At the Pediatric Sleep Institute, our sleep technicians are trained to help children feel safe and secure. A technician will help your child prepare for the evaluation and will be available during the sleep period to monitor and make adjustments. The technician can also answer any questions the child or the parent/caregiver may have.
During the sleep evaluation the technician will monitor your child’s sleeping and waking patterns, breathing patterns, body movements and brain waves. This information will be interpreted by our board certified pediatric sleep physician then conveyed to your primary physician who will then recommend a course of treatment.
The Pediatric Sleep Institute provides the necessary information for your physician to accurately detect and diagnose your child’s sleep disorder. A sleep evaluation can help your physician decide on a successful treatment plan that will benefit both you and your child.
Types of Tests and Therapies
Your pediatrician may recommend one or more of these tests:
Polysomnogram
This test is painless and non-invasive. It is designed to monitor your child’s sleeping cycle from brainwaves, breathing patterns, heart activity and body movements during an all night sleep period. The recorded patterns are then studied by our board certified pediatric sleep physician to accurately diagnose the different types of sleep disorders.
CPAP/BIPAP Therapy
(Continuous Positive Air Pressure & Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure)
This test is often requested after a patient has been diagnosed with sleep apnea. A mask is placed over the nose and/or face which helps prevent snoring and apnea (interrupted breathing) during the normal sleep period. Different levels of air pressure are gradually delivered to the airway. This helps open the airway passages during sleep to assist in maintaining a normal sleep cycle. This test is used to determine the correct air pressure needed to keep the airways open. Consistent use of the CPAP or BiPAP machine is critical in the successful treatment of sleep apnea and thus practice with the mask may be necessary prior to coming into the sleep clinic for this study.
MSLT: (Multiple Sleep Latency Test)
This assessment is usually performed the day after the polysomnogram is administered. It is also useful in studying the intensity of daytime sleepiness and determines if narcolepsy is present.
