How Is an at Home Sleep Test Conducted?
Sleep testing is commonly used to help diagnose patients who may have sleep disorders, in particular obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep tests use different sensors to monitor the flow of air through the patient’s respiratory system, the blood oxygen levels and the breathing effort while the patient is sleeping. This helps determine if the patient is having sleep disturbances during the night as evidenced by a decrease in blood oxygen or airflow, coupled with an increased effort needed to breathe. Sleep tests are most commonly done in special sleep laboratories in which the patient is hooked up to several machines and is monitored by a laboratory assistant. However, because there are not many of these laboratories, going to a sleep lab can be inconvenient and expensive. Another option is a sleep test that is done at home. With this kind of test, the patient is sent home with the instruments and allowed to sleep in her own bed.
