Everything you should know about a home sleep test
                     Everything You 
Should Know About 
A Home Sleep Test 
Do you find yourself waking up tired, or maybe with a headache or dry mouth? 
Obstructive sleep apnea could be to blame. This happens when your breathing is 
interrupted during sleep, often for more than ten seconds. When you sleep, your 
muscles relax, including the throat and chest muscles that help you breathe. If you 
have sleep apnea, relaxation of throat muscles combines with a narrowed airway to 
interrupt breathing. A home sleep test is a very simplified breathing monitor that 
tracks your breathing, oxygen levels, and breathing effort while worn. It does not fully 
capture what is monitored with an overnight sleep study. Overnight sleep studies give 
a more thorough assessment of sleep issues. They are attended by a sleep 
technologist and capture many more signals, including brain sharing for sleep, muscle 
tone, and leg movements. 
For individuals with certain heart, breathing, or neuromuscular 
problems, an overnight sleep study at a sleep center may be better.  “If 
you are being told that you snore, snort and gasp, if you have disrupted 
sleep or are sleepy during the day, and you are overweight or obese, an 
at-home sleep apnea test may be very appropriate. 
• Sound familiar? You could have obstructive sleep apnea. Here’s what 
to know about the test. The facts about at-home sleep tests
• They monitor breathing, not actual sleep.
• “A sleep test is meant to evaluate a patient for sleep apnea, and it 
monitors breathing parameters, not the sleep itself,” Patil says. 
The sleep test won’t analyze how long you’re in light or deep sleep, for 
instance. Instead, it will measure pauses in and absence of breathing, how 
much effort it takes to breathe, and whether your breathing is shallow. Your 
doctor needs to prescribe it. This isn’t an over-the-counter test. Your primary 
care physician or a physician at a sleep clinic can order it to be taken home. It 
uses sensors to detect breathing patterns. The sensors include a small probe 
over your finger that measures oxygen levels. You’ll insert another mask with 
tubes into your nostrils and secure it around your ears, similar to an oxygen 
mask. Other sensors are placed on your abdomen and chest to measure their 
rise and fall as you breathe. It’s a small commitment.
Most at-home sleep tests are used just for one night. It’s also less 
expensive than a sleep study in a clinic, says Patil. “It’s usually a third to 
a fifth of the cost of doing an in-lab study, and it’s typically covered by 
insurance,” he says. It’s convenient. With an at-home study, you’ll be in 
the comfort of your surroundings, which could offer a more accurate 
reading of how you sleep. It doesn’t completely rule out apnea. After 
the test, your results will be reviewed by a sleep technologist and sent 
to your physician. If symptoms persist, your physician might 
recommend an in-lab study. A home sleep test can sometimes be 
inaccurate: For instance, your sensors might fall off during the night. At 
a lab, a physician is on-site to monitor you.
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