Sleep Studies
The fully accredited sleep lab at El Camino Health provides the latest testing techniques to determine what's causing your sleep problems.
Our Sleep Health Program uses what's considered the "gold standard" for diagnosing sleep disorders: polysomnography. This test, known as a sleep study, involves monitoring and recording a number of measurements overnight as you sleep. These can include your eye movement (electrooculogram), brain wave activity (electroencephalogram), muscle movement (electromyelography) and the electrical activity of your heart (electrocardiogram).
At El Camino Health, sleep studies are done in our sleep lab, which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. As a hospital-based program, we’re able to combine advanced diagnostic technology with comfort in a hotel-like setting. For your ease and convenience, we offer private bedrooms and bathrooms. And, we even provide a free, continental breakfast in the morning.
To perform the study, a sleep technician will use tape or adhesive to attach several small electrodes to your head and body. These electrodes transmit information to a central monitoring area. You’ll also have a pulse oximetry device clipped to one finger to measure the oxygen level in your blood. A sleep technician will monitor you throughout the night to ensure your comfort and safety.
In addition to overnight sleep studies, El Camino Health’s sleep experts use a variety of tests to diagnose and assess sleep disorders, including:
- Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) – Determines how quickly you fall asleep during the day. This test is used to diagnose narcolepsy.
- Maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) – Measures how long you stay awake in a quiet environment during the day. This test can be used to evaluate how well narcolepsy treatment is working.
In addition to in lab testing we offer home sleep testing using the latest cloud-based technology. The results are sent immediately to our doctor through your smartphone with a push of a button.
After your sleep study, a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders will analyze the results and schedule an appointment to discuss the next steps.
We offer convenient virtual visits to establish care and follow up on your test results.
