l
{ During a polysomnogram, a patient  .. _ _   I
I will have electrodes attached to the     I     _
head and skin that record information  ff?  if   1   i
i about a patients physical condition   *”   _ ~ 
I during sleep. Brain waves, breathing,     1 · "      ,_  .
  and heart rate are iust a few ofthe   , _ III   · it  
i items recorded. The level of oxygen in   Jr  ` is   A  
I the blood also is taken into account,   I ` '·°‘‘   _,  
-’ and a patient's stay at The Sleep Lab   ' _ ' _   »_
  might be videotaped. Technicians       ·         __V_ I
g monitor the data during the actual   _     T  ’\ `    
  Sleep study, and the doctor and techni-   »  ' Ip- `   ~»’     F
f cians evaluate the data collected at the It  I   /’   "` ‘ S   `·’' ' "M \
I end ofthe study. _` ’ g J I   I _; 4A_i
I 'We look at the EEG (electroen-  *   ‘ I . _  it: -i-ji; tftgyvff
ij cephalogram) as well as eye move- V I   is   l__   g
i' ments and muscle tone to determine if     ._.V-   _ — , . fi- e he  
I the patient is sleeping and how well he ` " if fl_g‘   t  `_- " r .  
` or she sleeps," said Dr. Phillips. "We »‘   .   i  
I look at air flow because when it stops, . I   eg
  that's obviously an apnea. We look at   -~   _` I . [E
II 0XY·‘Jeh level. Wheh De0Dle $l0P Dr. Phillips displays an optical dish that holds approximately 40 overnight sleep studies. The
l hleelhlhg were Vely €0h€eYhe€l With mound of computer printout on the desh is data from just one overnight patient study. "lt’s one of
I Il;;VlI(;€;VI;/ghilgl hlI>10€lIE[>XY$eh l<;IVeII;€iIIl$· the biggest revolutions in sleep medicine," says Dr Barbara Phillips.
i err ea ra ean r m.
Il Wellook at whether or not they kick Choices, Choices safety. "lf you are chronically sleep de-
their legs for restless legs syndrome. M I III I CI I. I prived, even to a mild degree, you are at
I We look at the belly movement to see In thgtpgligiplpcg IVIIIOI? ipwepr ep? pref an increased risk for car wrecks. So caf- l
  if they do stop breathing, are they try- their Own But Other IDSSICECII egeapgll ?I_ feine is a strategy when you're driving,"
I ing to breath? ls it an obstructed apnea d. .d I ’ I d . dlgh hyth she said. "lt's something I do recom- i
f or is it a central one? There's a lot we Ip/1. up phplp S pip eplg/pI brppg e mend if you are going to continue to
look at. We record this data all night (Ig pleept er mp e pp p pl Y pplp persist in this foolhardy, self-imposed,
Ion WIIIIQIIIE we SI In .. urning the candle at both ends ina b II . I . k II I ,,
SI I,hIIIIpS lgaid I§;IpSOeIIq€ Sheep fast-paced society produces the same 8 plump ps Y I esp] p`
I rats marital a patient air niant ana jggrggtaéijeégejggg g;sI$;g§h¤(;l;gjI Setting Yourself Straight l
_ make no attempt during that ni ht to . `. ' So how can you know just how much
I relieve the patient's symptoms.gBiit her pp/lppplp set_tlir¤¤sti tpe ppyp sleep you really need? Sleep isn't a one-
I Lexington laboratory will try to allevi- III §€‘IIS°,$‘ClI pf pgpele Cpiplpp pp me size-fits-all proposition, so vacation
I ate a patient's discomfort immediately, Wl d. e pIl/lplp ppp emp I e pip _ time or a long weekend is a good time
I it possible. For example, as soon as its me ‘ppl.‘ lpppe pp l Spppp ppgp’· ppp to discover what works best for you and
i elear from the monitors that a patient pp l°p‘p‘pS· lppplpg i°“"s“l lp ppl pppp oossiloly make some lifestyle adiiistments.
l has sleep apnea — the stopping of Beepppe l ppp pplplpg the eppple pt "People can use vacation time to fig-
I breathing during sleep — the patient bptpeppe lp tl/plepl Of the Wpy We live life Oui hOW mush Sleep they leelly
I will be awakened and offered continu- III“l€lSI%;S lp gpnpCIilIIC;I;€ptgIp€pIIi;lgp(§]OC need," said Dr. Phillips. "What you do
l ous positive airway pressure (CPAP) _ . ` with this is the exact opposite of what
  therapy. During CPAP a light mask is gplhppp pSI< ppp Ipi pep pp Splve ppl you ordinarily want to do. You go to bed
I placed over the patient's nose and an e Bpxgi PFIIIIII?   Sa that I I . at some reasonable time — l0, ll Of l2
I air compressor pushes air through the I I II is I II Y . S lp. egles i ehti sleeo HS l0h€ 65 YOU Can. The
I nasal passages and into the patients pl pepp e W p pp are lpspplplp pp first nielit yo¤'ll loe oayiris loaok your
airway. This allows the airway to stay ple Sleepy ppppe tpe ppy ple pppplpg sleep debt almost certainly. And that
I open and in many cases, promotes ppp saffem {WO epppppp pepee rsS<>l¤· will not be representative of how much
I nmmal Shep. CPAP IS 8 therapy aVaII_ tions. We all have a tendency to want to Sleep you really need- The SQCOIICI mgm,
I able for home use, although some pppjpetweep ppp ppp pfpp ppl" spe you're not going to sleep well because
I patients find that wearing the appara- ip] lgpp eptfhplpg pp mlpltjps pp ppI you slept so much the first night. But
I tus to bed is too clumsy. However, the mpg; apgipggr p rms Wpp peppap Y the third night, how much sleep you get
· American Academy of Sleep Medicine In ,_Y e epee lpteveplpg blip? lpp' when you wake up spontaneously is probably
' reports that as high as 60 to 70 percent nai bypsvgpgigépcglgei   Ipulgéhy gid about how much sleep you really need."
§II§IaIIIp€nEIi;;;§ylp CPAP d0 wmmue having a place to nap. Schedule it."     and  
Uslpg Cpllplpp as 8 etlmulapl when Dr. Phillips said that it is a myth that
YOU are gplpg tp drive lp 3 Slfplpgy for older people need less sleep, although
I 20 Kentucky Aturvmus
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