Sleep Testing

About This Test

At Franciscan Health, we use sleep testing to diagnose sleep disorders and recommend the treatment that is best for you. A sleep study measures how your body and brain react while you're asleep.

If you have trouble sleeping or if you wake up feeling tired, you might need a sleep test. Sleep testing can determine whether you have a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Our sleep doctors can then recommend treatments that help you get restful sleep and protect your overall health.

Types of sleep tests

We use several types of sleep tests to diagnose sleep disorders, including:

• Sleep study (polysomnography) in our sleep lab
• At-home sleep test
• Maintenance of wakefulness test
• Multiple sleep latency test
• Pediatric sleep study

Why sleep testing?

There are more than 80 sleep disorders that can disturb sleep and impact a person’s health. You should see your doctor if you experience these symptoms:

• Difficulty or fear of falling asleep
• Morning headaches
• Excessive nighttime sweating
• Daytime drowsiness
• Night terrors or sleep walking
• Falling asleep while working or driving
• Snoring
• Crawling sensation in the legs or arms usually helped by movement

What to expect during a sleep study

A sleep study performed in our lab is a common sleep test. You’ll spend the night in our sleep lab, where we can monitor your sleep with specialized equipment. You’ll sleep in a hotel-like room, while a sleep technician monitors you from a nearby room.

A sleep study is painless. Your sleep technician can answer any questions you may have about the test and will help you if you need anything during the night.

We will attach EEG and EMG leads on your head, face and legs, along with an EKG monitor and respiratory effort belts. We’ll also attach a fingertip pulse oximeter and nasal oral airflow sensor so we can monitor your oxygen levels throughout the night. A snore microphone on your neck will allow us to detect any vibrations during the night. We record the study on video and audio.

A technician will analyze your sleep study results and give a report to your doctor, who can determine the treatment option that is best for you.