Evaluating Your Sleep: Professional Testing
As you evaluate your sleep, you may suspect that you have a sleep disorder. A sleep specialist can confirm if you have made the right conclusion. They can make a careful evaluation to find the source of your sleep problem. One of the best tools for detecting a sleep disorder is the overnight sleep study. Sensors are used to monitor how your body acts while you sleep. Charts are made of many physical measurements, including your brain waves, heartbeats and breathing. Your sleep study provides doctors with the data that will help them find the cause of your sleep problem.
Overnight Sleep Study. Doctors call this study a polysomnogram. It is used to help detect a variety of sleep disorders. It is most often used to find out if someone has a sleep related breathing disorder. This group of disorders includes sleep apnea.
CPAP Study. This study is used to set the right air pressure for CPAP therapy in patients with sleep apnea.
Home Sleep Test. A home sleep test can detect obstructive sleep apnea in adults. It involves the use of a portable-monitoring system that is small enough for you to use at home.
Maintenance of Wakefulness Test. This sleep study is used to measure how alert you are during the day. It shows whether or not you are able to stay awake for a defined period of time.
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