Always Sleepy? Sleep Studies Can Help You Figure Out Your Sleep Deprivation

Written by Manny Erlich on May 8, 2012. Posted in Health Effects of Snoring, Sleep Disorder News & Research, Snoring 101

Are you always sleepy? The effects of sleep deprivation can lead to many negative consequences, especially if the reason behind it is a constant and biological condition. Don’t just live with exhaustion, participate in some Sleep Studies to identify the problem. Participating in a Sleep Study will help diagnose the reason behind your sleep deprivation by identifying sleep disorders such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea.

What are Sleep Studies?

Sleep Studies allow medical professionals practicing in the sleep-related breathing disorders field to observe sleep stages and sleep movements. As part of the Sleep Study abnormal breathing patterns and the levels of oxygen in the blood are recorded. Sleep Studies also allow medical professionals to record sleep patterns and sleep related problems that patients are often not aware of and therefore have never communicated to their doctor or dentist.

What is a sleep study like and how does it work?

Many doctors now use Sleep Studies to make diagnosis and develop treatment plans for those who are feeling as if they are always sleepy or tired by recording patients as they sleep. Typically the sleep study rooms are very comfortable, as if you are in a hotel, to mimic a normal sleeping environment. But unlike a normal sleeping environment, you may be sleeping with electrodes running along your body so a polysomnogram can record your sleep.

A polysomnogram (PSG) is used to determine a person’s sleep-related breathing disorder. A PSG records the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood stream as well as the amount of air traveling through the nose while the person is breathing and snoring. A PSG also records a person’s chest movements to determine if he/she is having difficulty breathing.

What are the outcomes of a Sleep Study?

After the Sleep Study the doctor will discuss his/her findings with you, will diagnose and will prescribe the appropriate treatment for you. If a person is diagnosed with sleep apnea the doctor may recommend a CPAP machine and will refer to the PSG to determine the proper setting for your new continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP). A CPAP supplies and monitors the air supply (that’s blown through a mask worn by the sleeper) to his/her nose and/or mouth to create pressure that keeps his/her airway open during sleep. In a recent review for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CPAP proved to be the best treatment option for adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

Unfortunately many people find the CPAP mask to be intrusive and uncomfortable. Fifty percent of the people that start using a CPAP machine discontinue using the machine a short time afterwards and decide to just live with their sleep deprivation.

But living with sleep deprivation is very harmful to your health (Read: The Serious Effects of Sleep Deprivation). Sleep Studies are important because sleep disorders, if left untreated, can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke. Sleep disorders are also known to increase the risk of work related injuries and car accidents. So if you feel like you are always sleepy it’s important that you go through a simple sleep study and get diagnosed.

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Manny Erlich

International Foundation of Employee Benefits - Certified Employee Benefits Specialist

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