Sleep studies are a series of tests that help evaluate what happens to the body during sleep. They can help diagnose sleep disorders, which include sleep-disruptive behaviors (such as sleepwalking), sleep apnea, daytime sleepiness, and insomnia.
Sleep studies include:
- Polysomnography, which records a variety of body functions during sleep, including electrical activity of the brain, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, breathing, air flow through the nose and mouth, and blood oxygen levels.
- Multiple sleep latency test, which measures how long it takes the person to fall asleep during the course of a day.
- Multiple wake test, which measures the person's ability to stay awake during a designated wakeful time.
Sleep studies usually are done in a sleep lab. But sometimes they can be done with portable equipment you use at home.