Abstract

Sleep testing has evolved over the years and today sleep testing is considered among some of the most sophisticated medical testing modalities. Although the most common sleep test used today is diagnostic polysomnogram, which is generally employed to diagnose sleep apnea, sleep testing today is much more than just-a-tool to diagnose sleep disordered breathing. Various sophisticated tests, with highly standardized processes and technologies, in association with precise diagnostic criteria backed by extensive scientific data, are conducted every day in various sleep centers across the country and the world. The fast pace of technological advancements in this field continues to provide new breakthroughs in the acquisition of various sleep-related physiological variables every day.

Although a nocturnal polysomnogram (PSG) is often used synonymously with the term “sleep test“, well-staffed and competent sleep centers are capable of performing a wide array of sleep studies, including: diagnostic PSGs (typically to diagnose sleep apnea), titration studies (e.g., to obtain optimal positive airway pressure setting to treat sleep apnea), PSGs with extended EEG montages (e.g., to diagnose co-existent seizures), PSGs with extended limb leads and video monitoring (e.g., to diagnose REM sleep behavior disorder, etc), nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT, to diagnose erectile impotence), actigraphy tests, etc.