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Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Diagnosis - Diagnosis

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To diagnose a circadian rhythm disorder, your doctor may review your medical history; ask about your symptoms, sleep patterns, and environment; do a physical exam; and order diagnostic tests.

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\n Medical history and physical exam \n
- Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Diagnosis

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Your doctor will want to learn about your signs and symptoms, risk factors, your personal health history, and your family health history to help diagnose a circadian rhythm disorder. To do this, your doctor may do the following:

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  • Ask when, how long, and how well you sleep.
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  • Ask when your symptoms began. Symptoms that have lasted for three months or more may indicate a circadian rhythm disorder.
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  • Ask about your personal and family history of health conditions.
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  • Perform a physical examination.
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\n Diagnostic tests \n
- Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Diagnosis

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Your doctor may have you undergo or use some of the following tests and measurements:

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  • A sleep diary to help you keep track of when and how long you sleep
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  • Actigraphy, in which you wear a small motion sensor for three to 14 days to measure your sleep-wake cycles
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  • Sleep studies to measure how well you sleep and how your body responds to sleep problems.
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  • Other studies to look at your natural patterns of sleep and wakefulness. Your doctor may repeatedly measure your body temperature and the levels of melatonin and cortisol cortisol (KOR-tih-sol):
    A hormone made by the adrenal cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland). It helps the body use glucose (a sugar), protein, and fats. Cortisol made in the laboratory is called hydrocortisone. It is used to treat many conditions, including inflammation, allergies, and some cancers. Cortisol is a type of glucocorticoid hormone.     in your blood or saliva. The way these factors rise and fall over time can help determine the type of circadian rhythm disorder you may have.
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Do you want to learn more about how melatonin, cortisol, and body temperature work in someone with a healthy sleep cycle?

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When you have a healthy sleep pattern, melatonin levels usually start to rise about two hours before your normal bedtime. Melatonin reaches its highest level while you sleep and goes down as you wake up. Your cortisol levels are usually highest early in the morning and fall throughout the day. Cortisol helps prepare your body to wake up. Body temperature typically falls during the night and rises in the early hours of the morning. All these changes are controlled by your circadian clocks.

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\n Ruling out other medical conditions \n
- Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Diagnosis

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To rule out other causes of your symptoms, your doctor may do the following:

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  • Ask about your use of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, or illegal drugs, as well as your exposure to artificial light at night. These lifestyle habits may cause insomnia or tiredness.
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  • Ask you to keep a sleep diary or have a specific type of sleep study to rule out other problems with sleep, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy
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  • Ask you whether you have chronic pain that may be preventing good-quality sleep
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  • Examine you for heart or lung conditions that may prevent good-quality sleep
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  • Examine you for large tonsils or small airways to help rule out sleep apnea
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  • For women, ask whether you are pregnant or undergoing menopause
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\n Reminders \n
- Circadian Rhythm Disorders - Diagnosis

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  • Return to Risk Factors to review family history, lifestyle, or other environmental factors that increase your risk of developing circadian rhythm disorders.
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  • Return to Signs, Symptoms, and Complications to review common signs and symptoms of circadian rhythm disorders.
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Syndicated Content Details:
Source URL: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/subscribe/87592
Source Agency: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Captured Date: 2019-09-27 13:40:00.0
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