What Is a Sleep Lab Technician?

The sleep experiment is mainly based on the study of polysomnography. Polysomnography is a multiple experiment that can be performed simultaneously. It can accurately transmit and record your physiological indicators and physical activity during sleep. Can be converted into data for professional doctors to read or analyze to determine if you have a sleep disorder.

Sleep Lab

The sleep experiment is mainly based on the study of polysomnography. Polysomnography is a multiple experiment that can be performed simultaneously. It can accurately transmit and record your physiological indicators and physical activity during sleep. Can be converted into data for professional use

Your sleep study usually needs to be performed at night. The doctor in the sleep center will tell you some precautions, such as diet and medication before the test, so as not to affect the test results due to these factors. For example, alcohol and caffeine can interfere with your sleep, so they should be banned.

You can bring your pajamas and have a carry-on bag with a toothbrush and other things to use the next morning. Many patients like to bring their own pillows for better sleep. Better sleep centers will provide you with a bathroom where you can take a shower before bed. Of course, we can also start work directly without taking a bath. Let's go to the sleep center, which is waiting for your arrival!

You will be led to your bedroom by the nurse, and you may see the monitoring room before reaching the bedroom.

There technicians can monitor multiple sleeping patients at the same time. These tasks are performed by computers, monitors, video cameras and other equipment, and you can print out your activity records. When you need help or have a question in the room, the technician will respond quickly.

The technician in the picture is focusing on the patient in sleep.

You have reached your bedroom. It may resemble a hospital ward, or a hotel room, or it may look like a bedroom in your home. After changing your pajamas, a technician will start placing electrodes on your head. The process of connecting the electrodes may take place in the bedroom or outside the bedroom.

Connecting the electrodes means you are ready to work and you can relax properly before going to sleep. Most sleep centers allow patients to choose their bedtime within a reasonable range. If conditions are good, you will also be provided with a TV. You can also bring a book or magazine. At the same time, the technician will also according to your personal preferences Adjust your bedroom temperature for you.

It takes about 30-45 minutes to connect each part in place, and many items will be used in the process, as you can see in the photo below, two blue bands will surround your chest and belly, respectively They are used to measure your breathing. Wear a blood oxygen detection device on your finger to measure the oxygen content in the blood. The electrodes need to temporarily stick to your skin and scalp, but don't worry, these adhesions can be easily removed the next morning.

The photo tray contains the items needed for the inspection, including: gauze, electrode wire, marking pencil, tape measure, net pad, hair clip, cotton swab, alcohol, safety razor, glue bottle, and a syringe with a needle removed, filled with liquid Adhesive, it will help protect the electrode.

The key to a sleep experiment is that we know what happens during sleep. With the electrodes attached to the body, the electrical signals generated by your brain and muscle activity can be recorded, and then transmitted back through the wire and saved as data. This type of activity can be Recognized by a sleep expert who can read or explain the experiment, this valuable information will show whether you have a sleep disorder and the severity of the disease.

The gold-plated electrodes were removed and they will be stuck to the skin or scalp during the PSG experiment. They will record non-trivial energy related to brain or muscle activity.

Before the electrodes are glued to the scalp, the technician measures the relevant dimensions with a tape measure for precise placement. During electrode placement, the patient usually sits in a comfortable chair.

EEG: It is the main part of PSG sleep experiment. It measures and records 4 types of brain wave activity: Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Seita. Alpha waves often appear when you close your eyes and haven't fully fallen asleep. Seita waves appear in light sleep 1 and 2 Delta waves mainly occur in deep sleep, so this wave is called "slow wave sleep", which mainly occurs in phase 3 and phase 4 sleep.

Electromyography: Record muscle activities such as facial muscle twitching, molars, and leg movements. It can also help determine the presence of REM sleep. The total amount and time of these activities will provide your doctor with important sleep information.

Eye tracking: Record eye movements. These activities are important for measuring different sleep stages and can clearly show rapid eye movement sleep (REM). This electrode is usually placed above the right eyebrow.

ECG: Records heart activity, such as heart rate and rhythm, with electrodes placed on the chest.

Nasal airflow sensor: records respiratory temperature, airflow, apnea, hypoventilation events, a sensor placed near the nose and mouth.

Thoracoabdominal straps: Record breathing depth, apnea, and hypoventilation events. Elastic bands wrap around the chest and abdomen, respectively.

Oximeter: Record blood oxygen saturation. A clip-like thing caught on the finger.

Camera: Record body posture and movement.

Snoring microphone: Record snoring. The electrodes are placed above the trachea and below the neck.

In order for the PSG experiment to be successful, the complex activities of sleep must be presented in all directions. During sleep, our brain and body cycle through REM sleep and NREM sleep approximately every 90 minutes.

In these transitions, the main changes appear in our EEG, eye movement, and muscle movement. Heart rate and breathing are necessary for healthy sleep. If abnormal changes are observed during a particular sleep phase, we can elaborate on these issues by observing at night.

Some sleep disorders are usually more severe in specific sleep phases, such as sleep apnea in rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and periodic leg movements in non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM). Your sleep technologists and sleep experts know these conditions, and will make your experiments as fruitful as possible while getting you a good night's sleep.

Here you can see the EMG electrodes on the chin, cheeks, cheekbones, and lower legs, the EEG electrodes on the scalp and forehead, the eye movement electrodes on the eyebrows, and the snoring microphone on the neck.

Elastic bands loop around the chest and abdomen to record breathing rate and function of the diaphragm, as well as apnea and hypoventilation events.

All connections are completed:

The electrodes and all components have been placed. The data they collect and record is the basis for polysomnography studies. Once sleep experts read this data "book", they will know if you have sleep problems or sleep disorders. After the diagnosis, the sleep specialist will discuss with you and your doctor to develop a suitable treatment plan.

Although these connections look uncomfortable and seem to be unable to sleep at all, most patients can actually adapt very quickly without having much effect on sleep.

A CPAP titration will be necessary if sleep apnea is diagnosed or likely. Strictly speaking, this needs to be done the whole night of research the next night. But sometimes, it can be done using hours after midnight of the same night.

CPAP (Continuous Positive Pressure Ventilation) treatment is the first-line treatment for sleep apnea. The CPAP device can deliver pressurized air flow to a nasal mask or nasal pillow through a tube. The mask or nasal pillow will be comfortably worn on the head. The pressurized air flow is like a vent plate, which can gently open the patient's throat tissue. And breathing airways, so that breathing is normal during deep sleep, and only breathing through the nose is enough!

In order to properly treat sleep apnea, adjusting CPAP ventilation pressure to a correct value requires titration. Every patient needs a titration, and no one model can satisfy everyone.

During the titration experiment, patients also need to sleep with a lead, just like they do regular experiments. In addition, they also need to wear a nasal mask, and the other end of the mask is connected to a CPAP machine. Because pressurized air can irritate the nose, the pressure should not be too much. Many sleep laboratories connect a heating and humidifying device to the CPAP machine during the titration process. Drying effect.

To ensure results and optimal comfort, patients should apply for a suitable nasal mask in advance. This makes it easy for patients to fall asleep.

During the titration experiment, the technician will determine the pressure level on the CPAP machine, set the air pressure value, and observe the measurement results. If the set pressure does not reduce the number of apnea and hypoventilation events, or does not eliminate snoring, the technician will adjust the air pressure and continue to observe, this process will continue overnight until the most appropriate pressure is obtained.

Multiple napping latency tests are used to measure a patient's sleep propensity and drowsiness. This test is performed during the day after a routine PSG examination. It mainly performs 5 naps monitoring, usually less than 30 minutes each time, and usually starts every two hours during the day, such as 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 4 pm, and 6 pm.

It is important to complete a 1-2 week sleep diary before performing multiple napping latency experiments. Your doctor can know which medicines you are taking because many medicines can affect the test results.

The objectives of the multiple napping latency tests are twofold: first, the average number of minutes before all naps fall asleep (sleep latency); second, to record REM sleep that occurs during any one napping cycle.

The PSG used in the test should be the same PSG used during the first night's sleep diagnosis. The patient must remain awake during the two naps.

This test mainly helps patients with narcolepsy to adjust their medication, diagnose narcolepsy, and objectively quantify the drowsiness of a particular patient, such as an obstructive sleep apnea patient. Although he is drowsy despite CPAP, then Possible diagnosis of congenital lethargy.