneas – These refer to respiratory events that cause a significant decrease in airflow and are measured on occurrences per hour.

Sleep disruptions, including arousals and limb movements – The sleep study will also detect any excessive limb movements or arousals, also known as partial awakenings.

Sleep stages – Throughout the night, humans progress through multiple stages of sleep, including N1, N2, N3, and REM sleep. Normally, adults cycle through these stages of sleep multiple times per night. If a sleep disorder is disrupting or fragmenting this cycle, a sleep study can help to determine the cause.

Body position – The body’s position during sleep can greatly impact the quality of rest. If an abnormal body position is disrupting or interfering with sleep, sleep studies can use this information to provide a treatment plan.

Oxygen desaturation – Oxygen desaturation (SaO2) measures the percentage of the body’s oxygen capacity that is being inhaled. Put simply, it measures how much oxygen your body is getting versus how much it actually needs. For those who stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night, they are not getting the adequate amount of oxygen that their body needs.

Recommended therapy or next steps – After the study has been performed, the sleep specialist can determine what, if any, steps should be taken in order to correct any sleeping problems.

If you want to know how well you are sleeping at night, come to Suburban Healthcare Associates for a sleep study today. Our kind and compassionate professionals are experienced in performing sleep studies and can help you determine what is causing your sleep disorder. Call us today to book an appointment. We look forward to serving you! We serve patients from Naperville IL, Plainfield IL, Joliet IL, Romeoville IL, Shorewood IL, Crest Hill IL, and Aurora IL.