Sleep Aids, Sleeping Disorders, Treatment, Pills

There are many different types of sleep disorders, with different underlying causes, but providers can identify most of them using a few simple diagnostic tools.  The tools below help patients identify their symptoms so that the care provider can direct them to the appropriate treatment.

If you are having trouble with sleep -- you are tired all day, falling asleep in the wrong places, or you sleep too little or too much, or you have frequent nightmares, your first order of business may be to speak with your doctor or with a sleep specialist.  Some US cities also have sleep clinics or sleep disorder centers with doctors on staff who specialize in sleep disorders.   The following organizations are useful in finding help or advice on sleep disorders.  

Physical Exam

Once you have chosen a sleep specialist to visit ,  your evaluation for sleep disorders begins with a general physical examination in which the provider pays particular attention to your nose and throat, your weight, your blood pressure and your thyroid function. If your sleep disorder involves snoring,  the doctor may suggest you see an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor). These doctors are better equipped to examine your nasal passages.

The next step is a referral to the sleep lab for further testing,  where researchers give you an overnight sleep test to monitor multiple bodily functions while you sleep.

Sleep labs, also known as sleep disorder centers or sleep clinics,  are the best equipped places to diagnose sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and heart-related sleep problems.

One of the primary functions of a  sleep lab is to administer polysomnograms (PSGs), or sleep studies,    which measure your muscle movement, breathing patterns and brain activity as you sleep and records the results on video.  The results include the following data: 

As the patient moves through the successive phases of sleep,  from wakefulness to deep sleep, the PSG records and measures characteristic patterns from the electrodes, and videotapes the person's movements during sleep.   If there are abnormalities in the sleep cycle, they will show up in the PSG; for example,   REM sleep might occur at unusual times.  eliminate the possibility that an individual's symptoms result from another condition. 

PSGs are essential for the diagnosis of PLMD (periodic limb movement disorder, also known as restless leg syndrome)  and RBD (REM sleep behavior disorder)   EEG patterns reveal that a healthy person has relaxed muscles during REM sleep, the phase of sleep when a person has rapid eye movements and is probably dreaming,  in persons with RBD, on the other hand,   the EEG measures increased muscle activity during REM sleep.   Additionally, the video recording shows body movements coinciding with the EEG pattern of REM sleep

When a primary caregiver refers you to the sleep lab,  you can expect the following:  

a-  You will spend one or even two nights at the lab.  Sleep specialists will assign you to a private bedroom in a sleep clinic or a hospital,  and monitor  and record your sleep patterns for an entire night.  In order to do this, they will plug you into some strange-looking and occasionally uncomfortable equipment, although many patients at sleep labs have no trouble sleeping through the night. 

b-  After you complete your stay at the sleep lab, where your heart, brain, and breathing can be monitored as you sleep,  a sleep specialist can look at your test results and diagnose your sleep disorder.  Two tests usually performed in sleep labs,  the polysomnogram (PSG) and the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) are necessary to diagnose the two most severe sleep disorders;   sleep apnea and narcolepsy.  

 *This article is based on information provided at WebMD