Sleep Study

Emory Healthcare Sleep Center received accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). That means we meet the highest quality standards. Board-certified sleep specialists interpret all sleep studies.

Our modern facilities feature private bedrooms with full-size beds, private bathrooms, and cable TV. We also have snacks, coffee, and tea.

If you need help from a caregiver during your sleep study, please tell the Sleep Center before your test. Your caregiver will sleep in the same room as you, generally in a recliner. We need advanced notice to ensure there is a place for your caregiver to stay.

Home sleep apnea tests are performed at home, using sensors that you will apply yourself. These devices are designed to be comfortable and easy to use without special training.

For some types of testing, you will need to come into the Sleep Lab and spend the night instead of sleeping at home. For MSLT testing, you will need to stay all night and all the next day For sleep testing in the Sleep Lab, we typically apply sensors to your head, face, chest and legs. They aren’t painful. You may notice some mild skin irritation from the sensor adhesives, but this is uncommon. Please tell us if you are allergic to any adhesives.

Throughout the night, we’ll monitor your breathing and vital signs from an adjacent control room. We’ll also make sure you’re comfortable.

After an overnight study, you can leave between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. If you are having a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) day study, you’ll leave between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

We conduct various tests at the Emory Sleep Center. These include:

Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT): This can diagnose certain kinds of excessive sleepiness or narcolepsy. We conduct it after an overnight sleep test. It begins about two hours after you wake up in the morning. During this test, you will be asked to try to nap four or five times during the day and remain awake between these naps.

Multiple Wakefulness Test (MWT): This is a variation of the MSLT. Several organizations, including the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration, require this test for certain employees. During this test, you will be asked to stay awake as long as you can while sitting quietly in a dark room.

Polysomnogram (PSG): While you sleep, sensors record your brain waves, eye movements, muscle tone, heart rate and rhythm, oxygen levels in your blood, leg and body movements and sounds you make. We also measure your breathing effort and airflow through your nose and mouth.

Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Titration Study: If a sleep study shows that you have sleep apnea, you may need to have a PAP titration study. As you sleep using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)  machine, the sleep technologist records data. This allows them to the CPAP machine to find the best settings to help you breathe more easily.