The stages of sleep range from light to deep. Each stage has characteristics that can be measured.
A sleep study is a number of tests done at the same time during sleep. The tests measure specific sleep characteristics and help to diagnose sleep disorders.
A sleep study may also be called polysomnogram.
The basic recordings done during a sleep study may include Electroencephalography (EEG) . This measures brain wave activity.
Electrooculogram (EOG). This measures eye movement.
Electromyography (EMG). This measures muscle movement.
Other recordings. An electrocardiogram (ECG) may be used to record electrical activity of the heart. Video recordings may also be made of you while you sleep.
Sleep studies generally take place in a sleep lab during your normal sleeping hours. The goal is to record brain and body activity that happens during sleep so that sleep disorders can be diagnosed and treated.
During a sleep study, the following may be measured:
Eye movement. The number of eye movements and their frequency or speed.
Brain activity. The electrical currents of the brain.
Limb movement. The number and intensity of movements.
Breathing patterns. The number and depth of respirations.
Heart rhythm. The electrical activity of the heart.
Oxygen saturation. The percentage of oxygen in the blood.
Acid/base balance of the stomach. The amount of acid secreted during sleep.
Sleep latency. The time it takes to fall asleep.
Sleep duration. The period of time a person stays asleep.
Sleep efficiency. The ratio of the total time asleep to the total time in bed.
In addition, these tests may be done:
Multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT) measure how long it takes to fall asleep
Multiple wake tests (MWT) measure whether you can stay awake during specified times.
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Thank you ….Taking a sleep history can at first seem a daunting task. After all, much of what we are asking about is occurring when the patient is asleep.
As a result, it can be tempting to bypass the history and rely on objective sleep studies such as the polysomnogram (PSG).
However, there is no substitute for a good history, and the majority of sleep disorders can be diagnosed on history alone, with objective studies often being used simply for confirmation or to look for complicating and exacerbating factors.
Doctors trained in sleep medicine evaluate test results to treat sleep issues. A trained sleep technician will be with you in the sleep lab during the testing period.
Nightmares during no dream stages of sleep (sleep terrors), sleep walking or talking, and rapid eye movement disorders are less common conditions that may also require a sleep study.
You’ve finished your sleep study and received your sleep test results. Here’s a plain language overview of your sleep study test results, how to review your doctor’s diagnosis and recommendations, and what to do now that the sleep study testing is completed.
There are four common types of apneic episodes recorded during a sleep study test:
Hypopnea – a period of partially-reduced or shallow breathing caused by a relaxation of muscles in the upper airway or throat, measured with 30 – 89% restriction of the airway or loss of airflow that lasts 10 or more seconds
Obstructive Apnea – a period of near-total loss of airflow caused by a relaxation of muscles in the upper airway or throat, measured with 90% or greater restriction of the airway or loss of airflow that lasts 10 or more seconds
Central Apnea – a period of near-total loss of airflow where no obstruction is occurring but for which there is insufficient respiratory effort caused by neurological, cardiac, or pulmonary dysfunction (also lasting 10 or more seconds)
Mixed Apnea – a respiratory episode lasting 10 or more seconds with both central and obstructive apneic features.
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The same sleep you experience will also occur in the sleep facility except that it will be observed and measured. Nothing s done in the lab to change sleep-related events nor is anything inserted into the body. In fact, an elaborate, well-planned pre-sleep regimen is undertaken.
This regimen includes preparing and applying external electrodes and answering any questions that you may have concerning sleep and the sleep lab.
Some patients may feel uncomfortable when they are wired with electrodes or are monitored by microphones and visual observation, but they usually sleep adequately.
The sleep lab environment is safe and conducive to sleep. It is dark, quiet and pleasing with controlled, comfortable temperatures.
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People with sleep-related breathing disorders, like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or central sleep apnea (CSA), experience lapses in breathing as they sleep. These breathing issues can cause brief awakenings throughout the night, increasing the likelihood of side effects such as daytime sleepiness, fatigue, or trouble staying asleep.
Continuous positive airway pressure treatment, referred to as CPAP therapy, is a sleep apnea treatment that uses a CPAP machine to blow air into a person’s nose or mouth to keep their airway open.
A CPAP titration sleep study is sometimes used to determine the rate at which air should be pushed out of the CPAP machine in order to keep the person’s airway open.
This is a 2nd phase of SLEEP STUDY Top of Form on another appointment.
What Is a CPAP Titration Sleep Study?
A CPAP titration sleep study is used to determine the ideal rate of airflow needed to treat a person with a sleep-related breathing disorder. This type of sleep study involves having a person use a CPAP machine while they spend the night in a sleep laboratory.
While using machine, the sleeper undergoes polysomnography, which is a standard overnight sleep study that measures various physical markers.
CPAP titration sleep studies generally follow specific steps to calibrate the appropriate rate of airflow to support breathing.
The CPAP machine is connected and turned on at a low air pressure rate.
As the person sleeps, the rate of airflow is increased in small increments.
When a rate successfully opens the person’s airway so they no longer have lapses in breathing that number is chosen as the fixed rate for the sleeper’s CPAP machine. If a person continues to have trouble sleeping while using the CPAP machine, humidity might be added to the CPAP airflow.
If a sleeper is still experiencing lapses in breathing at a high rate of air flow or is having trouble tolerating the CPAP therapy, they may be put on a bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP or BPAP) machine. BiPAP is another type of sleep apnea treatment.
A CPAP titration sleep study is generally only needed for people who are being prescribed a CPAP machine that emits air at a fixed rate all night.
Full-Night vs. Split-Night CPAP Titration Study
A full-night CPAP titration study is prescribed for people who have already been diagnosed with a sleep-related breathing disorder. The sole purpose of a full-night study is to calibrate the CPAP machine’s airflow rate to the sleeper’s needs and find the right mask fit.
In a split-night study, the first portion of the night is used to diagnose the cause of sleep-related breathing issues. If a sleep-related breathing disorder is diagnosed, the remaining time is used to titrate a CPAP machine. If there is not enough time to properly calibrate the CPAP machine to the sleeper’s needs, a follow-up full-night titration study might be ordered.
When a person suspected of having a sleep-related breathing disorder undergoes a diagnostic sleep study, they do not know in advance if it will become a split-night study.
A sleep study may become a split –night study if the sleeper is found to have symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea for at least two hours and at least three hours are remaining for CPAP titration.
Study CPAP Titration Sleep
A sleep study involves monitoring the sleeper with a variety of tools, such as those that measure heart activity, breathing, blood oxygen levels, snoring volume, and body position.
During a sleep study, a technologist watches and listens to the sleeper from another room, using an infrared camera and microphones connected to the sleeping space.
To conduct CPAP titration, the technologist connects the sleeper to a CPAP machine with a tube and mask. In a full-night study, the sleeper uses the CPAP machine for the entire study. In a split-night study, they use it for at least three hours of the study.
There are multiple CPAP mask types available, and the technologist might swap out masks throughout the night to see which type works best. They then take notes regarding how well a mask fits and if it leaks air.
Sleep studies rarely have complications, but some people feel uncomfortable sleeping in the lab. The various monitors attached to the body can also cause some people discomfort or skin irritation.
A CPAP titration sleep study is given to some, but not all, people who have been diagnosed with a sleep-related breathing disorder. At-home CPAP titration is another option, using an auto-CPAP or APAP machine. Experts usually opt for an in-lab CPAP titration sleep study for sleepers with certain characteristics.
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