subject: Sleep Centers Help To Cure Sleep Disorders [print this page] Sleep studies are tests that watch what happens to your body during sleep. The studies are done to find out what is causing your sleep problems such as sleep apnea, insomnia etc. the most common sleep studies are polysomnogram, multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT). Sleep studies usually are done in a sleep lab/center.
There are hundreds of sleep centers across the country and each one will vary according to its accommodations, some are based in hospital wards. There will be a bed and equipment necessary to complete the study. there may be bedroom furniture and other amenities to help you become comfortable like a TV etc. some rooms are sparse while others extravagant so you need to arrange a visit in advance to see what the rooms look like. Sleep centers use the latest technology to monitor you while you sleep. A sleep specialist will monitor your sleep patterns, brain waves, heart rate and rapid eye movements using monitoring devices attached to your body. After this the sleep specialist will analyze your results and develop a treatment program. They also provide you with equipment to monitor your activities while awake and asleep at home.
A study at a sleep center can be very expensive but many insurance programs will pay for it if your doctor refers you to the clinic. The doctor who has been overseeing your sleep disorders should make the referral. At the center you will be asked to fill out a detailed history of your disorder, sleep patterns, the list of medicines you take and use of tobacco, alcohol and caffeine. these procedures may seem pointless after having gone over them with your doctor, however the sleep centers need you to fill out these form for a reason, if only to protect themselves legally. These centers require overnight visits usually for more than one night. Sleep apnea and narcolepsy can be diagnosed in one night while insomnia requires several visits for many nights in a row. You will be required to sleep with electrodes attached to various points on your body depending on the study. These electrodes record information while you sleep. A computer will collect and process this information such as your brain waves (indicating the phase of sleep), eye movement (indicating REM sleep), muscle tension, and breathing patterns. Some people find it difficult to sleep at a new place while others find it very easy; in both cases the change in location does not affect the results. There is also a camera and voice recorder in the room. The sleep specialists will sometimes let you wake up naturally and sometimes they will wake you up at a pre-selected time. After the completion of the study the doctor will analyze your data and let you know the results.
