Diagnosis
Diagnosis of sleep talking, sleep terrors and nightmares is based upon clinical history, with sleep studies reserved for an unusual presentation.
During diagnosis, the doctor needs to completely study the patient’s medical history along with information about previous and present medication. The hereditary factor will also be probed to evaluate the genetic inclination to sleep disorders.
Keeping a sleep diary is a good idea as it will enable the doctor to make an assessment of the sleep patterns and the possible problems behind it.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a tool to gauge the extent of daytime sleepiness evaluated in different situations. This a good measure to ascertain the effects of sleep or the lack of it in a person’s life.
A sleep specialist may need to make a study of the Polysomnogram, which is a study of the patient’s sleep pattern conducted overnight. This will enable a holistic picture of heart beats, brain waves, movement of the limbs and breathing. This will enable the physician ascertain the presence of other disorders such as sleep apnea, which could be behind sleep disturbances.
Another noteworthy evaluation tool is the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). This test measures the nature of the night’s sleep by calculating the time taken for the subjects to fall asleep several times during the day, every two hours on an average. The test goes to show the inclination of the patient to suffer excessive daytime sleepiness, by evaluating the time taken to fall asleep during the tests.
