Sleep Testing Service: Home Sleep Apnea Test

If obstructive sleep apnea is suspected, a home sleep apnea test may be recommended as an alternative to an in-lab polysomnogram. Also known as an HSAT or home sleep test, it uses fewer channels to monitor breathing patterns, heart rate and oxygen levels during sleep. Sensors are placed on the fingers, nose and chest and data is recorded through a portable monitor unit the size of a cell phone. The HSAT is less expensive and more convenient than an overnight polysomnogram since it allows you to sleep at home. However, it only screens for sleep apnea and cannot diagnose other sleep disorders.

Sleep Testing Service: Multiple Sleep Latency Test

A multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) measures how quickly you fall asleep during naps in a lab setting. Sleep Testing Services is often performed the day after an overnight polysomnogram to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness. You will be asked to try and nap every 2 hours over the course of a day. Sensors monitor brain waves, eye movements and muscle activity during the naps. The MSLT helps differentiate excessive daytime sleepiness due to insufficient sleep from an underlying sleep disorder like narcolepsy. It gauges your average sleep latency, or the time it takes to fall asleep, across the test naps.

Sleep Testing Service: Maintenance of Wakefulness Test

The maintenance of wakefulness test (MWT) is the opposite of an MSLT and examines your ability to stay awake during 40-minute nap opportunities in a resting environment. It is typically used to evaluate patients with conditions that cause excessive daytime sleepiness like sleep apnea, insomnia or shift work disorder. Brain waves, eye movements and muscle activity are monitored during scheduled "naps." The MWT quantifies your level of sleepiness by measuring how long you are able to stay awake and resist falling asleep. Results help determine if daytime sleepiness is impacting safety, performance and quality of life.

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