Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute is now offering home sleep testing for patients in Columbus and Central Ohio. At-home sleep study is a convenient way to screen for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea without undergoing an in-laboratory sleep study.
Click here to enquire about a home sleep study.
What is a home sleep study?
A home sleep study is performed in the comfort of your own bed to determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea. It is a simple and economical way to screen for sleep apnea by reducing the waiting time for diagnosis and costs associated with a full traditional in-clinic sleep study. Screening is based on a medical history and assessment questionnaire performed by your health provider or a qualified staff at the Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute.
Individuals who, by virtue of preference, immobility, safety or critical illness, cannot undergo a traditional polysomnographic study in a sleep laboratory can benefit from an at-home overnight sleep study. Please note that home sleep testing does not screen for other potential sleep disorders and is not as accurate or complete as an in-laboratory evaluation.
Are you a candidate for a home sleep study?
If you suffer from daytime sleepiness, loud and frequent snoring, gasping, breathing pauses, morning headaches, nocturnal gastro-esophageal reflux or high blood pressure among others, you may have sleep apnea. You may qualify if:
- you have a history of sleepiness and a Body Max Index>30
- your sleep assessment (based on a questionnaire or interview with a health care provider) suggests a high risk for moderate to severe sleep apnea
- you have no other major health problems or sleep disorders
- your work puts you at risk for accidents, such as bus drivers or truck drivers
- you are undergoing a surgery and need a pre-operative assessment
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is caused by an airway obstruction, which prevents normal breathing during sleep. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue, untreated sleep apnea can cause or worsen high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes and stroke.
How does a home test for sleep apnea work?
If you are found to be at risk for sleep disordered breathing, you will be prescribed a small recording device connected to biosensors, belts, and other accessories to be worn overnight. Various parameters may be recorded such as blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiratory effort, and respiratory airflow. Upon returning the device, our technician will score the study. Our board-certified sleep physician will interpret the results and review with you the treatment options during a follow-up visit.
If you are found to have sleep apnea, you may need to undergo another sleep study in the sleep clinic where a polysomnographic technician will monitor and adjust the therapeutic pressure of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device. A CPAP device gently blows positive air pressure into the nose to keep the airway open and is considered the gold standard of care for the treatment of moderate to severe sleep apnea. Getting the right pressure is essential for patient comfort and successful treatment. We closely follow our patients to ensure treatment effectiveness. Other alternatives to treat sleep-disordered breathing may be considered, such as a dental device, if the obstructive breathing in sleep is mild or low moderate in severity.
How does sleep testing at home compare to traditional in-laboratory polysomnography?
There are many portable sleep systems on the market, but not all offer the same reliability in terms of the data collected or the ease of use. At the Ohio Sleep Medicine Institute, we have tested multiple devices and accessories to ensure the highest quality recording and have found only a few systems to be adequately reliable.
You should be aware that home sleep testing does not objectively monitor sleep or wakefulness as is done in the laboratory setting since only a limited number of parameters such as blood oxygenation, heart rate, respiratory effort, or airflow are recorded. As a result, an in home sleep study may underestimate the true severity of obstructive breathing in sleep if:
- you sleep only partially during the night, since breathing stoppages rarely occur while awake.
- more subtle breathing disruptions that may fragment or disrupt your sleep, such as snoring, are not recorded as accurately as a in-laboratory sleep study.
As a reminder, an in-home sleep study does not screen for other potential sleep disorders, unlike traditional in-laboratory sleep studies.
Click here to enquire about a home sleep study
At-home sleep testing is available for the communities of Central Ohio and surrounding counties, including Columbus OH, Dublin OH, Powell OH, Hilliard OH, Upper Arlington OH, Delaware OH, Worthington OH, Gahanna OH, New Albany OH, Grove City OH, Newark OH, Lancaster OH, Zanesville OH, Marion OH, Mansfied OH. Please call us to verify eligibility for other cities.
