Published on: 6/12/2025
What tests are used to diagnose excessive daytime sleepiness?
To diagnose excessive daytime sleepiness, doctors use tests like the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and sometimes check for microsleep episodes.
Explanation
Doctors use special tests to find out why someone is very tired during the day.
Common Tests
Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT): This test measures how quickly a person falls asleep in a quiet environment during the day. People with excessive daytime sleepiness often fall asleep faster. This test is very good at finding out if someone is too fatigued.
Microsleep Episodes: Sometimes, doctors look for short periods where a person falls asleep without knowing it, called microsleep. This can help show if someone is too sleepy.
These tests help doctors understand why someone might be feeling very sleepy and can guide them to the right treatment.
(References)
- Taillard J, Micoulaud-Franchi JA, Martin VP, Peter-Derex L, & Vecchierini MF. (2024). Objective evaluation of excessive daytime sleepiness. Neurophysiologie clinique = Clinical neurophysiology, 38401239.
- Tirunahari VL, Zaidi SA, Sharma R, Skurnick J, & Ashtyani H. (2003). Microsleep and sleepiness: a comparison of multiple sleep .... Sleep medicine, 14592362.
- Johns MW. (2000). Sensitivity and specificity of the multiple sleep latency test .... Journal of sleep research, 10733683.
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