Polysomnogram

Not to be confused with Electroencephalography (EEG), Electrocardiography (ECG), Electronystagmography (ENG), Electrooculography (EOG), and Electromyography (EMG).

Polysomnography
Polysomnographic record of REM sleep. Eye movements highlighted by red rectangle.
ICD-9-CM	89.17
MeSH	D017286
OPS-301 code	1-790
MedlinePlus	003932
LOINC	28633-6

Pronounced PAH-lee-SOM-noh-gram, and abbreviated to PSG, it is a group of recordings taken during sleep that shows brain wave changes, eye movements, breathing rate, blood pressure, heart rate, and the electrical activity of the heart and other muscles.

PLMD Polysomnogram

Types

The more common sleep studies monitor and record data about your body during a full night of sleep. Other types of sleep studies include multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and daytime maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT).

MSLT

Multiple sleep latency tests measure how quickly you fall asleep during a series of daytime naps and use sensors to record your brain activity and eye movements.

MWT

A daytime maintenance of wakefulness test measures your ability to stay awake and alert.

Purpose

Sleep studies can help your doctor diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnea, sleep-related seizure disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, and sleep disorders that cause extreme daytime tiredness such as narcolepsy. Doctors also may use sleep studies to help diagnose or rule out restless legs syndrome.

Home sleep studies

Some sleep studies can be performed at home as opposed to a sleep lab. Your doctor will determine whether you must have your sleep study at a sleep center or if you can do it at home with a portable diagnostic device. You either pick up the device at a sleep center or a trained therapist comes to your home to set it up.

Home testing may be used when:

• You are under the care of a sleep specialist.
• Your sleep doctor thinks you have obstructive sleep apnea.
• You do not have other sleep disorders.
• You do not have other serious health problems, such as heart disease or lung disease.

How sleep studies are done?

If your sleep study will be done at a sleep center, you will sleep in a bed at the sleep center for the duration of the study. Removable sensors will be placed on your scalp, face, eyelids, chest, limbs, and a finger. These sensors record your brain waves, heart rate, breathing effort and rate, oxygen levels, and muscle movements before, during, and after sleep. There is a small risk of irritation from the sensors, but this will go away after they are removed. Full sleep studies are most often done at a special sleep center.

• You will be asked to arrive about 2 hours before bedtime.
• You will sleep in a bed at the center. Many sleep centers have comfortable bedrooms, similar to a hotel.
• The test is most often done at night so that your normal sleep patterns can be studied. If you are a night shift worker, many centers can perform the test during your normal sleep hours.
• Your health care provider will place electrodes on your chin, scalp, and the outer edge of your eyelids. You will have monitors to record your heart rate and breathing attached to your chest. These will remain in place while you sleep.
• The electrodes record signals while you are awake (with your eyes closed) and during sleep. The test measures the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep and how long it takes you to enter REM sleep.
• A specially-trained provider will observe you while you sleep and note any changes in your breathing or heart rate.
• The test will record the number of times that you either stop breathing or almost stop breathing.
• There are also monitors to record your movements during sleep. Sometimes a video camera records your movements during sleep.

Results

Your sleep doctor will review your sleep study test results and develop a treatment plan for any diagnosed sleep disorder. Untreated sleep disorders can raise your risk for heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and depression. Sleep disorders also have been linked to an increased risk for injury and car accidents.

Polysomnogram Resources
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