Sleep disorders are a very common thing that has been experienced by every person at one point of time or other in his entire life time. But if the ability to sleep calmly has been disrupted a number of times and if sleeping is becoming a serious problem then it requires detailed studies to find out the real causes and feasible remedies for the problem.

People with good health normally get good sleep. So sleep can be considered as a barometer of the general health condition of a person. Even a minimal loss of sleep can lead to serious problems like lack of mood, loss of energy and ability to handle stress. Polysomnography is a test conducted to diagnose sleep disorders. This study is usually conducted at a sleep center or a sleep laboratory and is usually conducted after your doctor has studied your sleep problems.

In most sleep laboratories patients arrive in the early evening and stay there overnight for the study purpose.  If you are a person working in a night shift some facilities would be available there so that the tests can be done in the day time.  The patients are allowed to bring their sleep wares, their favorite blankets and pillows so that they can sleep well without any problem. The rooms in sleep laboratories are neat and clean so that the person staying in those rooms may feel as if he was in his home itself. The various procedures that are conducted in a sleep study center are explained below.

Polysomnography (PSG): This is an overnight study of the sleep of a particular person which may take 6 to 8 hours for completion. This test is conducted to understand the underlying causes for a patients sleep disorders and to  prepare a treatment plan for the patients who has already been diagnosed for sleep disorder problems.

Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT): MSLT is conducted to find out whether a patient is having narcolepsy which is excessive sleeping habit in day time. This test is conducted during day time and during this period the patient is not allowed to drink any stimulants like coffee, tea, etc. Four or five naps with a gap of two hours each are subjected to this analysis.

Maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT): This test is conducted to establish the alertness of the patient during day time. It measures your ability to stay awake for a definite period of time. MWT is also conducted to find out how you are responding to treatment for sleep disorder problems.