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: 9/16/2025 12:49:36 PM

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Sleep Disorders Two out of three children under the age of 10 years have some type of sleep problem. Sleep problems can be divided into two broad groups: dyssomnias and parasomnias.
Sleep Behavior Disorder Sleep behavior disorder is a condition that occurs during REM sleep.
Insomnia Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which children have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at night.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is a neurological disorder in which there is a sudden uncontrollable urge to sleep.
PSG Sleep Study The PSG sleep study, or polysomnography, is a standard sleep study used to identify sleep disorders.
MSLT Sleep Study The MSLT sleep study is a test to measure how quickly you fall asleep at various intervals throughout the day. The test is used for diagnosing problems such as idiopathic hypersomnia or narcolepsy.