A sleep study is a test that measures how well you sleep and checks for sleep problems. For some sleep studies, you stay overnight in a sleep lab at a hospital or sleep center.
In other cases, your doctor can give you a portable sleep monitor to use at home, so you don’t have to spend the night in the sleep lab. But you should use a portable monitor only if:
Before you go to sleep, a technician attaches small, sticky patches called electrodes to your head, chest, and legs. He or she will also place a small tube beneath your nose and might wrap 1 or 2 belts around your chest.
Each of these items has wires that connect to monitors. The monitors record your movement, brain activity, breathing, and other body functions while you sleep.
If you have a history of trouble falling asleep, your doctor might prescribe a medicine to help you fall asleep in the lab. If you have never taken the medicine before, your doctor might ask you take it on a night before your sleep study to see how it affects you.
Your doctor will order a sleep study if he or she thinks you have sleep apnea or a different condition that makes you:
On the day of your sleep study, you should:
Additional Reference Material
American Sleep Apnea Association
American Sleep Association
https://www.sleepassociation.org/
Support Groups
Daily Strength