If you think you may have sleep apnea, your doctor make want you to take part in a sleep study. You can either do this at a hospital or you can preform a home sleep test for sleep apnea as well. Here’s what you can except from both scenarios.

Home Sleep Test for Sleep Apnea
Doing a home sleep test for sleep apnea is probably the most convenient way to monitor your sleep patterns in order to determine whether or not you have a sleep disorder. You will be given equipment to take home before the day of the sleep test either by having it delivered to your home and you going to the doctor’s office to pick it up. Your doctor will show exactly what to do and how to use it. If you don’t understand anything or are confused by the instructions, ask as many questions as necessary until you understand what you are supposed to do.

Make sure to remind your doctor if you are on any kind of regular medication because it may be necessary to pause your medication temporarily while the sleep studies are taking place.

During the course of the day of the home sleep test for sleep apnea you should try to follow your regular routing as much as possible in order to get the most accurate results that night. You should also avoid napping and do not drink caffeine after lunchtime as these both can disrupt your sleep cycle later on.

Once bedtime comes, which can be at whatever time you normally go to sleep, you will need to attach sensors to your body in the order and placement in which your doctor described to you. You may need to keep a sort of sleep log or press a button on the machine once you are in bed. After you wake up in the morning, you will remove the sensors and turn off the machine.

The machine can either be picked up by medical professionals or you can mail it back or take it to the office. Your doctor will then examine the numbers produced by the sleep study and interpret the numbers in order to decide whether or not you do indeed have sleep apnea.

Hospital Sleep Test for Sleep Apnea
Taking the test in a hospital may be less convenient as far as having to leave the comfort of your own home and sleep some unfamiliar, but it is easier as far as making sure that the test is done properly the first time.

Typically, you will need to arrive about two hours before you go to bed. You can bring your own sleeping items including pajamas. The rooms are generally supposed to be comfortable and dark so you make sure you get enough sleep.

Once it is time to go to sleep, a medical professional will place the sensors on your body for you. Throughout the night they will monitor your sleep patterns and help you with anything you need. For example, if you need to get up to the go to the bathroom, they will assist you in removing the sensors properly so they can be replaced after you get back. You will not necessarily be using a cpap machine or or any types of cpap masks because the idea is to get as accurate results of your regular sleeping as possible without any sleeping aids.

Results from a Sleep Test
Your doctor may need several days or even weeks to evaluate your scores. You will then be contacted to discuss the next steps and options with you. You may need additional sleep studies if the tests your originally did didn’t come up with enough data to make an accurate diagnosis or if your tests did not indicate that you do have sleep apnea but the scores made your doctor suspect another kind of sleep disorder.

If you do have sleep apnea, there are several courses of treatment that you can go through in order to rectify your situation from machines to surgery, depending on the severity of your condition. Talk with your doctor in order to find out which method would be most beneficial as a long term cure for you.