What is Polysomnographic technology? Polysomnography is a medical checkup used to diagnose sleeping disorders. The test itself is designed to record the activity of brain waves, the oxygen level in blood, the respiratory system, and heartbeats. The technology can also detect and record eyes and feet movements when falling asleep.
The medical checkup using Polysomnographic technology, the doctor can detect and diagnose any disorder. This way, the best treatments, and medication can be applied.
How Polysomnographic Technology Works
Generally, the normal sleeping process starts from a phase namely the Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM). During the phase, the brain wave slows down significantly. Meanwhile, your eyes have not moved back and forth fast.
After around 1-2 hours in the NREM phase, the brain waves move to the Rapid Eye Movement (REM). In this phase, you are sleeping with rapidly moving eyes. Most of your dreams have occurred here. In one session of sleeping at night, REM phases only happen in around 90 minutes. However, if you have got a sleeping disorder, it blocks the process of both NREM and REM.
Polysomnographic technology is implemented in a machine to detect whether or not there is an anomaly in the sleeping process including in the NREM and REM phases. The technology records and analyzes the brain wave as well as the eyes movement when a patient is sleeping. More than that, it also analyzes through some other indicators such as the heartbeat, the blood oxygen level, and the respiratory system.
When an anomaly is detected, further analysis is conducted to diagnose the type of disorder a patient is suffering from. Treatments and medications can be given more correctly for sure.
Who Needs Polysomnographic Technology for Medical Checkups
Once you are coming to a clinic for a sleeping disorder, the doctor may not directly recommend you for polysomnography. They ask you some questions first to know how severe your problem is to get the treatment. The technology itself is suggested to implement if a patient is likely to have some conditions as follows.
First, sleep apnea is a kind of respiratory disorder that attacks the patient when sleeping. In this condition, the patient suddenly stops breathing when sleeping tightly. Consequently, some organs can be in problems particularly the brain. Yes, the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen supplies and it worsens the sleeping quality. The patient even feels very tired when waking up in the morning.
Second, there is also a sleeping problem namely the Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. The patient may not realize this disorder happens to them. During their sleeping, they move their hands or feet. Similar to sleep apnea, it causes the sleeping quality to be not optimal and the patient tends to be fatigued when waking up. The condition is known also as the Restless Legs Syndrome.
Third, Narcolepsy, it is a sleeping disorder signed with a sudden sleepy habit at noon. You can even suddenly fall asleep when doing activities such as working in the office or studying at school. Although you probably don’t find any trouble when sleeping at night, this condition just shows that you actually have it.
Fourth, Polysomnographic technology is also to detect a REM sleep behavior disorder. One of the symptoms is that you often have vivid dreams just like in real life.
Fifth, have you had insomnia lately? If yes, the doctor may recommend polysomnography as one of the medical checkups to pass through. Some doctors may allow you to undergo a checkup after experiencing insomnia in a few days. However, some others use the technology only for insomnia chronic patients.
Other than the 5 disorders mentioned above, the technology is also used to diagnose other sleeping problems. Some of them are frequently delirious, sleepwalking, and doing too many moves when sleeping.
How the Procedure of Polysomnographic Technology is
Polysomnography itself is a regular diagnostic test conducted in a sleeping research center in a clinic or hospital. Sure, not all clinics may have this unit. Therefore, if you are interested in using this facility, make sure to get to know a place that provides it.
The procedure is commonly scheduled at night. The main purpose is, of course, to monitor the patient’s sleeping pattern more accurately. The patient is not allowed to have a nap to easily fall asleep during the observation. Besides, it is important also to stop consuming caffeine or alcohol as both drinks tend to affect sleeping patterns. Sure, such consumption also generally worsens any sleeping disorders.
During the checkup, the patient is asked to sleep alongside in a dark and quiet room. The room itself is a special room equipped with a complete audio and video system. Certain tools that work as detectors are placed on certain parts, they are the head, left and right forehead areas, chest, and legs. The Polysomnographic machine receives input from the tools placed on the body. It processes the input with data as a result.
The data produced tend to be different based on the type of research conducted. Some types of research or tests using the Polysomnographic technology are including the diagnostic test for the double sleeping latency, the split-night polysomnography with the CAP titration.
To make sure that the test is successful, polysomnography is not the only thing to use. It is combined with some more tools and technologies such as Electroencephalography, Electromyogram, Electrocardiogram, and more. Particularly for the apnea patient, his body will also be connected to a Positive Air Pressure machine to smooth the respiratory system when sleeping.
Further Treatments
In the morning after the test, the patient is allowed to go back home. A few days later, they can go to the clinic for further checks as well as to know the result. In some cases, polysomnography is followed by some other sleeping diagnostic tests. The test is known also as the multiple sleep latency test or MSLT. The test is conducted to measure the sleeping duration of the patient at night.
How the Polysomnographic Technology Risk is
Polysomnography is a very safe diagnostic test. The procedure doesn’t or only bring a little pain and uncomfortable feeling to your body. It is considered a non-invasive procedure without any serious side effects on your health.
