To find out the cause of your sleep problems, your doctor may do a number of tests.

These may confirm or rule out various health conditions and other problems.

Each adult or child who comes to the sleep center undergoes a complete clinical evaluation, with a history and physical examination that takes into account all aspects of sleep.

If testing is needed, it is individualized to the needs of the patient. Follow-up is detailed, with attention to diagnosis and treatment of all sleep-related problems.

Sleep Study

Sleep studies are a common type of testing in diagnosing sleep disorders.

Sleep specialists will carefully track sleep patterns during an overnight session using advanced monitoring technology.

At the end of the sleep testing session, you may proceed with your daily routines and activities as usual.

These are sometimes performed in a sleep center overnight, but they can also be conducted during daytime hours or at home, in some cases.

During Your Sleep Study

Your sleep study will be scheduled for the time of day that you normally sleep.

For most people, this is overnight, but for some – such as night-shift workers – sleep studies can also be scheduled during the day.

Because they are meant to capture a full day’s sleep cycle, plan to spend the entire night/day at the sleep center.

During your sleep study, sleep technicians will use special equipment to monitor how well you are sleeping.

Areas monitored and recorded include:

• Heart and brain activity
• Eye movement
• Movement of respiratory muscles
• Oxygen level in the blood
• Snoring
• Air flow from the nose and mouth
• Body position 

The equipment will track all of these data while you are sleeping.

Getting the Results

After your sleep study is complete, the data will be reviewed by a physician who specializes in sleep disorders, who will follow up with you at a later day or time to discuss the results.

What to Bring

If your sleep study is scheduled in one of our clinics, please plan to bring:

• Comfortable sleepwear such as pajamas or shorts and shirt.
• All medications you take regularly.
• Any items that aid in your comfort during the sleep study such as special pillows, a favorite blanket, or a book to read while waiting for drowsiness or sleep.
• An overnight bag with any toiletries you may need. Coffee and breakfast snacks are available if you are going straight to work the following morning.

If you require caregiver assistance, plan to make arrangements for your caregiver to accompany you to the sleep lab for the duration of testing.

Get Started

Contact your physician and ask for a consultation referral to OSF Sleep.

Once we have received the referral, we will contact you to schedule an appointment with one of our sleep physicians.