If your child has to have a nap study, don’t think your doctor has gone off the deep end. There really is such a test. In medical terms it is known as a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT).
When we found out that Sammi is sleep deprived after her sleep study, the sleep doctor suggested that Sammi have another sleep study along with a nap study. Sammi isn’t getting enough deep sleep and her daytime sleepiness as observed by me and my husband and other family members along with her difficulty concentrating and her grades dropping, is making a huge impact on her life.
I was told that Sammi would be taking 5 naps during the day and being tested during them. My first thought was, are you kidding me? Yes, she’s tired. But 5 naps? I mean how much can a 12 year old sleep?
What Happens During A Nap Study
- The sensors on your head and face stay on from your night time sleep study. All others are removed. Only your brain waves, eye movements and facial movements are measured.
- You will be given breakfast and lunch.
- The test begins about 2 hours after your night time sleep study.
- Every 2 hours, you will be asked to sleep for up to 20 minutes.
- During your sleep time, the room is darkened, quiet and at a comfortable temperature.
- In between the nap times, you can do what you wish, expect for drinking caffeine.
- For children, depending on the age, a parent is either required or requested to stay. There is a cot or recliner available for parents.
- The technician wakens the patient after each nap and questions them – Did you fall asleep? How long did it take you to fall asleep? Did you have any dreams? Were you comfortable?
- The time it takes to fall asleep, the amount of sleep and the type of sleep is all measured and determines the outcome of the test.
So how did Sammi do during her nap study? Surprisingly, she did nap 4 out of the 5 times. She didn’t sleep after eating lunch at all. She wasn’t hungry until right before it was time to nap. I don’t know if that was the cause, but that’s what she said. The one time I knew she was in a deep sleep, she thought she didn’t sleep at all! She could barely keep her eyes open and was so groggy, but she insisted that she didn’t sleep. I had to hide my giggles.
I’ve been reading up about sleep issues, especially concerning children, from the National Sleep Foundation. Please note that I am not a medical professional and this post is for information only. Please see your doctor or children’s pediatrician if you have any problems with daytime sleepiness.
Now we wait for the results of this nap study and life goes.
Five naps in a day? Whoa! That’s a lot of naps for anyone – never mind a 12-year old!
Will definitely be interesting to see what the study shows as being the problem.
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Wow! Both of my parents have gone for sleep studies, so I’m aware of those. However, I’d never heard of a nap study. That’s truly interesting. I hope they find something to help your daughter.
that is a lot of naps. I get cranky after a nap so if I ever took that many my family would ship me off to an island..haha
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Let us know what you find out!
I’d hadn’t heard of these kinds of tests before. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting post! I’m interested to see what advice they give you going forward. Especially if you hear tips on how to avoid bad sleeping habits or how to develop good ones. My daughter is five and I’m guessing there are things I should be doing!
Holy cow. 4 naps is awesome. I’m lucky if my littlest one goes down twice. My older two fight naps tooth and nail. This is really interesting.
I would love to do something like this for my kiddos. I am hoping that taking my son’s tonsils out will help the poor lil thing sleep better.
I’ve never heard of a nap study- very interesting.
What is the next step? Are they able to tell by the monitors on her head when she fell asleep opposed to relying her the patient who honestly may not really remember, especially if she was tired.
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I hope they find out what is wrong with Sammi. This was very interesting.
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I have heard of (and participated in) sleep studies but didn’t know they did nap studies too. Interesting.
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That is so interesting! My 11 year old doesn’t sleep well… hmm, maybe I should talk to my doctor about this
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