Polysomiseen

Polysomiseen is a Finnish term used in sleep medicine to refer to polysomnography, a comprehensive sleep study employed to diagnose sleep disorders. The procedure involves simultaneous recording of multiple physiological signals during sleep, most commonly electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor brain activity, electro-oculography (EOG) for eye movements, and electromyography (EMG) to measure muscle tone. Additional sensors track heart rate, breathing effort, airflow, blood oxygen saturation, snoring, and sometimes limb movements and body position.

Clinical use: Polysomiseen is used to characterize sleep architecture and detect events such as apneas, hypopneas, arousals, REM vs non-REM sleep distribution, and other abnormalities. It aids in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, narcolepsy, REM sleep behavior disorder, periodic limb movement disorder, parasomnias, and insomnia with objective disturbances.

Procedure: Tests are typically conducted overnight in a sleep laboratory, though home polysomnography is increasingly available for select cases. The patient arrives in the evening, is connected to sensors, and sleeps while signals are recorded. A sleep technician monitors the setup; the resulting data are scored by trained clinicians according to guidelines, producing a report with measures such as the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) and sleep stage percentages.

Interpretation and limitations: Polysomiseen provides objective sleep data that complement clinical history and questionnaires. Limitations include the first-night effect, patient discomfort from sensors, and variability in scoring. Costs, accessibility, and the need for specialized equipment can limit use.

See also: Polysomnography, Sleep medicine, Sleep study.