What to Know About an At-Home Sleep Test?

Do you often wake up exhausted, with a pain in your head, or with a dry mouth? There is a chance that you might be suffering from Obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when you have disturbed breathing while sleeping, usually for more than 10 seconds. While sleeping, your muscles relax, including the ones in your neck and chest that help you breathe. If you have sleep apnea, the combination of relaxed throat muscles and a restricted airway causes breathing to stop. The good thing is that now you have the option to test yourself in the comfort of your home.

What Is An At-Home Sleep Test?

At-home sleep apnea monitoring is a simple, low-cost technique to determine whether you’re experiencing breathing difficulties. At-home sleep apnea test is a simple respiratory sensor that monitors your breathing, respiratory rate, and inhaling and exhaling effort as you sleep. It does not accurately depict what an overnight sleep study monitors. Overnight sleep tests provide a more comprehensive examination of sleep disorders. They are accompanied by a sleep technologist and collect a variety of other information, such as brain signals for sleep, muscle tone, and limb movements. An overnight sleep test at a sleep center may be preferable for persons who have certain cardiac, respiratory, or neuromuscular difficulties.

If you have symptoms of sleeping disorders, a home sleep test is appropriate for you.

Symptoms such as – 

• Snoring, gasping while sleeping
• Sleep deprivation
• Drowsiness during the day

Discuss your treatment options choices with your healthcare physician, particularly if you are overweight or obese.

Here’s What You Should Know About The Test.

• They Keep A Record Of Respiration, Not Sleep: A sleep test is used to assess an individual for sleep apnea by analyzing respiratory characteristics rather than sleep itself. The sleep test will not determine how long you are in short or profound sleep, for example. Alternatively, it will quantify breathing interruptions and absences, the amount of effort required to breathe, and whether you are struggling to take oxygen or inhaling and exhaling oxygen without any issues.
• It Must Be Prescribed By Your Doctor: This is not a test that can be taken over the counter. It can be ordered for you to use at home by your primary health care provider or a physician in a sleep clinic.
• It Detects Respiratory Patterns Using Sensors: A little device that fits over your fingertip detects oxygen supply. Similar to an oxygen mask, you’ll place an additional mask with pipes into your nostrils and wrap it over your ears. Other monitors are put on your belly and chest to monitor the levels of your abdomen and chest while you breathe.
• It’s A Minor Investment: The majority of at-home sleep monitors are only utilized for one night. It’s also more affordable than a sleep study performed in a clinic, costing anywhere from a third to a fifth of the price of in-lab research, and is frequently reimbursed by insurance.
• It’s Practical: You’ll be in the convenience of your own home with an at-home study, which can result in a more precise calculation of how you genuinely sleep.
• It Does Not Prohibit Apnea Entirely: Your reports will be examined by a sleep specialist and given to your doctor after the procedure. If your symptoms are present, your doctor may suggest in-lab testing. Home testing might occasionally be imprecise: for example, your sensors may slip off throughout the night. A specialist is on-site at a laboratory to evaluate you.
• You May Have Additional Sleep Problems: Breathing problems do not define all sleep disorders. If your symptoms are present, you may not have apnea. Motion abnormalities that cause nightly uneasiness or narcolepsy, a physiological illness that disrupts the body’s sleep-wake cycles and produces abnormal drowsiness, are two more prevalent sleep concerns that do not impact the airways. Your doctor can assist you in determining the reason.

How Can I Ensure That The Findings Of An At-Home Sleep Test Are Correct?

It’s recommended to sleep on your back and side to get the most effective home sleep apnea assessment. Sleep apnea is often worse when people sleep on their backs, although side sleeping can help. Knowing what occurs while you sleep in various positions might help your doctor determine if you have apnea or another type of sleep disorder. Searching for an ideal professional to do your at-home sleeping test, HealthyMD is a cutting-edge digital telemedicine firm that provides at-home testing and low-cost therapy. With the tap of a finger, you may access your personal healthcare, including Telehealth services, from anywhere.