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Multiple Sleep Latency Test

The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is a sleep disorder diagnostic tool. It is used to measure the time it takes from the start of a daytime nap period to the first signs of sleep, called sleep latency. The test is based on the idea that the sleepier people are, the faster they will fall asleep. It can be used to test for narcolepsy, to distinguish between physical tiredness and true excessive daytime sleepiness, or to see if breathing disorder treatments are working. Its main purpose is to serve as an objective measure of sleepiness. The test consists of four or five, twenty minute naps that are scheduled about two hours apart. The test is often done following an overnight sleep study. During the test things such as the patient's brain waves, EEG, muscle activity and eye movements are monitored and recorded. The entire test normally takes about 7 hours. The MSLT may also be used more extensively to test sleepiness in a number of other research and diagnostic protocols. ...read more at Wikipedia

Fast Facts:

  • With narcolepsy you fall asleep quickly and enter REM sleep.1
  • The test is painless, and takes about 7 hours.2
  • Outside factors that affect your ability to fall asleep are isolated.3

The Top 10 Resources on Multiple Sleep Latency Test

Selected by our Guides and Physician Review Team.

  1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine: MSLT What Is It?
  2. National Guideline Clearinghouse: Practice Parameters For Clinical Use Of The Multiple Sleep Latency Test And The Maintenance Of Wakefulness Test
  3. California Center for Sleep Disorders: Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) To Rule Out Narcolepsy
  4. NationMaster: Multiple Sleep Latency Test
  5. Healthwise (via Cigna): MSLT How It Feels

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Research Notes References

  1. Mayo Clinic: Narcolepsy Diagnosis
  2. Washington University Sleep Medicine Center: Multiple Sleep Latency Test
  3. American Academy of Sleep Medicine: MSLT What Is It?

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