A doctor will schedule you for a sleep study when they suspect you have a sleep disorder. This shall reveal more info about what you are suffering from. There is a wide range of sleep disorders out there, from the mild ones such as snoring to the more serious ones such as obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and sleepwalking.
In the sleep study, you will have to wear a sleep recorder that shall take in vital such as brain activity, heart activity, breathing patterns and any stoppages, blood oxygen levels, limb movement, seeping position, and so many other factors. This study usually happens in a specially designed lab at the hospital, with a sleep scientist there to observe you overnight. Nowadays, there are portable diagnostic recorders people can use at home. You shall, therefore, sleep as you normally do at home, while those factors mentioned are being recorded. This is the more affordable, more approachable, and more accurate way to test for sleep disorders.
The recorded data will then be studied. You will thus be told of the nature and severity of any sleep disorders you may have. This also gives the right treatment for the condition. Most of the time, such revelations come as a surprise to the patients. It can be an overwhelming moment to find out how your body behaves when you are sleep. An example is finding out you have obstructive sleep apnea. This is where the soft tissue of the upper airway collapses and blocks the airway and making you unable to breathe. You will not manage to for about ten seconds or even longer. You will then be subjected to those blockages for about thirty times in every hour you are asleep. The diminished oxygen levels will cause the sympathetic nervous system to wake you with micro arousal. This awakening shall be enough for you to start breathing, but not so that you are fully awake. When you wake up in the morning, you will feel tired, no matter the fact that you were in bed for a reasonable amount of time. What happened instead was they had a series of short naps, not a proper restful night’s sleep. Learning this is understandably a terrifying moment. You will see a patient asking to be treated immediately.
Whenever you suspect there is something wrong with how you sleep, you should get tested. You will find a sleep study to be non-invasive and generally comfortable You will only have to wear the recording equipment on your body. The data gathered from the monitoring shall go a long way in establishing the cause of your sleep troubles. This is also how you will get the right treatment after the right diagnosis.