Pediatric Polysomnography

Polysomnography is another diagnostic tool for pediatric clients. Similar to the test used for adults, it captures physiological data from your child.

Using sensors applied to various locations on your body, polysomnography can study the physical manifestations during your sleep by recording many signals of electrical activity from your brain, heart, as well as respiratory efforts. It also records the oxygen saturation level in your blood and other parameters for differentiating your sleep cycles and stages. It can detect, quantify and qualify the presence of anomalies such as:

• Sleep apnea (breathing problems)
• Periodic leg movements
• Paradoxical sleep behaviour disorder (physical behaviours linked to dreams)
• Bruxism (grinding and clenching of the teeth)
• Narcolepsy (sleepiness and sleep attacks during the day)

The data recorded during your polysomnography will be interpreted by a healthcare professional trained in sleep care and forwarded to your attending physician.

The procedure is the same for both children and adults. The main difference is the arrival time, which is at 8:15 p.m. To properly prepare for the test, your child should avoid consuming soft drinks or other foods high in sugar a few hours before the test. Please note that you will not be able to sleep in the same bed as your child so as not to interfere with the results. However, a rollaway bed will be provided so that you can spend the night with your child.

To put your child at ease and improve the chances of a restful night, remember to bring his or her pyjamas, slippers, favourite toy or any other items commonly associated with bedtime.

If your child is ill on the day of the test (cough, fever, vomiting, etc.), we invite you to contact our Service Centre to assess whether your child’s appointment should be rescheduled.