Polysomnography

Polysomnography is the all-night recording of multiple brain and body activities including brain waves (EEG), eye movements, muscle tone, limb movements, heart rate and rhythm(electrocardiogram), and many aspects of breathing including chest and abdominal respiratory movements, airflow at the nose and mouth, and oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. This study is important to help diagnose a number of different sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and sleep terrors.

Patients undergoing polysomnography are typically referred to the sleep laboratory at Children's Hospital Boston where they spend the night in a comfortable bed. EEG electrodes are attached. Other monitors are also placed so as to measure several aspects of breathing, blood oxygen content, eye movement and muscle activity.

The sleep laboratory is under the leadership of interim Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders director Sanjeev Kothare, MD.

To view an example of a sleep study, click here.

Sleep deprivation in teens: Risky business?

If your teenager is constantly staying up too late and is hard to mobilize in the morning, at least you’re not alone. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that two third of American teens aren’t getting enough sleep.

“Between school, sports, part-time jobs, homework and recreation, a teenager’s day can easily go from 6 a.m. until 10 at night,” says Sanjeev Kothare, MD, interim director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Children’s Hospital Boston. “And once they’re done, they can’t just immediately fall asleep; it naturally takes some time to wind down. Before many teens realize it, the day is over and it’s almost time to get up and do it all over again.” Read more.