Sleep Studies

Sleep studies are performed before and after treatment, as part of our commitment to ‘best practice’ standards of diagnosis and treatment. 

The first sleep study (otherwise known as a polysomnogram) is done pre-treatment to identify the nature and severity of any sleep disorder.  The second sleep study is done post-treatment to objectively confirm the efficacy of treatment.

In cases where the patient is referred by a specialist sleep physician or sleep laboratory, one or both of the sleep studies will usually be completed in a clinical environment with sleep technicians in attendance.  These attended sleep studies are considered to be the gold standard, but waiting times, patient compliance, sleep quality in the strange environment of the sleep lab, costs, geographic accessibility and other issues mean they are normally only required for more serious conditions.

Therefore, in many cases, portable sleep studies can be done in the patient's home.  These advanced (mobile phone sized) 10 channel recorders measure brain activity, cardiac activity, breathing pattern and stoppages, duration of stoppages, blood oxygen saturations, limb movements, number of awakenings, level of sleep and much more. This can now all be done in the comfort and privacy of the patient’s own bedroom, rather than in a hospital based environment.

Patients are more likely to proceed with a sleep study under these circumstances, and generally enjoy a more ‘typical’ night’s sleep than would have been the case if they had needed to spend the night in a strange bed and foreign lab environment.

A comprehensive report on the sleep study, including analysis and diagnosis by a specialist sleep physician, is normally completed within two weeks.The patient’s primary healthcare practitioner is provided with a copy of this report, along with all other relevant case notes. In cases where the portable sleep diagnostic recorder identifies significant issues, a full (attended) polysomnogram in a sleep laboratory is normally required – but the portable units are sufficient in the majority of cases. This means waiting times are reduced, the cost of diagnosis is minimized, and prompt treatment minimizes the risk of the patient developing more serious or costly health issues, such as hypertension or stroke. As well as diagnosis, treatment for some conditions (such as apnoea / apnea) via constant positive airway pressurisation (CPAP) can also be performed by our nurses in the comfort and convenience of your home.

If you need a sleep study or know someone who does, and if you'd prefer to have the study performed in the comfort and privacy of your own bedroom, call us today on 1300 246 637 for a free, no obligation chat with a friendly treatment coordinator, or complete our contact form and we'll get in touch to answer your questions.