Diagnosing sleep disorders requires evaluating sleep-wake patterns, documenting disturbances, and checking respiration during sleep. Laboratories provide home sleep tests and digital sleep diaries for disorder diagnosis. Here is how the disorder is diagnosed:
Conducting Sleep Studies
A polysomnography (PSG) involves overnight sleep monitoring in a lab setting to gather diagnostic data for diagnosing sleep disorders. Sensors attached to the body record brain waves, heart rate, and oxygen levels. PSG helps diagnose disorders such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy that affect nighttime breathing and daytime sleepiness. Physicians may order PSG based on symptoms to understand sleep patterns.
Utilizing Sleep Diaries
Sleep diaries can be used to record bedtimes and wake times over several weeks. Patients could document awakenings and interruptions, naps, and daytime fatigue. Diaries assist in diagnosing insomnia by showing difficulties in falling or staying asleep. Clinics should provide digital sleep diaries that automatically record sleep-wake cycles through smartwatches. They are one tool doctors could use to provide insights into sleep disorder patterns.
Performing Physical Exams
Doctors might check nasal and throat passages for obstructions or physical issues that may affect nighttime breathing, which can disrupt sleep. Blood pressure readings can identify hypertension, which is often linked to sleep apnea. Muscle tone and limb movements during sleep may suggest restless legs syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder. When combined with sleep study data, physical exams enable doctors to diagnose primary sleep disorders.
Administering Sleep Questionnaires
Sleep questionnaires enable patients to report symptoms and sleep issues. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale measures daytime drowsiness through different situations and activities. Frequency-based questions might show the severity of insomnia, and certain bedtime habits could indicate circadian rhythm disorders. Physicians can use sleep questionnaires alongside objective tests like polysomnography to confirm a diagnosis.
Using Home Sleep Tests
Laboratories should offer portable sleep monitors for home tests that evaluate nighttime breathing issues. Patients wear sensors that record oxygen levels, heart rate, airflow, and limb movement. Data indicates potential sleep apnea events. Home sleep tests can offer diagnostic information for treatment prescriptions. Their home-based tests add real-world sleep environment data to the diagnosis.
Employing Actigraphy Monitoring
Actigraphy monitors worn on the wrist track movements to estimate sleep-wake patterns. The data shows nighttime awakenings and daytime nap frequency. Extended wrist actigraphy provides insights into circadian rhythm disorders by capturing over a week of data. Sleep disorder clinics supply actigraphy monitors for objective sleep activity measurement to assist in analyzing disorders.
Taking Blood Tests
Certain sleep abnormalities, such as narcolepsy, have biological markers that can be detected through blood tests, and low levels of the hormone hypocretin can cause hypersomnia and daytime sleepiness. Checking hormone levels aids in diagnosing narcolepsy when used with polysomnography results. Evaluating blood gases and hormone levels can further assess conditions impacting sleep quality, like thyroid dysfunction or renal failure. Diagnostic clinics also perform blood tests to identify metabolic and endocrine issues that affect sleep patterns.
Examine Sleep Disorders Today
Sleep studies measure brain activity and respiration during sleep to identify common sleep disorders such as REM behavior disorder and sleep apnea. Positive airway pressure titration studies can identify the settings needed to stabilize breathing during sleep. Visit a medical clinic today and learn how laboratories use medical evaluations to diagnose disorders impacting sleep quality.
