Home Sleep Study | What Is It and How Does It Work?

Home Sleep Study: How to Get a Sleep Apnea Test at Home

You keep hearing from your spouse that you snore a lot, are tired during the day even after a full night’s rest, and should probably get a sleep study. As you research your options, you can’t imagine paying so much to sleep in a clinic with so many wires attached and people watching.

Then, you stumble across a new option: an at home sleep study. Naturally you wonder: what is a home sleep study and how does it work?

What is a Home Sleep Study?

A sleep study is a test (also referred to as a sleep apnea test or home sleep test) which can help diagnose sleep-related disorders, the most common being Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Traditionally, sleep studies have mostly been done in formal sleep labs. Now, you can do a sleep apnea test in the comfort of your own home.

Instead of going to a clinic, your home sleep test can be shipped directly to you, and you can set up and conduct it yourself. After completing the 1 night test, your sleep data will be automatically transmitted back and the results analyzed shortly thereafter.

What Are the Benefits of a Home Sleep Test?

Getting a home sleep test comes with several benefits over the traditional, clinical method:

More Comfortable: Doing the test in the comfort of your own home, makes it easier to sleep since you’ll be in a familiar environment.
More Convenient: It’s more convenient to not have to drive to a sleep center and stay overnight. On top of that, the at-home tests are much less intrusive.
Less Expensive: Since you don’t need a sleep technician and there’s less equipment involved, home sleep tests are more affordable.

What Are Some of the Drawbacks?

Although the Home Sleep Test is a great option, there are some drawbacks compared to getting tested in a clinic.

Since the test is done at home, there’s less equipment used, which limits the range of diagnoses a doctor can make outside of Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea. The home sleep test gathers less information since there are fewer devices monitoring your sleep. This means it can be less accurate than an in-lab study.

How Does the Home Sleep Test Process Work?

Luckily, the process for getting a home sleep test is relatively straightforward. If you already have a doctor that handles your prescriptions and will read your sleep test results, here’s how it works:

First, talk to your doctor and get a prescription for the Home Sleep Test.
Order a Home Sleep Test online and it will be shipped right to your door.
After you wear the device for a night, your results will be automatically sent back to us and we’ll forward the data to your doctor.
If you’re diagnosed with sleep apnea, your doctor will write you a prescription for a CPAP.

Can I Do a Home Sleep Study Without Going Through My Doctor?

Yes, you can! If you’d like to get a prescription for an at home sleep study without visiting your doctor, you can order our Deluxe Home Sleep Test. This option will allow you to get a prescription for the sleep test (and for CPAP equipment later, if needed) from a board-certified doctor in our network.

What’s great about the Deluxe Home Sleep Test is that you can skip the trip to your doctor’s office and simply fill out our questionnaire online instead. After filling it out, a doctor from our network will evaluate whether you need a sleep test based on your responses. Then they will write you a prescription for a home sleep test, if needed.

After completing the sleep test, one of our doctors will also evaluate your sleep data. If they diagnose you with sleep apnea, they’ll write you a prescription for CPAP equipment.

What Happens During the Sleep Test?

Taking the sleep test can be confusing and sometimes intimidating if it’s a new experience. But, rest assured, hundreds of thousands of people have already done it, so you can too!

To get started, you’ll need the WatchPAT One supplies box, a smartphone device, internet access, and a pin number (which you’ll get with your order). Next, you’ll follow these steps:

After ordering the home sleep test, you’ll receive your supplies box in the mail. The box will include: the WatchPAT One watch, watch battery, chest sensor, and finger probe. You’ll first download the WatchPAT ONE app to your smartphone and follow the prompts on the screen for the remaining steps outlined below.
Place the watch battery in the watch, and then a green indication light should appear.
Next, you will be asked for the pin number, which you’ll enter into the app on your smartphone.
Then, place the chest sensor towards the top of your chest, right below your sternal notch. You can secure this sensor with medical tape if you’d like.
The watch should then be strapped onto your non-dominant wrist and the finger probe on your non-dominant index finger.
Once you finish following the prompts in the app, you’ll be able to click the start recording option.

When you wake up in the morning, you’ll click the end recording button on the app. Then, the sleep data will be automatically sent to the appropriate parties. No need to keep or return the device! You’re free to dispose of it once your home sleep test is finished.