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Do I Need a Sleep Study?

A sleep study is used to help detect and diagnose sleep disorders. During the overnight evaluation, registered technologists measure your eye and muscle movements, brain activity, heart rate, breathing pattern and depth, and percent saturation of your red blood cells with oxygen.

This series of true/false questions may help reveal problems in your sleep patterns how your sleep affects you during the day.

  1. I am sleepy during the day, even with a good night’s sleep. (True   False)
  2. I get very irritable when I can’t sleep. (True   False)
  3. I often wake up and have trouble going back to sleep. (True   False)
  4. It takes me a long time to fall asleep. (True   False)
  5. I experience a restless sensation in my legs at night. (True   False)
  6. My snoring keeps my partner from sleeping. (True   False)
  7. I have fallen asleep while driving or at work. (True   False)
  8. I sometimes wake up gasping for breath. (True   False)

If you answered ‘true’ more than twice, you may benefit from seeing sleep specialist.

Talk to your primary care physician or contact the Sleep Disorders Center at TriStar Centennial Medical Center by calling (615) 342-1657.  For a free primary care physician referral, call TriStar MedLine® at (615) 342-1919.


Sleep disorders are recognized medical conditions and testing is covered by most medical plans. Check with your provider about specific coverage.