Sleep profile

In sleep research and sleep medicine, a sleep profile (also known as a “hypnogram”) is a graphical representation of the sleep stages reached during sleep .

The sleep profile is one of the results of an evaluation of an examination carried out using polysomnography and is used to evaluate sleep in the context of the diagnosis of sleep disorders . This representation makes special features such as the deviation from the usual sleep cycle in sequence and duration clear and thus provides information on possible diseases.

Content of the diagram

Hypnogram with a sleep cycle - after lying awake for a short time (W), there was some light sleep (N1), interrupted by waking up again, then some sleep in stages N2 and extensive deep sleep (N3) as well as 13 minutes of REM sleep (R)

The x-axis of the diagram shows the time and the y-axis shows the stages of sleep. The stages of sleep are determined by recording electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG) and electromyography (EMG) in a polysomnographic examination.

The naming of the sleep stages follows the division of sleep into the two forms REM sleep and non-REM sleep (also called NREM sleep). REM sleep is referred to as “sleep stage R”. NREM sleep is referred to as "sleep stage N" and is further divided into stages N1, N2 and N3. The designation “Stage W” in the hypnogram stands for the waking state.

This nomenclature and the extensive set of rules for assigning sleep stages go back to a publication by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in 2007.

An earlier nomenclature followed a publication by Allan Rechtsschaffen and Anthony Kales from 1968. There, NREM sleep was divided into 4 stages, 2 light sleep stages (I and II) and 2 deep sleep stages (III and IV). The two deep sleep stages are now summarized as sleep stage N3.

Polysomnography

Polysomnography examinations are carried out in a suitably equipped sleep laboratory and are very costly. The test person must spend at least one night as well as the time for preparation and follow-up in the sleep laboratory. In the sleep laboratory, in addition to the premises and the technology used, personnel are required to monitor the measurement. Cases in which polysomnography and thus sleep profiles are required for adequate differential diagnostic clarification with regard to the complaint of “unrefreshing sleep” are listed in the guideline “unrefreshing sleep / sleep disorders”.

Polysomnography is also used for the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and multiple wakefulness test (MWT).

literature

American Academy of Sleep Medicine (Ed.): The AASM Manual for Scoring Sleep and Associated Events. Rules, technology and technical specifications . 1st edition. Steinkopff-Verlag, Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7985-1851-3 .
Allan Rechtschaffen, Anthony Kales, (Ed.): A Manual of Standardized Terminology, Techniques and Scoring System for Sleep Stages of Human Subjects. (PDF), Washington: Public Health Service, United States Government Printing Office , 1968.

Web links

Sleep stage determination according to Rechtschaffen and Kales (Download) (PDF file; 28 kB)

Individual evidence

↑ Conrad Iber, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Andrew L. Chesson, Stuart F. Quan: The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology, and Technical Specifications . Ed .: American Academy of Sleep Medicine. AASM, Westchester, Ill. 2007.
^ Allan Rechtsschaffen, Anthony Kales: A manual of standardized terminology, techniques and scoring system for sleep stages of human subjects . No. 204 . US Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Services-National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness , Neurological Information Network, 1968.
↑ S3 guideline for non-restful sleep / sleep disorders of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM). In: AWMF online (as of 2009)

[Scoring2007-1] Conrad Iber, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Andrew L. Chesson, Stuart F. Quan: The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology, and Technical Specifications . Ed .: American Academy of Sleep Medicine. AASM, Westchester, Ill. 2007.

[RuK1968-2] Allan Rechtsschaffen, Anthony Kales: A manual of standardized terminology, techniques and scoring system for sleep stages of human subjects . No. 204 . US Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Services-National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness , Neurological Information Network, 1968.

[S3DGSM-3] S3 guideline for non-restful sleep / sleep disorders of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM). In: AWMF online (as of 2009)