Polysomnography: What is this?
Learn more about the sleep test

Do you know what polysomnography is? Continue reading, we will explain you all there is to know about it!

Polysomnography, popularly known as a sleep test, evaluates sleep quality and quantity to diagnose a number of disorders such as sleep apnea, for instance. It consists in monitoring what patients do when asleep. This test is conducted in a sleep lab where patients sleep for one night and are monitored through electrodes and other sensors attached to their head and body to monitor brain waves, breathing, and movements. From a different room, a sleep technologist monitors sleeping patients, ensuring test quality, analyzing physiological signals and the other channels. A reading specialist technologist usually analyzes the polysomnographic data, after which the sleep physician prepares the final report.

In a full test analysis, which takes about one hour, each sleep phase and other variables are named, measured, and interpreted.

There are four types of polysomnography:

• Type 1 polysomnography: conducted in a sleep lab and observed by a sleep technologist. It captures at least seven signal channels such as Electroencephalogram (EEG), Electrooculogram (EOG), Electrocardiogram (ECG), Electromyogram (EMG), respiratory flow, movement, O2 saturation, etc.
• Type 2 polysomnography:conducted with no sleep technologist observation. It captures signals from at least seven channels such as Electroencephalogram (EEG), Electrooculogram (EOG), Electrocardiogram (ECG), Electromyogram (EMG), respiratory flow, movement, O2 saturation, etc.
• Type 3 polysomnographyconducted with no sleep technologist observation. It captures signals from four-seven channels. It is also called cardiorespiratory polysomnography or poligraphy (uses channels such as respiratory flow and movement, O2 saturation, heart rate, etc.).
• Type 4 polysomnography:uses one or two channels, one of which being O2 saturation.

Type 1 polysomnography is an expensive, technically complex test. The other types are faster and less expensive alternatives to evaluate sleep respiratory disorders.

Types 2, 3 and 4 polysomnography tests can be conducted at home -thus being called outpatient polysomnography or home polysomnography- by means of a portable polysomnography device.

The Biologix Sleep Test is a type 4 polysomnography test using four channels: O2 saturation, heart rate, actigraphy, and snoring (using the cell phone microphone). It is a simple, user-friendly test to be conducted at home used by physicians and dentists to diagnose and treat sleep apnea. Before going to sleep for the night, just place the sensor on your finger and start the test on the Biologix App. Upon waking up, click on “end test” to get the result immediately.

Should you have any questions, seek a sleep physician to find out which one suits you best!

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this blog aims at assisting you in your education and is not intended to be construed in any manner as medical advice. Only physicians and dentists can diagnose diseases and prescribe treatments and medication. Thank you for visiting our website..