How-to guide
How to Do a Home Sleep Test
Quick answer: A home sleep test checks for obstructive sleep apnea while you sleep in your own bed. We use the WatchPAT, a small device worn on your wrist with a probe on one finger and a sensor on your chest. Depending on your insurance, you either pick up a device at our office, where our sleep study coordinator shows you how to use it, or a kit is mailed to your home. Before bed, take off nail polish, gel or acrylic nails and rings from the finger you will use, put the device on, and sleep as you usually do. Return it the way you were told. A board-certified sleep medicine physician reads your study, and results usually take one to two weeks.
What is a home sleep test?
A home sleep test (also called a home sleep apnea test) checks whether you have obstructive sleep apnea, where breathing stops and starts during sleep. It records your breathing, oxygen level, heart rate, snoring and sleep position for one night while you sleep at home.
We use the WatchPAT. It is worn on your wrist, with a probe on one finger and a small sensor on your chest. Some versions connect to an app on your phone. Our at-home sleep study page explains who it is for and how it compares with an in-lab study.
How do I get the test?
Once your insurance approves the test, our sleep study coordinator contacts you. There are two ways the test is done, depending on your insurance:
- Our device: you pick up a WatchPAT at one of our offices, and our sleep study coordinator shows you how to set it up and use it.
- A mailed kit: a company we work with mails the kit to your home, with step-by-step instructions and a phone number to call for help.
How do I do the test?
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Plan a usual night
Do the test on a night you can sleep your usual hours in your own bed. Keep to your usual routine, and take your usual medicines unless we told you otherwise.
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Get your hand ready
Choose the hand you do not write with. On the finger the probe goes on, take off any nail polish, gel or acrylic nail, keep the nail short, and take off rings. Skip hand lotion that evening.
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Put it on at bedtime
Put on the wrist unit, finger probe and chest sensor the way your coordinator or the kit’s instructions show. If your device uses a phone app, keep your phone charging near the bed with Bluetooth on.
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Sleep as you usually do
Sleep in your usual position. If you get up during the night, leave the device on and go back to bed.
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Return it in the morning
Take the device off and return it the way you were told: back to our office, or in the prepaid package that came with the kit. Your study cannot be read until it is returned or uploaded.
When will I get my results?
A board-certified sleep medicine physician reads your study. Results usually take one to two weeks, sometimes only a few days, depending on the backlog.
Call our office to schedule a follow-up visit, where we go over your results and your treatment options. Our guide How to Read Your Sleep Study Results explains the numbers on your report.
What if I need an in-lab study instead?
A home test is right for most adults who may have sleep apnea. An overnight study in a sleep lab is a better choice if you have significant heart or lung disease, a neuromuscular condition, a past stroke, long-term opioid use or severe insomnia, and it may be the next step if a home test is negative but your symptoms continue. Read more in Do I Need a Sleep Study?
When should I call?
Call us for
- You have not heard from our sleep study coordinator within a week or two of your visit
- The device or app shows an error, or you could not finish the test
- You have questions about putting the device on or returning it
- It has been more than two weeks since you returned the device and no follow-up is scheduled
- You nearly fall asleep while driving. Do not drive while you feel that sleepy.
Call 911 or go to the ER for
Chest pain or trouble breathing.
Austin 512-339-4040 · Lakeway 512-682-4798 · Marble Falls 830-992-2830
Questions patients ask
You wear a small device, the WatchPAT, on your wrist with a probe on one finger and a sensor on your chest for one night of sleep at home. It records your breathing, oxygen level, heart rate, snoring and sleep position.
Either, depending on your insurance. You pick up a device at one of our offices, where our sleep study coordinator shows you how to use it, or a kit is mailed to your home with instructions.
Yes, from the finger the probe goes on. Also remove gel or acrylic nails and rings from that finger, keep the nail short, and skip hand lotion that evening.
Usually one to two weeks, sometimes only a few days. A board-certified sleep medicine physician reads your study, and we go over the results at a follow-up visit.
With significant heart or lung disease, a neuromuscular condition, a past stroke, long-term opioid use or severe insomnia, or when a home test is negative but symptoms continue.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not replace an in-person evaluation. If we gave you different instructions, follow ours.
Full guide: capitalent.com/home-sleep-test.html
Sources
- Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S, et al. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017. PubMed