FAQs

Upon arrival, a technician will lead you to your room. Surface electrodes will be applied painlessly to your scalp, chin, legs, chest, and near your eyes with conductive paste. This will enable us to evaluate your stages of sleep and pertinent information regarding your sleep pattern and behavior. A sensor will be placed under your nose and belts will be placed around your chest to monitor your breathing. The setup process will take about 45 minutes. A technician will monitor your sleep from a room in close proximity to you where your sleep data is collected and stored on our sleep diagnostic computerized system. If apnea is detected you will be contacted to be scheduled for a CPAP titration trial or the technician will initiate CPAP trial only if ordered by your physician on the night of your study.

Within 2-3 business days.

It is recommended that the following instructions are followed:

Avoid caffeinated beverages/foods 6 hours prior to your study (ie. Coffee, tea, soda and chocolate).
Avoid alcoholic beverages 24 hours prior to testing.
Avoid body oils, gels and lotions.
Please eat a good meal prior to your arrival to the sleep lab.
Try not to nap the day of your study.

If it is necessary to bring someone due to your medical condition or for any other purpose, please contact our office so that we can determine how to best accommodate your needs.

You should take all of your usual medications on the day and night of your sleep study unless your physician has advised you otherwise.

No. The sleep lab does not provide any medications. Please make sure you have discussed all of your medication needs with your physician prior to your sleep study.

You may bring the following:
• 2-piece button-down pajamas or shorts and a T-shirt and slippers. z
• A favorite blanket or pillow (optional).
• A change of clothes for the next day.
• A toothbrush, hairbrush, and all necessary toiletries.
• Snacks (required if you are a diabetic or scheduled for daytime testing).

Our patient rooms are spa like furnished with soft lighting, carpet, and decorating touches that create a relaxed and comfortable environment. Each room has a queen size bed that can be adjusted to fit your need for softness or firmness. We have a variety of pillows to meet your preference including memory foam pillows. Your room has a night stand and is equipped with a 32inch flat screen and local cable access. You are welcome to visit our facility prior to your study for a tour.

Yes, you will have your own private room.

Typical arrival time is between 8:30 – 10:30 PM.

We are open 7 days and nights a week. Our Customer Service staff will ensure that you have your sleep study on the night or day most convenient for you.

A sleep study is performed when you usually sleep. If you work at night and regularly sleep during the day, the sleep study will be performed during the day.

If you do not have insurance, we can perform the sleep study and assist you with a payment plan.

For most purposes and insurance plans, we require a physician’s referral. However, we have sleep specialists on our staff that can see you in consultation and recommend any sleep studies that may be required. If you do not have insurance, we can perform the sleep study and assist you with a payment plan.

OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), if left untreated, will have a negative effect on you over time. OSA causes disruptive sleep and the chances that you may doze off while driving increases considerably. The chances of falling asleep and possibly getting into an accident have increased exponentially, when sleep apnea goes untreated. Driving requires attention to the road. OSA deprives your body of rest, making you feel tired, less alert, and can thus become a hazard.

Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is the result of skeletal muscle tissue losing its tone and collapsing into the airway during sleep. When a person falls asleep, the central nervous system is more relaxed causing the electrical activity to the skeletal muscle to decrease. When the muscle loses its tone, gravity pulls it into the airway causing the person to stop breathing for ten seconds or more. The brain senses a decrease in oxygen and causes an arousal and the person wakes up and takes a breath. When the person falls asleep again, this process can repeat itself up to hundreds of times during the night. The diagnostic instruments at Sleep Care Centers can pick up OSA so that a doctor can diagnose it and treat it, helping to improve the quality of life.

Most insurance plans cover a sleep study. Our professional staff will verify all insurance benefits and relay any out of pocket costs to you.

Valid indications for the need of a sleep study may include any of the following:
• Snoring which disturbs your bed-partner or house mates
• Feeling tired all the time
• Falling asleep while driving
• Disturbed sleep
• Going to the bathroom during the night
• Waking up feeling tired despite sleeping through the night
• Waking up with a headache
• Waking up with a dry or sore throat
• High blood pressure (or on medication)
• Depressed (or on medication)
• Sexual dysfunction (or on medication)

People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) or even those who are not properly treated are at great risks of developing a domino effect of health problems. Abnormal breathing during sleep and frequent reductions in the oxygen level in the blood can lead to permanent problems with your heart or blood vessels. Unusual heartbeats and swollen ankles may also occur. Hypertension and depression are among the most common complications of untreated or not properly treated sleep apnea. When you don’t breathe for even a short period of time, it causes your body to produce a burst of adrenaline, which in turn causes sudden spikes in blood pressure. This can damage the heart and other organs, triggering strokes and heart attacks and greatly worsening congestive heart failure whether you are obese or not.

The signs and symptoms that are suggestive of OSA include obesity, loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, erectile dysfunction (impotence), morning headaches, personality changes (depression), high blood pressure and frequent nocturnal urination. A large neck girth in both males and females who snore is also a good predictor of OSA. In general, men with a neck circumference of 17 inches or greater and women with a neck circumference of 16 inches or greater are at a higher risk for sleep apnea. Patients with OSA often say that their bed partner complains about their snoring. A large number of people who snore are believed to have OSA. Many times, a sleep partner will witness gasping or choking episodes during sleep.