This study seeks to test the hypothesis that actigraphy can detect changes in nocturnal asthma that correlate with symptoms. We will confirm that optimal medical therapy improves sleep quality in patients with nocturnal asthma. We will then attempt to demonstrate that actigraphy will detect the fragmented sleep documented by polysomnography in asthmatics with nocturnal symptoms and the improved sleep achieved by optimizing medical management. Patients with nocturnal asthma will wear the actigraph for three nights, one of which will include traditional polysomnography. Their medications will be optimized, and in two weeks the process will be repeated. Pulmonary function tests will be done at entry and at two weeks time. Data will be analyzed by a unique analytic measure called Frequency Analysis of Consecutive Epochs (FACE) that we have designed. We will compare these results with those from polysomnography, an asthma questionnaire and a sleep questionnaire.
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