Sleep Testing in Sterling Heights, Michigan

A sleep test, also called polysomnography (PSG), is a painless overnight study that records your sleep, breathing, and body functions while you sleep. During sleep testing at our accredited sleep clinic, small sensors are placed on your skin to collect detailed information throughout the night.

These sensors measure:

• Brain waves (EEG): Show when you are asleep and which stage of sleep you are in.
• Eye movements (EOG): Help identify REM (dream) sleep.
• Chin muscle activity (EMG): Helps determine sleep stages and detect movements.
• Breathing effort: Chest and abdominal belts show how hard you are working to breathe.
• Airflow: Sensors near the nose and mouth show whether air is moving in and out.
• Blood oxygen: A small sensor on a finger tracks oxygen levels all night.
• Leg movements: Sensors on the legs detect periodic limb movements.
• Heart rhythm (ECG): Records the electrical activity of the heart during sleep.

Using this information, we can see if you stop breathing or breathe too shallowly (sleep apnea), have unusual movements, or show patterns consistent with narcolepsy or parasomnias.

Your sleep test takes place at the Sleep & Attention Disorders Institute in Sterling Heights, Michigan, which has been accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) since 1987. Here is what happens:

• You arrive at the sleep clinic in the early evening, after dinner.
• A registered sleep technologist welcomes you, explains the process, and applies the sensors.
• You sleep overnight in one of six private bedrooms that are designed to feel like a quiet, comfortable hotel room, not a noisy hospital ward.
• Our technologist monitors your sleep from a nearby control room and is available all night if you need help or need to use the restroom.

The beds are comfortable, the environment is peaceful, and most patients fall asleep more easily than they expect. We usually need only a few hours of sleep to diagnose sleep apnea; even if you do not sleep “perfectly,” we can often still make a diagnosis. In the morning, sensors are removed, and you can leave early enough to continue your usual work or school day.

For most patients with suspected sleep apnea or parasomnia, we start with an overnight sleep test (PSG) in our sleep clinic. This allows us to:

• Detect snoring, breathing pauses, and drops in oxygen that indicate obstructive sleep apnea.
• Measure how severe your sleep apnea is and how it affects your sleep stages and heart rhythm.
• Record abnormal sleep behaviors, such as sleepwalking, acting out dreams, or night terrors, and determine which sleep stage they arise from, which helps distinguish parasomnias from seizures.

If we suspect sleep apnea or parasomnia based on your symptoms, an in‑center sleep study at our accredited Michigan sleep clinic is usually the most accurate and efficient way to reach a diagnosis.

If we think you may have narcolepsy or another form of hypersomnia, you will usually spend about 18 hours at the Institute. The process typically includes:

1. Overnight sleep study (PSG): You arrive in the early evening and sleep overnight with sensors attached, just like any other sleep test, to rule out other sleep disorders and confirm that you got enough sleep.
2. Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT): The next day, you remain at the sleep clinic and stay connected to key sensors. You lie down four or five times during the day for scheduled naps.

During the MSLT, we measure:

• How quickly you fall asleep in each nap
• Whether you go into REM (dream) sleep, and how soon that happens

People with narcolepsy fall asleep very quickly and enter REM sleep much faster than normal, which helps confirm the diagnosis. Before this testing, we may ask you to stop certain medications that affect REM sleep and to keep a sleep diary to ensure accurate results.

In some cases, especially when insurance companies require it, we may recommend home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) as a first step for suspected sleep apnea. HSAT uses a small portable device that you wear at home overnight to record breathing, oxygen, and heart rate. Important points about HSAT:

• HSAT is designed only to detect possible sleep apnea; it does not record brain waves or sleep stages and cannot diagnose narcolepsy, parasomnias, or other sleep disorders.
• If sensors shift or fall off during the night, or if you spend a lot of time awake, the recording may be inconclusive.
• When used in people with a high likelihood of moderate to severe sleep apnea, HSAT can still be inconclusive in a significant portion of the time.
• There is no such thing as a truly “negative” HSAT; a non‑diagnostic or inconclusive test often needs to be followed by an in‑center sleep study (PSG).

Many insurance companies now insist on HSAT first and will approve an in‑lab sleep test if the HSAT is inconclusive. Some may require two inconclusive HSATs before authorizing a PSG, meaning you may need multiple tests before sleep apnea is fully diagnosed.

Our team will explain your insurance requirements, guide you through HSAT if needed, and help you complete any follow‑up in‑center sleep study at our Sterling Heights sleep clinic.

Many patients worry that they will not be able to sleep in a sleep clinic or that the sensors will be painful or embarrassing. In reality:

• Setting up the sensors is painless.
• Our six private bedrooms are quiet, dark, and designed to feel like comfortable hotel rooms rather than hospital rooms.
• Our technologists are friendly, respectful, and experienced in working with both adults and children.
• You can get up to use the restroom; sensors are quickly disconnected and reconnected.

Most patients do sleep, often better than they expect, and we usually need only a few hours of recorded sleep to diagnose sleep apnea.

The Sleep & Attention Disorders Institute is the oldest AASM‑accredited sleep center in Oakland and Macomb counties and has been accredited since 1987. We combine decades of clinical experience with a unique focus on both sleep disorders and attention/ADHD‑related problems, giving us a niche advantage that large health systems in Michigan do not have. As a leading sleep clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan, we offer:

• Comprehensive sleep testing for adults and children.
• In‑center polysomnography (PSG) and MSLT for narcolepsy and hypersomnia.
• Home sleep apnea testing when appropriate or required by insurance.
• Expert interpretation by a board‑certified sleep medicine specialist.
• Personalized treatment plans for sleep apnea, narcolepsy, parasomnias, insomnia, and more.

Patients come to us from communities throughout Southeast Michigan for accurate sleep testing and trusted care.