What Do Sleep Studies Look For?

Many patients are curious about sleep studies: what are they and what do they look for? This article will describe sleep studies and their purpose.

Sleep studies involve spending the night in a sleep laboratory. A number of sensors are put on your body: electrodes on your head to look at your brain waves, sensors over your nose and mouth to record airflow, a microphone on your neck to record snoring, stretchy straps on your chest and belly to look at respiratory effort, heart rate monitor (EKG), oxygen monitor on your finger, muscle tone monitors, eye movement monitors, and a camera in the corner just in case you decide to sleep walk.

Sleep studies primarily focus on your breathing and limb movements a night. The sensors are very sensitive and can determine if you are having any kind of airflow limitation or snoring. We can also see if your legs are excessively kicking and whether you have any sleep walking.

At our sleep center in Portland Oregon, patients are instructed to arrive at 8:00 pm. They are then "hooked-up" between 8 to 11:00 pm. Next the patient tries to fall asleep. Occasionally, a mild sleeping pill is helpful. At our Portland sleep center, we have flat screen televisions, sound soothers, and herbal teas to help patients feel more comfortable as they are attempting to fall asleep.

Once asleep, sleep studies look for a few primary sleep disorders: sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, parasomnias (sleep walking or REM behavior disorder). We may also detect seizures although given the limited number of brain electrodes, sleep studies are usually not the best test to look for seizures.

The next morning the patient is free to leave while the sleep studies are being interpreted. At most sleep centers, it takes a week or longer to get your sleep study results. At our Portland sleep center, the doctor meets with every patient the morning after the sleep study to give preliminary results.

Sleep studies can definitely be a time consuming procedure, but the results are worth the trouble. If you are found to have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, treating it could literally save your life.

Disclaimer: As with all the content on this site, this article is to be viewed as educational only. In no way should this be construed as medical advice. If you are concerned that you might have a sleep disorder, make an appointment with a sleep physician for proper advice.

Need a Sleep Physician in the Portland Area?

Call (503) 639-7000 to make an appointment with the Portland area's highest trained sleep physician. Most insurances in Oregon do not require a referral from your physician. Sleep disorders are a normally covered medical benefit under almost all insurance plans.

What Sets Westside Sleep Center Apart?

A caring, compassionate environment and unsurpassed customer service is the standard at Westside Sleep Center. Our staff is trained to make you feel comfortable and relaxed. We greet you with a smile, address you by name, offer you tea or water and make sure you are seen in a timely manner. Westside Sleep Center uses only the most advanced equipment in a comfortable setting to determine the cause of your sleepless nights.

What Can I Expect?

Your visit to Westside Sleep center will be similar to any other doctor’s visit. The main difference is that Dr. Fromherz will focus his questions specifically to issues relating to sleep. He may order a sleep study. This would involve spending a night in our sleep lab where your sleep, breathing and night movements will be monitored. Dr. Fromherz will then follow-up with you and prescribe a treatment plan to address your sleep problem. You won’t be seen just once and forgotten about.

Westside Sleep Center Better Sleep for a Better Life