Most of us do not give proper attention to sleep, but it should be given proper attention. If not, you can be at a risk of developing sleep apnea. Now most of you might be wondering what is it. In simple terms it is a disorder in which, the breathing stops and starts, causing certain disturbances in sleep.
Home sleep testing can help you in diagnosing sleep apnea. A home sleep test is conducted in the home of the patient confirm obstructive sleep apnea.
The further diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of OSA is an in-lab sleep study, requiring an overnight stay in a sleep facility.
What is the Process of Home Sleep Testing?
Patients exhibiting a high pre-test probability for OSA are excellent candidates for an HST. If the results do not point toward sleep apnea, an in-lab test may be taken to confirm results. HSTs are suitable for patients, in good health.
Patients with other medical conditions, including congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and neuromuscular disease might not be apt candidates for an HST and may needing-lab study.
Patients will either pick up sleep apnea devices from the sleep center or get a home delivery. A sleep professional will coach the patient on how to place the devices on the body and which buttons to push.
The person will make use of the HST device from one night to three nights depending on the recommendation of the doctor, then he/she will return the device.
A sleep professional will analyze the test and forwards the results to the physician determining a diagnosis. The patient will meet with the physician to deliberate over the possible treatment options.
There are certain advantages of a home sleep testing, and some of them are as follows-
• The most suitable for numerous people is the fact that this test is conducted at home, so they can sleep on their own bed. The issue of sleeping in a different bed, particularly on the first night, is a big cause of concern for a lot of people.
• Some people are not at all comfortable in taking part in the in-lab study for other reasons. They are anxious about how they will be able to fall asleep with all those wires, all over the body and also head and they worry about being observed by a sleep technician all night.
• The HST is a tool for offering otherwise unwilling patients, who would not consent to coming to a lab for a sleep test, a convenient way of exploring the possibility of sleep apnea.
• In some sleep centers there can be a long wait, until there is an availability of bed is available for a sleep study. This can be very problematic for people with people with severe sleep apnea. HST offers a quicker diagnosis. When time is the key HST is the way to go.
• For those worried about expenses for health care, HST is an economical substitute. Costs for HST is nothing as compared to the cost of an in-lab study.
Whether it is home sleep testing or lab testing, sleep apnea devices are used in both the procedures, and that’s why the value of the industry will reach USD 13,386.5 million BY 2030.
