Top 5 benefits for home sleep study

You might hear about sleep labs, where people go overnight to conduct a sleep study. However, the idea of sleeping at an unknown place while carrying monitors might not be exciting for you. However, it might be inappropriate to pack your bags and go away from home for the whole night. You might not be familiar with home sleep studies that are becoming increasingly popular. In addition to that, it is an elementary version of a nocturnal, attended sleep study. It focuses on nocturnal breathing. However, it only diagnoses and prevents Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).  

So, if you are suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) then you should Improve your home sleep study, with a lung and sleep center. However, not many patients are ideal for home tests, and not all insurance carriers would bear the cost of the study. So, if you need a sleep study you should ask your doctor to make a recommendation based on your particular condition. Your doctor will suggest whether you should have your test done at a lab or home.

What do you know about home sleep study? 

It is also known as Home Sleep Study Test (HST). It is a sleep study in which an overnight recording of several functions of the body and measurements is done from the comfort of your own home. It is performed to make sure that you are not suffering from Sleep Apnea.

Throughout the sleep testing, all the functions of your body are monitored by using several devices which include:

A soft plastic cannula

It is placed in the nostrils to observe your breathing.

Flexible plastic belts

 It is placed throughout your chest and abdomen. It observes your breathing efforts.

A clip

It is placed on your index finger to observe the oxygen level in your blood and your heart rate.

So, if you are appointed for a home sleep study, you should collect the equipment from the Sleep Medicine Centre. You will have an appointment with a sleep technologist to learn how to perfectly place the sensors and start the study. However, that night before going to bed, you will need to secure sensors to your finger, upper lip, chest, throat, and abdomen. These sensors would note all the information related to your breathing, heart rate, sniffing and breathing effort, and levels of oxygen throughout the whole night.

In the morning, you will remove these sensors and place everything in the test kit and give back the equipment to the Sleep Medicine center to download and examine the data. 

Working on home sleep study

Home Sleep Apnea test can differ and depends on who directs or manages them. The process includes meeting with a doctor, collecting the equipment, performing the test at home, and then holding a meeting again with your doctor to discuss the results. 

Hold a meeting with your doctor

If you are suffering from OSA or any type of sleep disorder, hold a meeting with your doctor. However, bring a sleep diary with you which contains a record of your sleeping habits. If your doctor diagnoses that you are suffering from Sleep Apnea, he or she will refer you to a sleep specialist. 

Hold a meeting with your sleep specialist

The sleep specialist will ask you several detailed questions before determining the next steps. However, you could ask questions regarding home sleep apnea testing and how it compares to polysomnography regarding cost, insurance coverage, accuracy, and convenience. If your sleep specialist thinks home sleep apnea testing is right for you he or she will order the test.

Take home sleep apnea test equipment

Either you might receive a call or your sleep specialist will instruct you to contact a sleep clinic or lab to receive the required equipment for your test. When they hand over the equipment to you, staff will guide you about the usage of each piece of equipment.

Perform the test

After obtaining the equipment, you could perform the test. You just have to follow the instructions provided to you to activate any sensors, like Pulse Cannula on your nostrils, Oximeter on your finger, and a band around your chest. Try to went to sleep at your normal time and avoid alcohol and caffeine because they could affect your sleep. If you normally take sleep medicines then ask your doctor if you could take the medicines on the night of the test or not. 

Give back the equipment

Give back all the equipment at the time and to the location fixed by your medical providers except you are left with a disposable test like WatchPAT. However, after returning the equipment to the sleep lab or clinic they will analyze and download the data. In addition to that, it is recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that this should be done through a trained specialist rather than then depend on algorithms. 

Learn the Results

After analyzing the data, your doctor or sleep specialist will discuss the results with you. However, they could give you a diagnosis of sleep apnea and prescribe a treatment like a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. In addition to that, they could inform you about your results whether either they were negative or inconclusive. If the results are negative are inconclusive then you might be advis to go through an in-lab sleep study.

What is associate with a home sleep study?

Along with a home sleep study, you will be giving a small device and simple instructions. However, you can take the device with you at home. You just have to follow the steps to perform the sleep study before getting ready for bed.

In a home sleep study, you are wearing a dense device around your head when you sleep. However, it also collects important data regarding your pulse rate which includes your oxygen levels, heart rate, respiratory effort, and breathing patterns.

Benefits of Home sleep study

There are several benefits of the Home sleep study. Some of them are list below:

Comfortable and convenient 

The concept of sleeping on a different bed and being observed can be disturbing or scary. That is the reason why conducting a sleep test in their bed is the automatic choice. However, it is comfortable and less invasive and you could retain your regular bedtime routine in the privacy of your home.

For any person which is home-bound like aged patients with a chronic condition or who require in-house care, this type of sleep test perfect for them. It is also very convenient, especially for busy people. However, you could schedule the test at a time that suits you. 

Cost-effective and Insurance coverage 

Along with convenience, a home sleep study is also very cost-effective. However, the fee is around ¼ the cost of a test that is conduct at a sleep center. Most Insurance policies usually cover in-home sleep testing. Always make sure to check your health insurance carrier to check whether it fulfills your criteria for full or partial coverage or not. Symptoms that are explicitly require for insurance purposes include extreme sleepiness, breathing heavily, choking, nighttime gasping, or observe sleep apnea.

Efficiency

Sleep studies which are performed at home are just as efficient as testing perform in a sleep center.

Better profile of breathing 

After performing a sleep study in your bed or at home, the test will generate more data and give a better profile of your breathing. 

Accurate results and quick turnaround 

The results of the test would be accurate and have a quick turnaround. However, it also enables your doctor to create or eliminate the diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Conclusion 

I hope that you have now understood everything regarding home sleep study. So, if you are suffering from sleep apnea then you should immediately consult with Sleep doctor specialist. He will assist your condition and then guide you on whether you need a home sleep study or not.

Also Read: How Much Does Surgery For an Inguinal Hernia Coast?