Sleep study companies play a vital role in helping doctors and clinics to study their patients suffering from sleeping disorders. Sleep studies are majorly performed at the sleep centers but with the advent of mobile technology, sleep study companies such Cardio sleep solutions as now provide with tools and equipment that allows patients to conduct a sleep study of themselves from the comfort of their home. A sleep study, also known as polysomnography, help doctors and sleep specialist diagnose sleeping disorders, such as REM sleep behavior disorder, nighttime behaviors like sleepwalking, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder, and sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is the major cause of conducting sleep studies and patients are advised to go to sleep study companies for diagnosis and tests.
How does it work?
A sleep study is an overnight, non-invasive exam that allows sleep specialists to monitor the patient while they sleep. This is done to determine how the brain and body are functioning when the patient is asleep. For the sleep study, the patient will have to visit a sleep study company. A sleep lab is set up for the overnight stay.
Sleep study companies are equipped with all the necessary sleep monitoring tools and equipment. When you are asleep, an EEG machine monitors your cycles of nonREM and REM sleep along with sleep cycles during the night. The study also gauges the body movements, snoring, breathing rates, oxygen levels in your blood, and eye movements, among other things through sensors. You can be rest assured that the process is completely non-invasive and there are no needles involved.
A sleep study center or company boasts a sleeping room that is designed to make the patient feel comfortable. The sleep study room is essentially dark. In most cases, the sleep specialist will ask you to come to the center at least two hours before bedtime. You are allowed to bring all your sleeping essentials, such as your pajamas, and other items related to sleep. The reason why you are called early before your sleep is that the clinical staff will places electrodes and sensors all over your body so that everything could be recorded and monitored properly. While you may think that the wires and cables will hinder your sleep, these equipment are designed in such a manner that they give you plenty of room to move and get comfortable during sleep. In short, the machines won’t bother you during your sleep.
The clinical staff will monitor you during your sleep and if you face any complications like if you are infrequently breathing, he/she will assist you with a breathing aid. Even if you want to go to the bathroom, you will be assisted.
In most cases, a full night’s study is not needed. The equipment can gather all the necessary information about your sleep from a few hours of your sleep.
The data retrieved from your sleep study is taken by the sleep specialist and later reviewed by the concerned doctor. The test results may take at least two weeks to come up. After that, you will have to visit your doctor with the report to discuss the issues (if any).
While you can take a sleep test at home as the sleep study company will provide you with all the necessary equipment to take home and set up a sleep lab in your bedroom, self-reports don’t paint a reliable picture. If you want your sleep test to be accurate, it must be taken under the supervision of an experienced sleep specialist who will monitor you throughout your sleep.
How to prepare for your sleep test?
Your sleep specialist will prescribe you to take certain measures before your sleep test. A sleep test is usually taken between 8 pm and 10 pm. So, you should follow your regular routine and diet as much as possible. However, make sure that:
You don’t consume caffeine in any form starting from the lunchtime
You don’t consume alcohol or any element that will give you any sort of ‘high’
You keep your hair clean. If you use any hair product, wash your hair with shampoo as these products can interfere with sleep recording
You don’t take a nap during the day
You tell your sleep specialist about the medications you take because you might have to stop taking them for one for your sleep test Sleep Study