A visit to a sleep center usually involves an overnight stay. The cost for this type of visit can be quite high, sometimes costing several thousand dollars. Additionally, multiple visits may be required. It is common to spend at least two nights at a sleep center. If you have health insurance, be sure to see if your visit will be covered. Most insurers will pay for most or even all of the expense.
After making your appointment with a sleep center, you can expect to receive instructions to keep a sleep diary. This diary will generally be kept for the weeks leading up to the visit. It will aid the doctors in quickly pinpointing the potential sleep disorder you might be suffering from. In addition to the sleep diary, it is important to refrain from alcohol and caffeine the day of the test. These substances can affect our sleep patterns and may interfere with results.
Many people wonder what to bring to their visit. Generally you want to pack only what you need to stay overnight. You can bring whatever you would bring to stay at a hotel for a night. Bring comfortable clothes to sleep in and your own pillow, if you like. Also, you are welcome to bring a book or magazine to read before going to bed. After you are prepared for bed, a technician will quickly set up the required recording equipment.
Sleep centers use polysomnography to record information while you sleep. This will necessitate the application of several electrodes to the body. These electrodes are hardly noticeable and will be applied on the scalp and face. Others will be placed on the chest, legs, and hands. In addition, video footage and audio recording may be taken of your sleep to aid researches in identifying your particular sleep disorder.
After the technician prepares the measuring equipment you may relax and go to sleep. The equipment is lightweight and doesn’t bother most people. If you do have a problem or need to go to the bathroom, there is generally a call button near your bed that can be used to call sleep center staff at any time. It is recommended that you get an entire eight hours of sleep so that all of the required data can be collected. This is why it is advised that caffeine not be ingested the day prior to the tests.
Throughout the night, computers record the information about you while you sleep. There is also a technician monitoring the data throughout the night. The following day the data are further analyzed. Sometimes the data are sent away for statistical processing. Once your doctor identifies your sleep disorder you will be contacted.
For many sleep disorders, an overnight stay is the only way to ensure proper identification. Luckily, it isn’t really that big of a deal. Just like staying at a hotel or for a night in the hospital, staying at a sleep center is hassle free and every effort is taken to ensure that your visit is comfortable and enjoyable.
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