NYC Sleep Doctors: Should You Have A Second Sleep Study?

Recently a patient at NYCVA for a cardiovascular checkup asked one of our sleep specialists a good question. He said, "I had a sleep study years ago that didn't find anything, but I'm still not sleeping well. Should I have another one?" We are asked this question often, so in this article we'll try to address it.

Do I need a second sleep study? Or even a first one?

First, it is important to understand that it is difficult to give this question a "generic" answer that would be applicable for all people. Even if you were seeing us for the first time at New York Sleep-Wake Center, we wouldn't recommend that you have a study without having first performed a full physical examination and talked to you about the nature of your sleep problems. We might even suggest that you keep a diary to track your sleeping and waking experiences for a few weeks before we recommended a study.

If the examination and subsequent discussions point in the direction of a potentially dangerous sleep disorder such as OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), narcolepsy, sleepwalking, or nocturnal eating, then our NYC sleep specialists might recommend a study. This problems such as insomnia and restless leg syndrome rarely require a study to diagnose and treat them.

What will a sleep study reveal?

A sleep study provides information that allows physicians at our Manhattan center to evaluate the cycles you go through each night. The equipment we use measures EEG (electrical brain activity), eye movements, and muscle tone. These help us to determine whether there are possible obstructions to your airflow (an indication of sleep apnea) or other possible physical problems. Each study is also videotaped, so the doctors can check for indications of movements or possible seizure activity during sleep.

If I had a previous test that found no sleep disorders, why would I need a second one?

Your body changes as it ages, and the conditions that affect your may change as well. For example, if you have gained weight since your last sleep study, that alone may have caused the development of obstructive apnea. Also, you may have developed other symptoms in the time since your last study.

The best way to find out whether you really need a second study (or a first one, if you know you have problems and haven't had one yet) is to come in to see one of our NYC sleep doctors and allow us to do a full workup to see whether a study is advised. Know that we won't recommend one unless we find after talking with you that there is a very good reason to do so.

Author Bio: Noted NYC sleep doctor address questions from patients about whether having a second study is advisable if the first one years ago found nothing.

For more information: www.nycva.org

This Article Is Written By a Professional Author