Do I need a sleep study?
A sleep study is a medical test that evaluates how you sleep. Also called polysomnography, sleep studies can identify sleep disorders that are preventing you from getting a restful night’s sleep.
A few indications that you might have a sleep disorder are:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at night
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times
- Loud snoring
- Intense urge to move while falling asleep
Different sleep disorders have different symptoms, and a sleep study is a crucial diagnostic tool for sleep disorders including:
- Sleep apnea
- Insomnia
- Restless leg syndrome
- Narcolepsy
- Sleepwalking or sleep talking
- REM sleep behavior disorder
If you think something is disrupting your sleep quality night after night, a sleep study could be the first step to getting more restful sleep.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders, affecting about 22 million American adults. If you have sleep apnea, you stop breathing periodically while you sleep and oxygen flow to your brain stops.
Untreated sleep apnea can pose serious health risks, including:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Weight gain
- Cardiovascular problems
- Type 2 diabetes
- Liver problems
- Heart attack
- Stroke
Along with these medical issues, sleep apnea often causes loud snoring and daytime fatigue.
What happens during a sleep study?
At Dallas Family Medicine, Dr. Paul Worrell, DO, is board-certified in sleep medicine. He has specialized in sleep studies since 2011, and he offers at-home sleep tests for people of all ages.
Dr. Worrell will provide you with equipment that will monitor the stages and depth of your sleep from the comfort of your own bed. This equipment offers a realistic view of what your sleep patterns actually look like.
Don’t settle for low-quality sleep. Learn more about sleep studies with a consultation at Dallas Family Medicine. Call or book online.
