Sleep Study Guide: How to Prepare for a Sleep Study

A sleep study is a comprehensive physical test where a medical professional observes and records your brain and body functions during sleep to determine if you have a sleep disorder. Your doctor or a sleep specialist may recommend taking part in a sleep study if you have trouble sleeping or staying awake, experience snoring or obstructed breathing while sleeping, or involuntary leg movements. The sleep study will usually take place during an overnight stay at a hospital or sleep center. However, there is a home-based sleep apnea test for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The purpose of a sleep study is to observe your body and brain activity during the stages of sleep to determine if you have a sleep disorder and then provide information that can help your doctor to begin or adjust a plan to treat its symptoms.

There are a few types of sleep studies, including:

1. 1. Polysomnography: Polysomnography, one of the most common sleep studies, requires an overnight stay at a sleep lab. A technician will monitor your eye movements, brain and muscle activity, heart rate, movement during sleep, and other functions. A polysomnogram test can help determine causes for various sleep and breathing disorders, including sleep apnea, chronic insomnia, periodic limb movement disorder, restless leg syndrome (involuntary movement during sleep), and sleepwalking. The test can also identify a rare sleep disorder called rapid-eye-movement sleep behavior disorder, in which you act out your dreams during REM sleep.
2. 2. Multiple latency sleep test (MLST): This test measures how quickly you fall asleep, as well as how fast you enter REM sleep during a daytime nap. The MLST can help determine if you have narcolepsy, sudden and excessive exhaustion during waking hours, or a rare condition called idiopathic hypersomnia, which involves persistent sleepiness during the daytime, even after taking day naps or after long bouts of nighttime sleep.
3. 3. Continuous positive airway pressure titration: For this test, a technologist will have you breathe through a mask during a sleep study to determine the right amount of air pressure needed to stop your airway from closing during sleep. Your doctor will use this information to program a CPAP machine that you can use at home to help you receive enough air while you sleep.

During a sleep study, the patient will arrive at a sleep clinic or sleep lab, where they will be placed in an observation room resembling a hotel room, which contains a bed and the equipment necessary for their sleep study.

• Test prep: A technician will apply electrodes or sensors to the patient’s head and various points on their body. The tech connects these sensors to an electroencephalogram (EEG), which monitors brain activity during sleep, and an electrocardiogram (EKG) to record the heart rhythm. The tech arranges the wires to allow mobility during sleep and easy removal if the patient needs to use the bathroom. Additionally, the patient may have elastic bands wrapped around their chest to monitor their breathing. Techs may attach clips to the patient’s finger and earlobe to record oxygen levels in the blood.
• Tech monitors sleeping patterns: Once connected to the various equipment, the patient can read, watch television, or rest, while the sleep technologist monitors the information recorded by the equipment in another room. The technology will observe their sleep patterns and any movement with a low-light video camera, and if necessary, can communicate with them. The patient might not sleep well during the study as they would in their own home, but the technologist doesn’t need them to achieve a full night’s sleep to record the necessary information.
• Test concludes in the morning: The test is usually complete in the morning, and once the tech removes the sensors, the patient can return home to their normal activities. The information recorded during the test will probably take anywhere between a few days and a few weeks to be read and charted. The patient should schedule a follow-up with their doctor to review the results upon completion.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for an upcoming sleep study:

• Talk to your doctor. Some medications can interfere with the sleep study results, but skipping a dose may be harmful. Talk to your doctor before the study about your medication schedule.
• Avoid caffeine or alcohol. Coffee, tea, or certain carbonated beverages with caffeine, and alcohol, can also affect the sleep study results, so it’s best to avoid them on the day of testing.
• Avoid naps. Sleeping before testing can also impact the results, so avoid napping on the day of your study.
• Remove makeup and cologne. Avoid wearing any topical applications, like makeup, cologne, lotions, or gels, that can prevent the electrodes from adhering to your skin.
• Bring comfortable clothing. Bring pajamas or other comfortable clothing to wear during the study, as well as toiletries. You can also bring a pillow and a book or magazine to read while preparing to sleep.

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