If you suspect you might have Obstructive Sleep Apnea and that you need a home sleep study, here are the steps to follow:
1. Download the Referral Form. Bring this to your General Practitioner. Your GP will fill in the Referral Form.
2. Request your GP Medical Centre to fax it to us on 07 3381 9025 or email to info@sleepstudybrisbane.com.au
3. We will call you to book your Home Sleep Study.
Preparing For Your Home Sleep Study
Be prepared for your home sleep study. Here’s what to expect.
Prepare for your sleep study by not planning anything stressful for the evening so you can give your full attention to the sleep study procedures. During the appointment, the Sleep Technician will measure your breathing function and fill in some paperwork. Then he will attach a sleep monitoring device to your upper body. This device is called a portable Polysomnograhy (PSG) device. The whole appointment will take approximately one hour.
We require that you will have showered before your appointment and dressed ready for bed. Wear decent, comfortable sleeping clothes. Eating, drinking, brushing teeth and toilet activities won’t be any problem. But you won’t be able to wash your face or take a shower until your remove the PSG the next morning.
A home sleep test is called polysomnography and has many wires and electrodes that will measure data to diagnose sleep apnea. You may wish to bring a robe to cover up on your return home.
We recommend you bring a robe or an oversized shirt to wear over the equipment when you drive home. Be prepared to drive home straight after instead of dropping by the convenience store to buy bread and milk. You may not wish to be seen doing some late night shopping with electrodes stuck to your head.
When you get home, do your usual bedtime routines. If you take medications, take them as usual. If you normally take a glass of wine before bed, then do so. In short, go through your usual process of getting to sleep. But go to bed early to enable the PSG to get as much sleep data as possible.
The next morning, carefully remove the electrodes, pack the PSG and all the wires back into its bag, and return the bag to the clinic. We will download your data and a Sleep and Respiratory Specialist will analyze your sleep record. He will then write out a report and send it back to your GP. We will contact you to advise that you need to book another appointment with your GP to discuss the Sleep Specialist’s recommendations and your options.