At Home Sleep Study: How it Works & What to Expect
Whether you or your partner are struggling with snoring, sleep apnea or an ill-fitting CPAP mask, you know the toll it’s taking on your quality of life. Your relationships, work and your overall focus on life are suffering and you finally hit your limit.
After you’ve made an appointment to get your sleep concerns addressed, your provider may request a sleep study. By providing you with a sleep study you can complete from the comfort of your own home, ADVENT takes the inconvenience out of a traditional in-lab or sleep center sleep study. Before you schedule your first visit with ADVENT to address your snoring or sleep apnea concerns, here are some answers to frequently asked questions about sleep studies:
- What a sleep study is
- Why you need a sleep study
- How to prepare for a sleep study
- What to expect during a sleep study
- What happens after a sleep study
So, what is a sleep study?
A sleep study (polysomnography) measures and records your brain waves, the oxygen level in your blood, heart rate and breathing, and eye and leg movements during your sleep. It monitors your sleep stages and cycles to help identify disruptions in your sleep patterns and why they may be occurring.
Why do I need a sleep study?
You may or may not already suspect there is an underlying cause to your fatigue, lack of focus or sleep disruption. A sleep study will help to define what that cause may be. Following an evaluation of The Breathing Triangle®, your provider may request a sleep study if he or she suspects you have sleep apnea.
How do I prepare for an at home sleep study?
There is no preparation or arrangements are necessary for the sleep study. You are able to sleep in the comfort of your own bed.
You may be advised to avoid caffeine or alcohol in the afternoon and evening before the sleep study. Your provider or health professional will advise you on any specific directions regarding medication or other related factors.
A bed partner who snores may be advised to sleep in a different room while you are wearing the device, as it may record their snoring.
How to put on your at home sleep study device.
Thoroughly wash and dry your forehead.
Remove the white stickers from the electrodes. Leave the clear plastic on the black forehead sensor.
Hold the cannula tips (two prongs extending from clear plastic tubing) against the bottom of the device with your thumb and slide the strap over your forehead.
Center the device over your nose and slightly above your eyebrows. Remove any hair from under the sensors to ensure the sensors and electrodes make complete contact with your skin.
Place the cannula tips inside your nostrils.
Grasp the cannula with your hand and pull it away from the back of your head until it feels snug.
Using your other hand, grab the slip tube and pull toward the back of your head until the tube rests snugly above the plastic portion of the strap. Adjust the slider bar by moving the bar towards you for a tighter fit and away from you for a looser fit. It should be snug enough so it does not dislodge from your nostrils.
When you are ready to go to sleep, press the ON/OFF button on the top of the device and hold for a couple of seconds.
Initialization will last about 20 seconds, during which time you will need to lie still. You can get comfortable once initialization is complete.
What happens during a sleep study?
Once you’ve followed the steps to put on your sleep study device and the initialization process is complete, you’re ready for the sleep study. You should not feel any discomfort from the device during your sleep. If the device is experiencing poor signal quality, you should wake to an alarm that can be turned off by readjusting the device.
I completed my sleep study. Now what?
Once you’ve completed the at home sleep study, you’ll return the device. With ADVENT, we offer convenient sleep study drop boxes, allowing you to return the device without an appointment. During a follow-up appointment, your sleep study test results will be reviewed and analyzed to determine your next steps.