Sleep
studies are tests that watch what happens
to your body during sleep. The studies are
done to find out what is causing your sleep
problems. Sleep problems include:
sleep
apnea is when an adult regularly stops breathing
during sleep for 10 seconds or longer. This
may be caused by blocked airflow during
sleep, such as from narrowed airways. Or
it may be caused by a problem with how the
brain signals the breathing muscles to work.
Problems staying
awake, such as Narcolepsy.
Problems with nighttime
behaviors, such as sleepwalking, night terrors,
or bed-wetting.
Problems
sleeping at night (insomnia). This may be
caused by conditions such as restless leg
syndrome, which is an intense urge to move
the legs.
Sleep
studies can also determine whether you have
a problem with your stages of sleep. The
two stages of sleep are non-rapid eye movement
(NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Normally,
NREM and REM alternate 4 to 5 times during
a night's sleep. A change in this cycle
may make it hard for you to sleep soundly.
