Sleep is one of the most critical resources in the quality of one’s life. However, various issues can compromise your sleep, and it can be challenging to get a solid diagnosis. You have to consider multiple factors, which require technical expertise and experience.
However, the average person lacks such resources, and it’s where a home study becomes helpful. Fortunately, this guide gives you an in-depth look at things to expect during this process:
Physician Consultation
The first step is for you to consult with a certified physician on the concept of healthy sleep. The physician will perform a diagnostic test to determine the best approach to tackle your issue. The information that comes from the test will be crucial in creating the home study program.
Before you go through this process, try and get an insurance service cover. It will help ensure you can access high-quality medical health care at your convenience. During the physician consultation process, you will also gain insight into ways of preparing for the test. A few suggestions you might get include:
- Avoid napping or any other sleep tendencies that might compromise the home study tests.
- Avoid consuming any mind-altering substances such as coffee or energy drinks during the consultation process.
- Sleep using the correct posture, which is typically your back or stomach.
- Ensure you sleep in a cool, dry, and dark environment.
Acquire the Sleep Study Equipment
The next step is to acquire the right sleep study equipment for your needs. You can easily find most of these resources online. Once you receive the home sleep test resources, ensure you use them according to your physician’s recommendations.
The standard tools you will need for this process include a finger clip, a small nasal cannula, and a belt. Usually, most of these tools are digitized to provide convenient data collection functions.
Remember that your budget has a huge role in the quality of sleep equipment you can purchase. That is why you may need an insurance service to help cater to some of these costs. Your physician might also provide you with helpful links for affordable products.
Sleep Study Test Process
You will then have to use the sleep equipment for a few days for data collection. The average period for home sleep study averages between 3 – 5 days. You will have to adjust your sleep regimen based on the feedback that your doctor provides you.
There are various biological details that the test will record, including:
- Your nasal and oral airflow – the process involves using a thin wire, which sits on your nose or mouth. It works to monitor the flow of air as you rest and has specialized sensors.
- The respiratory effort – the test also evaluates your breathing functions through specialized elastic bands. Your physician will show you how to place these bands across sections of the abdomen.
- Oxygen levels – the test involves using resources such as the oximeter finger probe. Your physician will show you how to place this device on your fingers to help with oxygen analysis.
Final Discussion
Once the home study process is complete, your physician will call you for a consultation process. Your sleep provider will give you a diagnosis based on the data acquired during the home study process.
Expect to get an excellent solution to your sleep problems if your doctor doesn’t recommend lab test solutions. The common solutions to consider include: The typical solutions for sleep issues can include
Positive airway pressure therapy works well to address complications such as sleep apnea. Usually, these devices have pressurized mechanisms to help improve the opening of the throat. You may use them alongside tools such as nasal plugs or specialized face masks.
Oral devices for sleep apnea are excellent because they are less invasive and perfect for such complications. Most of these devices have FDA approval and can feature custom-developed structures for your needs. A good example that most physicians recommend is the mandibular advancement device.
As you have seen, it’s possible to correct any sleep complications that you experience, such as apnea. However, you have to be careful in your approach to ensure the best results. An informed approach will guarantee you notice improvements in a few days.