This is to confirm that your MWT (Maintenance of Wakefulness Test) is booked at The Wesley Hospital.
After your overnight study, you will stay on to have your MWT during the day and see the Sleep Physician on the
afternoon of your study. Please read the below information about your upcoming study and be sure to contact us
with any further enquiries you may have.
The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test provides an objective measure of how long you can remain awake during a situation of inactivity.
The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) consists of a series of 40-minute tests during which you will be asked to try to stay awake. During each test you will be seated in a dimly lit room. The electrical activity of your brain will be monitored to detect any periods of sleep. Each test is separated by a two-hour interval.
During the two-hour interval between tests we will ask that you remain awake. During these intervals you can watch TV, read or bring something to work on.
A light breakfast will be provided upon waking from overnight sleep study. Lunch will be provided to you by us, between 12.00pm and 1.00pm, however if you wish you can bring your own lunch with you.
Should you wish to bring any additional snacks please ensure that any foods or drinks you bring do not contain caffeine or guarana, other limitations are:
• You cannot eat within 30 minutes of starting a nap period
• Snacks must be kept to small portion sizes
As a stimulant or sedative will affect your degree of sleepiness, your Sleep Physician may have given you instructions at your last consultation about whether you are to continue to take these medications at your normal dose or whether you are to gradually discontinue certain medications prior to your MWT. If you are unsure about your medication instructions for the test please contact the Sleep Centre at least two weeks ahead of your test date.
If you were instructed to discontinue a medication, you will need to start reducing your medication dose two weeks prior to the test, and then stop taking the medication completely, one week prior to the test as it takes approximately two weeks for some drugs to be eliminated from your body. This gradual reduction in dosage is necessary to avoid any withdrawal side-effects.
Note: Speak to your Sleep Physician before adjusting or withdrawing ANY medications
Reduce by half your normal dosage any medications which you were instructed to discontinue (it’s important not to discontinue these medications abruptly).
Continue to take any other medications at your normal dose.
Discontinue completely any medications which you were instructed to discontinue.
Continue to take any other medications at your normal dose.
If you’re having an MWT performed you will be required to come in the night before for an overnight sleep study. This is performed exactly the same way as a usual overnight sleep study. Following this though, you will need to stay in the Sleep Lab for the entirety of the MWT. This test usually lasts about 9-11 hours so you may want to bring something to keep yourself occupied in the breaks.
Please note however that each test period is timed precisely and you must make yourself ready for the test period upon request from the Sleep Technician. During the test period you cannot be distracted by mobile phones, TVs, laptops or games, and thus all of these devices will need to be paused and shut down during the test period.
As caffeine and nicotine are stimulants we will ask that you don’t have any caffeine the previous night or on the day of your study. This includes coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, cola, and any guarana-containing drinks such as Red Bull, Mother, V, etc. Nicotine cannot be taken, or vigorous exercise performed within 30 minutes of a test period.
You will need to bring any medications you take during the day.
Also bring anything you wish to occupy yourself with during the day. You are welcome to bring a laptop/tablet if you wish, however please note there is no Wi-Fi internet access.