On the surface, sleep looks like a period of complete rest and inactivity. But actually, sleep is a period of intense activity for your body, a time of repair and restoration. If you aren’t getting good quality sleep, it can affect your health and wellness in profound ways, increasing your risks of serious problems like heart disease, obesity, dementia, and stroke.

Fortunately, sleep studies can help get to the root of sleep disorders, so you can enjoy deeper, more restorative rest. At Medical Access, our team offers sleep studies for patients at our locations in Germantown,‌ ‌Maryland,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Alexandria and ‌Woodbridge,‌ ‌Virginia‌. If you’re suffering from a sleep disorder, here’s how a sleep study could help.

How sleep studies work

Just as the name implies, sleep studies are conducted while you sleep. These studies use special equipment and technology to measure your breathing and the activity of your heart and brain while you sleep. 

During your study, you’ll sleep in a quiet room that’s designed with all the comforts of a regular bedroom (including a comfy bed). Before going to bed, our team will attach electrodes and other monitoring equipment to capture the data we need to make an accurate diagnosis. These devices capture your breathing patterns, your brain activity, your heart rate, and even your movements as you sleep.

Although you’ll be alone in your room during sleep, our team will monitor you remotely and continuously, so you can feel safe and secure throughout your testing. Once your test is complete, we’ll review and assess your data to diagnose and treat any underlying problem that could be causing your sleep issues.

When sleep disorders are used

Sleep disorders are widely used to help diagnose sleep disorders and other problems that can affect your sleep, including:

• Sleep apnea
• Restless leg syndrome
• Problems with breathing during sleep
• Morning headaches
• Problems falling asleep or staying asleep
• Chronic daytime fatigue
• Decreased libido
• Loud, disruptive snoring

Sleep studies can also be used to diagnose some underlying neurological disorders or to help refine and confirm diagnoses of other chronic health problems.

Before ordering a sleep study, our team will thoroughly review your medical history and your lifestyle to look for clues that could help us diagnose your sleep issues. We may ask you to keep a “sleep diary,” and we may order lab tests or other studies prior to prescribing a sleep study.

Don’t let poor sleep ruin your health

Not all sleep problems require a sleep study for diagnosis. Before ordering a sleep study, our team reviews your health history and your symptoms, performs a physical exam, and often orders lab tests to see if the cause of your sleep problem can be diagnosed in the office. If the results are inconclusive, a sleep study can be an excellent “next step” toward both diagnosis and management.

If you’re suffering from poor sleep, we can help. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Medical Access today.