If you suffer from a sleep disorder there are different treatments that will be offered to you and your doctor may refer you to a specialist in a sleep disorder center. Although there are many sleep disorder medications on the market today, not all of them will work for every individual. In order to determine what the right medication might be or the treatment for your particular disorder, doctors need to have certain tests run to find out what type of sleep disorder that the person has.
There are sleep disorder centers that specialize in these types of tests and are useful to family doctors who do not specialize in these types of problems. These sleep disorder clinics are set up to be able to do simple tests such as questionnaires and interviews with patients, and they are also set up to do sleep studies with those patients who need more specialized tests run for diagnosis or evaluation.
Types of Sleep Disorder Tests
When diagnosing insomnia at a sleep disorder clinic, people will usually have to answer some questions first about the things that are going on in their lives. They will need to tell whether they have been ill, if they have gained weight recently, and if they are going through any traumatic or stressful life situations that might be affecting sleep. Once the initial questions have been answered, the sleep disorder clinic may order further testing. They may have the person keep a sleep diary over a period of time so that they can evaluate the patterns that occur over time.
They might also want the person to come into the sleep disorder clinic so that they can be hooked up to machines that will monitor breathing, heart rate, and movement during the night. These machines can tell whether the person is having sleep apnea, where they stop breathing in the night periodically, thus waking themselves up. They can also tell whether the person is having night terrors which are interrupting their sleeping patterns.
There are other cases where the sleep disorder center may have the person sleep with a wrist device which will track the movement that the person goes through in the night. In other cases, the doctors at the sleep disorder clinic may advise the person to go through a mental health evaluation so that they can determine if there are other issues in her life which are causing her to lose sleep on a regular basis. There are also tests that can be done on children who have sleeping disorders. Sleep disorder clinics can help parents decide if there is a problem with night terrors, or with bedwetting. They can also help them with methods that can help their children with these problems.
Once you and your doctor think you may be suffering from a sleeping disorder, a sleep center may be in your future. These are places located all around the country and they specialize in diagnosing sleep disorder. The centers are increasing and they need to be accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in order to operate.
Chances are you are in for an overnight stay if you are being sent to a sleep center. A night at a sleep center can be expensive, especially if you need to be there for several visits. It can cost between one and three thousand dollars. The very first visit may only diagnosis you while subsequent visits can help define a treatment. For most, health insurance can alleviate the cost involved.
When you have an upcoming appointment, you may be sent a sleep diary. The doctor will use this tool in order to gain insight into your sleep disorder and sleep patterns. You will have to refrain from alcohol and caffeine consumption before the sleep center visit.
The sleep center you visit will make you feel comfortable. You will be able to bring your own pajamas and pillows for the overnight stay. For most people, it is much like staying in a hotel overnight. If you engage in reading before bed, you will also be able to do that at the sleep center. You will also have a television set too in case this is what you enjoy doing before bed at home. Making you feel relaxed and at home is the point. The sleep center technician will begin the process of getting the equipment ready as you settle in for the night.
A polysomnography will measure your sleep patterns continuously. This is how the sleep center reaches a diagnosis. Parts of your body will be outfitted with electrodes in order to get readings during your sleep study at the sleep center. Some of the body parts that they are attached to include the scalp, fingers, chin, nose, near the eyes, legs and chest. They will also be placed on your abdomen. As the electrodes take certain readings and measurements during your sleep center stay, you will also be video and audio recorded. This will allow them to study your sounds and movements during sleep.
When everything is in place, you will be left alone to drift off to sleep. You may expect to feel uncomfortable, but you will not. You are able to move just as freely as if you were at home and you have access to an intercom system to reach out if you need anything. You are able to take bathroom breaks and act as if you were home. You will be awakened by the technician when the studying is complete. Seven or eight hours is the typical amount of time needed to get a complete picture of your sleep disorder.
Your readings are all on file to be studied and analyzed. This is called a polysonagram. The collection of data is sent away for further analysis to pinpoint the exact sleep disorder. Going through a sleep study and being comfortable is possible and it can be necessary if you have a sleep disorder.
