A nurse is evaluating the outcomes of interventions for a patient with sleep and wakefulness disorders. Which method would the nurse use to assess changes in the patient's sleep patterns and symptoms?

Choice A rationale:

Stress can significantly impact sleep patterns. Chronic stress can lead to difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing restorative sleep. The release of stress hormones like cortisol can disrupt the natural sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to achieve and maintain quality sleep.

Choice B rationale:

Genetic predisposition can influence an individual's susceptibility to sleep disorders. Genetic factors may play a role in conditions like narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, and sleep apnea. However, it's not a lifestyle factor; rather, it's a biological factor affecting sleep.

Choice C rationale:

Height is not a lifestyle factor that directly influences sleep patterns. There is no established connection between an individual's height and their sleep-wake cycle or the occurrence of sleep disorders.

Choice D rationale:

Smoking can disrupt sleep patterns. Nicotine is a stimulant that can interfere with falling asleep and staying asleep. Smokers often experience sleep disturbances, such as difficulty falling asleep and fragmented sleep. Therefore, smoking is a relevant lifestyle factor affecting sleep.

Choice E rationale:

Enhanced physical strength is not a lifestyle factor that affects sleep patterns. While physical activity can impact sleep, this specific factor does not have a direct correlation with sleep-wake disorders.

Choice A rationale:

Actigraphy is a method that involves wearing a wrist-worn device that monitors movement and light exposure to infer sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. It's often used in sleep research and can provide long-term data, but it doesn't directly measure physiological parameters like brain waves, eye movements, and heart rate. Therefore, it's not the correct choice for this scenario.

Choice B rationale:

The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) is used to assess a person's ability to stay awake during a quiet, daytime environment. It's typically used to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness, especially in individuals with conditions like narcolepsy. This test doesn't involve monitoring physiological parameters during sleep and is performed while the person is awake, so it's not the correct choice.

Choice C rationale:

Polysomnography (PSG) is the correct choice. PSG is a comprehensive sleep study that involves monitoring various physiological parameters during sleep, including brain waves (electroencephalogram, EEG), eye movements (electrooculogram, EOG), muscle activity (electromyogram, EMG), and heart rate (electrocardiogram, ECG). This test is commonly used to diagnose sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and parasomnias.

Choice D rationale:

The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a self-report questionnaire used to assess an individual's likelihood of falling asleep in various situations. It's a subjective measure of daytime sleepiness and doesn't involve monitoring physiological parameters during sleep, so it's not the correct choice.