We’ve all had those nights when we hang out too late or work too long and don’t get a good night’s sleep, so being tired during the day is understandable. But, if you’re not out on the town all night or putting in extra work hours and you’re still experiencing excessive fatigue while trying to function during the day, you’re likely dealing with daytime sleepiness (also known as hypersomnia).
Residents of the Glendale, Arizona, area struggling with daytime sleepiness or other sleep disorders can find help with Dr. Sarah Patel and our dedicated team at Sonoran Sleep Center.
Hypersomnia can happen for a number of reasons, and to determine how to treat it we need a diagnostic analysis. One way we can achieve that is through the use of a polysomnogram, or sleep study. To understand what a sleep study can do for you, let’s examine how a polysomnogram works, how it can help, and what you can expect when undergoing one.
HOW SLEEP STUDIES WORK
To better understand your problems with sleeping, we need to know what brain activity is taking place while you rest. To do this, a sleep study uses small sensors that attach to your head and body as well as to a computer that monitors you as you sleep.
Elastic is also wrapped around your midsection to measure your breathing, and clips are placed on your finger or earlobe to monitor the levels of oxygen in your bloodstream. Multiple sleep latency testing can also be done after a sleep study to collect data over five nap periods with two hours between them.
HOW SLEEP STUDIES CAN HELP
Here are some reasons to use sleep studies if you’re having sleeping problems:
1. TO GATHER A TOTAL PICTURE OF YOUR SLEEP HABITS
The information we gather from these different data points as you sleep gives us a total picture of what happens as you sleep at home.
2. TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL SLEEP DISORDERS
This information can be used to find out if you have sleep disorders like sleep apnea (or other breathing-related sleep disorders), narcolepsy, chronic insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder, periodic limb movement disorder, and other unusual sleep behaviors.
3. TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR TREATMENT OPTIONS
Once the data from your sleep study is analyzed and we determine what sleep problems are causing your daytime sleepiness, we move forward to offer you treatment options.
4. TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEPING HABITS
Once we observe your sleep habits and have the data, we offer suggestions on changes you can make to improve your sleep and get more of it. Sometimes managing these issues can be as simple as changing lifestyle choices and adopting better habits before bed.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU PARTICIPATE IN A SLEEP STUDY
During the day before your study, you’ll want to avoid stimulants like caffeine as well as avoid naps, but otherwise you can go through your normal daily routine.
We offer sleep study facilities to diagnose your problems, and on the day of your study our staff welcomes you and gets you comfortable. We then attach the necessary equipment and let you relax and try to sleep.
Daytime fatigue isn’t uncommon, but excessive daytime sleepiness could mean underlying problems that need treatment. If you’re struggling with hypersomnia, make an appointment with Sonoran Sleep Center today to get treatment. Call our office or book online today.