The diagnoses of sleep disorders are made by the Centers' physicians based on the information obtained during the clinical interview, and the results of the laboratory or home sleep examination
Laboratory Sleep Examination
The examination is carried our in a private bedroom. During the night the patient is connected to an electro-physiologic recorder that monitor and register brain waves, muscle tone, eye movements, respiratory movements, heart rate and the level of oxygen saturation in the blood
The examination usually commences during the late evening and is terminated between 6 and 7 in the morning. The recordings are made by attaching electrodes to different parts of the body. During the night, experienced technicians who have been specially trained to carry sleep examinations, monitor the recording device in the control room. They are also available for patients' assistance or other requests. The examination is painless and causes only slight discomfort
The following morning, technicians remove the electrodes, and disconnect the patient from the recording device
On conclusion of the sleep examination, the all-night recordings are analyzed by the Sleep Medicine Center experts. According to these recordings, and taking into account information provided at the previous interview, the diagnosis is made
A concluding letter will then be sent to the referring physician
Ambulatory (Home) Sleep Examination
In some cases, it is possible to diagnose sleep disorders by carrying out recordings in the patient's own home. For this purpose, sleep laboratory experts use a special device produced by Israel's Itamar Medical company, relying on technology developed in the Technion Sleep Laboratory. The device for home monitoring is intended for use in analyzing sleep disorders by means of monitoring blood flow in the finger. Relying on these recordings, sleep quality, sleep stages (dreaming, deep and light) can be determined. The device, called a Watch-PAT that is mounted on the wrist, is easy to operate, and causes no discomfort during use
On occasion, there is need for more continuous recording in order to clarify the stability of sleep behavior and the regularity of the sleep-wake cycle. These recordings are made with an actigraph, a small device the size of a watch, that is worn round the wrist