Home Sleep Apnea Test (HSAT)

How it Works

University Hospitals will provide you with the necessary equipment along with detailed instructions as to how to set it up and use it at home.

The portable unit has sensors to measure breathing, oxygen saturation, snoring, movement and heart rate while you sleep. Patients are provided a nasal cannula to wear during the study. Some HSAT devices may also be equipped with:

• Electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors to detect brain sleep patterns
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors to detect arrhythmias
• Electrooculogram (EOG) or electromyography (EMG) sensors to detect sleep stages

These additional features may be recommended on a case-by-case basis. Although they do provide additional information, supplemental sensors also increase complexity of use.

The HSAT unit records and saves all information gathered during the study. The results are then interpreted by the sleep medicine team.

Potential Risks of Home Sleep Apnea Testing

The biggest risk with a home sleep apnea test is the potential for a person’s sleep disorder to be misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed. For example, a patient might be diagnosed with snoring and mild sleep apnea when in fact their apnea is moderate or severe. Also, as sleep is not directly measured, the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) – a score that measures the number of apnea episodes per hour – may be underestimated if the patient sleeps poorly.

In addition, some people may require retesting if the home study provides less than four hours of interpretable recordings of oxygen saturation and airflow signals. Not turning the unit on before going to sleep or a sensor falling off during sleep are the most common human errors.

Otherwise, there is no harm from a home sleep apnea test other than the cost of redoing the test if a full, in-center study is determined to be more appropriate or if a misinterpretation of the home study occurs.

Talk to Your Sleep Medicine Provider

Patients should talk to a sleep medicine specialist about the pros and cons of an in-home sleep apnea study. Patients with some complex neurological or cardiopulmonary conditions may be better suited for an in-center, overnight sleep study. Even if approved for HSAT, patients should be aware that if the test does not reveal a potential explanation for excessive daytime sleepiness, movements during sleep or insomnia, further evaluation, including an in-center sleep study, may be recommended.