Sweet Dreams: How A Sleep Study Can Reveal a Solution to Your Exhaustion
How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you feel refreshed and ready to conquer the day? Or do you feel groggy, like you have to drag yourself out of bed to get ready? Sleeping is supposed to be our body’s way of recharging, so if it’s not accomplishing that task, it could be a sign of a sleep disorder. Thankfully, a sleep study at Warner Hospital & Health Services can pinpoint what’s causing your restless nights and help find a solution to get you healthy and well rested.
What Is a Sleep Study?
According to the National Library of Medicine, a sleep study is a test used to measure numerous bodily functions while sleeping. These include blood oxygen level, brain waves, breathing rate, eye movements, heart rate, and leg movements. Also known as polysomnography or a sleep apnea study, this test checks how well patients sleep and can be used to diagnose numerous sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy.
Sleep disorders don’t just affect your energy level throughout the day. Without treatment, sleep disorders can affect patients’ overall health, safety, and quality of life, and may even increase the risk of serious health problems like depression, diabetes, and heart disease. Patients may be recommended to try a sleep study if they experience any of the following symptoms:
- Loud snoring
- Gasping for breath when waking up
- Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Fatigue throughout the day
What to Expect During a Sleep Study
Sleep studies are conducted during normal sleeping hours and may be conducted either in a hospital/clinical setting or at home. Before a sleep study, patients should avoid alcohol and caffeine in the afternoon as they can disrupt sleep patterns. Patients should also avoid napping as well as discontinue the use of lotions, hair gels, and makeup — which can affect how the electrodes work — as well as nail polish or artificial nails, which can interfere with the pulse oximeter.
If a sleep study is scheduled in a sleep clinic, patients stay in a private, comfortable bedroom complete with a private bathroom. Electrodes are attached to the patient’s scalp, eyelids, chin, chest, and legs to measure breathing, heart rate, muscle movement, brain waves, and eye and leg movements, while a pulse oximeter is attached to the patient’s finger to measure blood oxygen level. The patient is then monitored by polysomnography technologists via audio/video monitoring.
During home sleep studies, patients are provided sleep study equipment, which is picked up from a provider or delivered straight to the patient. The provider will give thorough instructions on how to use the equipment. That night, electrodes are self-applied and connected to the sleep monitoring device, then are removed in the morning. Afterward, equipment is returned to the provider for analysis.
If a patient is diagnosed with a sleep disorder — specifically sleep apnea — the provider may recommend any of the following:
- Lifestyle changes like losing weight, avoiding alcohol, and quitting smoking
- Avoid sleeping on your back
- Use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which provides gentle, steady air current to keep the patient’s airways open
- Dental devices such as mouth guards, mandibular advancement devices, and tongue-retaining devices
The Warner Hospital Respiratory Clinic is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information about respiratory therapy with expert, compassionate care that’s available close to home visit Warner Hospital and Health Services Respiratory Therapy or call 217-935-9571, ext. 3222.
