Pulmonary Services

Sleep Studies

Types of Sleep Studies

You're doctor has instructed you to get a Sleep Study to evaluate your quality of sleep. It is very important that you come to the sleep study and follow up with your physician after it has been completed so that he/she can discuss your treatment options.

Sleep Studies do not hurt. They are very much like going to a hotel for an overnight visit. Most of your contact at the Randolph Hospital Sleep Center will be with sleep technicians. You can ask them questions about the sleep study. They can answer questions about the test itself, but they cannot give you the test results.

Through the Randolph Hospital Sleep Center we are able to offer four different types of sleep studies. Those studies include:

Polysomnogram (PSG)
Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT)
Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT)
PSG Titration Study (CPAP - BiPap)

Polysomnogram

During a PSG electrodes will be placed on your scalp, face, chest, limbs and finger. While you sleep, the electrodes will record your brain activity, eye movements, heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure and the amount of oxygen in your blood. Elastic belts are also placed around your chest and abdomen. They measure chest movements and the strength and duration of inhaled and exhaled breaths.

All of the sensors transmit the data to a computer in the next room. The wires are very thin and flexible and are bundled together so they don't restrict movement, disrupt your sleep, or cause discomfort.

PSG Titration Study

If you are diagnosed with Sleep Apnea you may have a PSG Titration Study performed to fit you on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine that places a mask over your nose and/or mouth. The mask is connected to a small machine that gently blows air through the mask. This creates mild pressure that keeps your airway open while you sleep. The technician checks how you sleep with the CPAP machine. He or she will make adjustments to the flow of air through the mask to find the setting that's right for you.

Multiple Sleep Latency Testing

The MSLT is a daytime sleep study that's usually performed right after a PSG. Electrodes are placed on your scalp, face, and chin to record brain activity. They show various stages of sleep and how long it takes you to fall asleep. Your breathing also is checked during an MSLT.

A sleep technician in another room watches these recordings as you sleep. About 1.5 to 3 hours after you wake from the PSG, you're asked to relax in a quiet room for about 30 minutes. The test is repeated four or five times throughout the day. This is because your ability to fall asleep changes throughout the day. You will get 2-hour breaks between tests.

You need to stay awake during the breaks.

The MSLT records whether you fall asleep during the test and what types and stages of sleep you have. Sleep has two basic types: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM. Non-REM sleep has three distinct stages. REM sleep and the three stages of non-REM sleep occur in patterns throughout the night. The types and stages of sleep you have during the day can help your doctor diagnose sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.

The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test

This sleep study occurs during the day. It's usually done after a PSG and takes most of the day. Electrodes are placed on your scalp, face, and chin, which will measure when you're awake or asleep.

You sit quietly on a bed in a comfortable position and look straight ahead. Then you simply try to stay awake for a period of time. An MWT typically includes four trials lasting about 40 minutes each. If you fall asleep, the technician will wake you after about 90 seconds. There usually are 2-hour breaks between trials. During these breaks, you can read, watch television, etc.

These tests are commonly requirement for transportation and/or safety-related jobs.