Pediatric Sleep Disorders Testing & Diagnosis
If your child has trouble sleeping or is feeling unusually sleepy during the day, he or she might have a sleep disorder. The sleep specialists at University Children’s Health can find the reason behind this and provide education or treatment to help.
Pediatric Sleep Tests
Our pediatric specialists will monitor your child while they sleep to determine what’s causing their sleep disorder. They may run the following tests:
- Actigraphy
- Polysomnogram
- Positive airway pressure titration (PAP titration)
- Maintenance of wakefulness test
- Multiple sleep latency test
Sleep Lab Locations
For your convenience, University Children’s Health has pediatric sleep labs at three locations:
- La Quinta Inn & Suites San Antonio Medical Center
- Courtyard by Marriott San Antonio Market Square
- University Hospital (for children with complex illnesses, or inpatient cases)
We offer weekday and weekend sleep studies to accommodate your schedule. Because the majority of our sleep studies happen at hotels, our patients are more comfortable and more likely to get a good night’s rest.
What to Expect
We want your child to feel comfortable and safe, so we encourage one parent to stay in the hotel room overnight during the study. Be sure your child eats a good dinner before the sleep study – it’s hard to sleep on an empty stomach.
What to bring to the sleep study:
- Pajamas
- A favorite pillow, blanket or stuffed animal
- Clothes for the next day
- Any medications or treatments your child normally takes
When you and your child arrive, you will meet the sleep technician who will perform the study. Once your child is in their pajamas and ready for bed, the tech will put on the sleep equipment. This includes sensors on the face, arms, legs and stomach to study brain and muscle activity. The tech will also place tiny plastic prongs in the child’s nose to measure their breathing.
Other important parts of the study are:
- EKG (measures heart rate)
- EMG (measures muscle movements)
- EEG (measures sleep stages)
- Chest and abdominal belts (measure breathing)
When your child is settled, the tech will leave the room and let you sleep. The entire sleep study is recorded by camera and microphone so we can see and hear how your child is sleeping.
If you need help reattaching your child’s sleep equipment during the night, the tech will be available to assist you. The study is completed by 6 a.m. the next day.
A member of our team will help you schedule a follow-up visit to go over the results of the test with your physician.
