Home Sleep Testing

In order to diagnose sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, a patient usually participates in a sleep study at one of our three PM Sleep Centers lab facilities. This requires the patient to spend the night at one of our labs monitored in a private room, while our medical equipment records their sleep data. Today this study can be performed at home with home sleep testing or a home sleep study.

For the Home Sleep Testing, the patient self-administers the home sleep test using specialized equipment provided by PM Sleep Centers. The patient is able to spend the night at home in their own bed in familiar surroundings. This is particularly helpful to patients who are home-bound, elderly, or those with chronic illness, where transportation could be expensive and uncomfortable. It is also beneficial for those with trouble arranging time out of their schedules to spend the night in our facility.

Home Sleep Testing utilizes an unattended four channel / Type III portable device and is used to monitor a patient’s airflow, respiratory effort, oxygen saturation and heart rate during the night and can diagnose patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), central apneas (CSA), mixed apneas and Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR)

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends that unattended portable monitoring for the diagnosis of OSA should be performed in conjunction with a comprehensive sleep evaluation.

Ideally, patients are referred for an evaluation by a sleep specialist who can decide if a home sleep study is appropriate for the patient. If appropriate, the patient is provided with a portable monitoring device to bring home and is given instructions on how to use it. The following day, the patient returns the device and the data are scored and interpreted by a sleep physician. The sleep physician reviews the results of the study with the patient, selects appropriate treatment and communicates the results back to the patient’s primary physician.

The Convenience of a Home Sleep Test

• The patient uses the device in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
• A home sleep study, can be especially advantageous for the home-bound, elderly, or those with chronic illness who require specialized care such as a nurse or family member spending the night.

Cost Effective

• Covered by Medicare and most commercial insurance plans.