A sleep study is an overnight recording of your sleep for the evaluation and diagnosis of sleep disorders. Our sleep studies at NKs Snoring and Sleep Apnea Centre can be performed either at home or at our sleep lab.

The sleep study, also known as Polysomnography, records your brain wave activity, oxygen level in your blood, heart rate and breathing, eye, chin and leg movements during your sleep. It monitors your sleep stages and cycles to identify if or when your sleep patterns are disrupted.

What is the purpose of a sleep study?

The purpose of a sleep study is to get a thorough understanding of your sleep and to identify disorders that interfere with your sleep. In addition to helping diagnose sleep disorders, polysomnography may be used to help adjust your treatment plan if you.ve already been diagnosed with a sleep disorder.

Why do I need a sleep study?

After a review of your sleep and medical questionnaire, If the doctors at NKs Snoring and Sleep Apnea Centre feel that due to your snoring, symptoms of tiredness, insomnia, trouble falling asleep or staying awake or other medical conditions, it would be appropriate to assess if you have a breathing or movement disorder while you sleep, then a sleep study will be recommended
Sleep study is effectively used to diagnose snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder and insomnia and can give valuable information to assist in the diagnosis of central sleep apnea, delayed sleep phases syndrome, narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.

What is involved in a sleep study?

A small device is worn overnight to monitor breathing pattern, nasal air flow, snoring loudness and frequency, respiratory effort, blood oxygen levels, brain activity, eye movement, heart rate, body position and movement using several simple sensors strapped on the body. All of these measurements are recorded on a continuous graph. This whole procedure is entirely non-invasive and painless.
Our sleep technician will put on the monitor and sensors either at your home or at our sleep lab, depending on the level of testing needed.
At NKs Snoring and Sleep Apnea centre, all our sleep studies are manually scored by our sleep technicians, rather than depending on the automated readings of the polysomnogram.

What can you expect after a sleep study?

The measurements recorded during polysomnography provide a great deal of information about your sleep patterns. For example:

1. Brain waves and eye movements during sleep can help your health care team assess your sleep stages and identify disruptions in the stages that may occur due to sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and REM sleep behaviour disorder.
2. Heart and breathing rate changes and changes in blood oxygen that are abnormal during sleep may suggest sleep apnea.
3. Correct settings for PAP or oxygen in case your doctor would like to prescribe these for home use.
4. Frequent leg movements that disrupt your sleep may indicate periodic limb movement disorder.
5. Unusual movements or behaviours during sleep may be signs of REM sleep behaviour disorder or another sleep disorder.

The information gathered during polysomnography is evaluated by our sleep center doctor, who uses the data to manually score and chart your sleep stages and events that have happened during the study.
This type of reporting is what sets NKs Snoring and Sleep Apnea Center apart, from most other sleep centers, in that each study is individually read and manually scored for better accuracy. We do not depend on automated scorings from the machine alone.
You can expect the results of polysomnography in a day or two. At a follow-up appointment, your doctor at NKs Snoring and Sleep Apnea Centre will review the results with you. Based on the data gathered, your doctor will discuss any treatment or further evaluation that you may need.

What is a Home sleep test?

Home sleep test is sleep study done in the convenience of your home. You can get it done in your bed at night, without the presence of any technician.
Home sleep test is sometimes done as a preliminary sleep test and based on the results, your doctor may recommend further evaluation or a more comprehensive sleep study.