Sleep Suite

Polysomnography (PSG) is a fancy way to say that we will measure your child’s brain activity while they are sleeping. To measure brain activity, we put special stickers (also known as sensors or electrodes) on your child’s head. Then, you and your child will spend the night in a sleep suite at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.  

Polysomnography will take place at Nicklaus Children’s Brain Institute, which is a nationally recognized center that specializes in studying how children sleep. We invite some kids to sleep over at in our sleep room at Nicklaus because we are interested in knowing how kids this age are sleeping and how that relates to how they process emotional experiences during sleep. The staff at Nicklaus are some of the most qualified sleep technologists in the country and have great expertise with PSG procedures. We will make sure that your child feels comfortable in the new environment and enjoys this part of the study. 

Yes, in fact, you will be required to stay in with your child overnight. You will be able to sleep on a cot next to your child’s bed. Please feel free to bring a change of clothes and whatever sheets, blankets, and pillows you’d like to feel comfortable. However, the hospital can provide you with sheets and blankets as well.

The PSG information we collect is for research purposes. Due to this, the PSG we use is not an assessment for clinical diagnosis. However, all PSG sleep information we collect will be reviewed by a sleep technologist and if they find anything that you should follow up on, an investigator of the study will contact you.

Yes. We encourage kids to arrive for their fMRI night with PJ’s or comfortable night clothes (but with layers and possibly a sweatshirt; it gets chilly in the room) so that when you arrive to Nicklaus, you will be all set to get into bed comfortably. Also, we recommend that you bring your child’s favorite DVDs to watch while in the fMRI and also before sleeping at Nicklaus. Your child can also bring a book to read while you both get ready for sleeping. Finally, each room has a bathroom with a shower that your child can use once s/he wakes up in the morning. You are welcome to pack essential hygiene products such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a small towel. However, we will also have toiletries that we can provide to you.