Name one common sleep disorder diagnosed through polysomnography.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder that is frequently diagnosed through polysomnography, which is a comprehensive sleep study that records various physiological parameters during sleep. During polysomnography, clinicians monitor brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, oxygen levels, and respiratory effort, among other metrics.

In patients with OSA, this monitoring can reveal episodes of breathing cessation or significant shallow breathing during sleep due to obstructions in the airway. The key characteristic of OSA is the presence of these apneic events, which can occur numerous times per hour, leading to disrupted sleep and decreased oxygen levels. This disorder is crucial to identify because effective treatment can significantly improve sleep quality and overall health.

While insomnia, narcolepsy, and sleepwalking are notable sleep disorders, they are generally assessed through different modalities or criteria. Insomnia is primarily evaluated through sleep history rather than extensive polysomnographic data, narcolepsy often requires specific tests to assess daytime sleepiness and other symptoms, and sleepwalking is typically diagnosed based on behavioral observations rather than extensive sleep data analysis. Thus, the comprehensive nature of polysomnography makes it particularly useful for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea.