Enhancements to the multiple sleep latency test

The utility of multiple sleep latency tests (MSLTs) is limited to determining sleep onset latency (SOL) and rapid eye movement sleep latency. The odds ratio product (ORP) is a continuous index of sleep depth with values of 0, 1.0, and 2.5 reflecting very deep sleep, light sleep, and full wakefulness, respectively. We determined the time course of sleep depth during MSLT naps expecting that this would enhance the test's clinical utility.

Thirty MSLTs (150 naps) were performed for excessive somnolence. Patients indicated whether they slept (yes/no) after each nap. SOL was scored by two experienced technologists. Time course of ORP was determined with a commercial system. We determined ORP at SOL (ORPSOL), times ORP decreased <2.0, <1.5, <1.0 and <0.5 during the entire nap duration, and the integral of decrease in ORP over nap duration (ΔORPINT).

SOL occurred almost invariably when ORP was between 1.0 and 2.0. Of 47 naps (21 patients) with SOL <5 minutes, ORP decreased <1.0 (light sleep) in <5 minutes in only 13 naps (nine patients) and <0.5 (deep sleep) in only two naps in one patient. The relation between ORPINT and frequency of sleep perception was well defined, allowing determination of a threshold for sleep perception. This threshold ranged widely (5-50 ΔORP*epoch).

As currently identified, SOL reflects transition into a highly unstable state between wakefulness and sleep. Reporting the times of attaining different sleep depths may help better identify patients at high risk of vigilance loss. Furthermore, an ORPSOL outside the range 1.0-2.0 can help identify scoring errors.