The PSG is the gold standard test for diagnosis of sleep disorders. The patient is admitted overnight in a sleep laboratory under the care of a sleep technologist. Various monitors are connected to the patient and they continuously record among others:
Like any other medical condition, the diagnosis is based on the history given by the patient (parents if patient is a child) and/or the sleep partner. In some patients there may be no reported nocturnal symptoms but certain daytime symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, poor concentration and irritability among others may suggest an underlying sleep disorder. We employ questionnaires such as Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Stop-Bang to help screen patients with possible sleep disorder and OSAS respectively. Physical examination by the consulting doctor is important to confirm or rule out any underlying neurological, pulmonary or ENT condition.
However, to be able to make an objective diagnosis of OSAS and certain other sleep disorders the patient will then need to be admitted for an overnight test, also known as a polysomnography in a sleep laboratory.