Do You Have a Sleep Disorder?
This article contains information about the process for having your sleep evaluated. What should you be ready to tell your doctor? What tests should you expect? It includes details about: sleep diaries, actigraphy, overnight oximetry, polysomnography, at-home studies, and multiple sleep latency testing.
Learn about one of the most common initial screening tests for sleep disorders called overnight oximetry.
MSLT, or multiple sleep latency testing, is one of the less common potential sleep studies, but may still be an important diagnostic tool.
The Epworth sleepiness scale is a questionnaire that is commonly used to screen for sleepiness and may be useful in monitoring response to treatment of various sleep disorders.
So your doctor recommends you undergo a sleep study, but what should you expect? Many people often have some anxiety about the experience. If you have already had a sleep study, share what the experience was like for you. Do you have any advice for others? If you are waiting for a study, what are some of the fears or concerns that you have about it?
For those who suffer from the ill effects of sleep disorders, there are many diagnostic tests available that may lead to a better understanding of what the problem may be. Learn what the various options are, including: overnight oximetry, polysomnography, multiple sleep latency testing, and actigraphy.
There are many common symptoms that may suggest the presence of a sleep disorder. Some of these symptoms, such as fatigue, may also occur with other medical disorders. In addition, each sleep disorder may have specific symptoms unique to it.
The diagnosis of sleep disorders may profoundly change if researchers are able to perfect a technique of simply monitoring the heart rate. It may represent a future alternative to a standard sleep study, but it is unable to replace these studies anytime soon.
So your doctor recommends you undergo a sleep study, but what should you expect? Though you may have some anxiety about the experience, take a few moments, and lay those fears to rest.
Test your knowledge of sleep with this 10-question quiz from the National Institutes of Health.
How sleepy are you? Provided by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, this scale is often used to assess how sleepy someone is during day. Higher scores may indicate an excessive level of daytime sleepiness, and suggest that you should be evaluated by a doctor.
Explore the fascinating world of sleep disorders on one of the best websites for information, provided by the National Institutes of Health.
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute provides a detailed summary of what to expect during a sleep study.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides a helpful way to find some of the sleep centers that are closest to you.
