Sleep Studies

The only way to diagnose a sleep disorder is with a sleep study that obtains information about your breathing and brain, heart, and body functioning while you sleep. At Midwest Respiratory, Ltd. in Joliet and New Lenox, Illinois, you can get the equipment for an easy-to-use home sleep study or schedule a full, detailed sleep study in a clinic. If your symptoms point to a sleep disorder, it’s time to call the nearest office or book an appointment online to learn if you should consider a sleep study.

What is a sleep study?

A sleep study collects information about changes that occur in your body while you sleep. Getting a sleep study is the only way to accurately diagnose sleep disorders such as:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Central sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• Circadian rhythm disorders
• Restless legs syndrome
• Periodic limb movement disorder
• Excessive sleepiness
• Parasomnia

You may also undergo a sleep study if you have insomnia.

Your Midwest Respiratory, Ltd. provider may recommend an at-home or in-lab sleep study. They may also ask you to participate in daytime studies.

What is a home sleep study?

Your provider uses a home sleep study to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. You wear sensors on a finger, your chest, and under your nostrils that collect information about air flow, breathing, and blood oxygen levels.

The sensors send the information to a recording device attached to the expandable belt around your chest. After your sleep study, your provider downloads and analyzes the information to determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea and, if so, the severity of your condition.

What is an in-lab sleep study?

Specially trained technicians perform in-lab sleep studies at the practice’s Midwest Sleep Disorder Center. Your technician applies sensors to your scalp, temples, chin, chest, and legs. 

They also use the same equipment as an at-home study (a nasal cannula, an elastic belt around your chest and/or abdomen, and an oximeter clipped on your finger). 

The sensors pick up detailed information about your:

• Brain waves (electroencephalogram, or EEG)
• Eye movements (electrooculogram, or EOG)
• Chin muscle activity (chin electromyogram, or EMG)
• Heart rate and rhythm (electrocardiogram, or ECG)
• Air flow from your nose and mouth
• Chest and abdominal movements
• Blood oxygen levels
• Leg movements

Your technician also notes details like snoring, body movement, how long and how deep you sleep, how many times you wake up or are aroused, abnormal heart rhythms, and seizure activities. After the study is finished, your provider uses the information to diagnose your sleep disorder.

What are daytime sleep studies?

Sleep labs often perform two daytime studies: multiple sleep latency testing (MSLT) and maintenance of wakefulness testing (MWT).

MSLT diagnoses narcolepsy and hypersomnia by measuring how quickly you fall asleep during the day. The MWT measures daytime alertness and your ability to function during the day, two areas significantly diminished by sleep disorders.

Call Midwest Respiratory, Ltd. or use the online booking feature to request an appointment and learn more about sleep studies today.