Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
How you prepare
By Mayo Clinic staffTo prepare for an EEG:
- Wash your hair the night before or the day of the test, but don't use any conditioners, hair creams, sprays or styling gels.
- Avoid anything with caffeine six hours before the test.
- Take your usual medications unless instructed otherwise.
If you're supposed to sleep during your EEG test, your doctor may ask you to sleep less or even avoid sleep entirely the night before your EEG. If you have trouble falling asleep for the test, you might be given a sedative to help you relax.
References
- Aminoff MJ. Electrophysiology. In: Goetz CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/125576141-3/0/1488/222.html?tocnode=53801707&fromURL=222.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3618-0..10024-4_1475. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Hirsch LJ, et al. Electroencephalography (EEG) in the diagnosis of seizures and epilepsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Aminoff MJ. Electrodiagnostic studies of nervous system disorders: EEG, evoked potentials and EMG. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2885536. Accessed March 12, 2009.
- Importance of EEG tests. Epilepsy Foundation. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/quickstart/newlydiagnosed/qstreatment/qstreeg.cfm. Accessed March 18, 2009.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed March 18, 2009.
- Devinsky O. Epilepsy: Patient and Family Guide. 3rd ed. New York, N.Y.: Demos Medical Publishing LLC; 2008:76.
- Anesthesia and you: Sedation analgesia. American Society of Anesthesiologists. http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/SedationBrochure.pdf. Accessed March 13, 2009.
