MWT Sleep Test

Also known as: maintenance of wakefulness test.

What is a MWT sleep test?

The MWT sleep test, or maintenance of wakefulness test, examines how alert, or awake, you are during the day. It is conducted to test the effectiveness of treatments for sleep disorders such as insomnia, apnea and others. The more awake the patient is during the MWT sleep test, the more effective the treatment is thought to be.

What happens during the test?

The patient relaxes in a quiet, dark bedroom and simply does nothing but tries to stay awake. Researchers evaluate how well the patient is able to do so. The test is repeated several times throughout the day in increments of around 40 minutes.

Is any special preparation needed?

No special preparation is needed for the test. In fact, patients are encouraged to follow their ordinary routine in order to get the most accurate results from the MWT sleep test.

What are the risk factors?

There are no risk factors related to the MWT sleep test.

Reviewed by: Mercedes Bello, MD

This page was last updated on: January 28, 2021 11:51 AM

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