About
Home sleep apnea testing is a convenient way to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea using minimal equipment from the comfort of home. Performed in only one night, patients need to attend a 15 to 20 minute appointment where they can learn how to use the equipment. We offer appointments at both of our locations in Nashua and Milford where patients can pick up and drop off equipment.
We provide home sleep apnea testing for patients 13 years of age or older. This option is mainly for patients with moderate to high probability of sleep apnea. A STOPBANG Questionnaire can help determine risk for sleep apnea. Home sleep studies can also be utilized in many cases for Department of Transportation required testing.
WatchPAT Sleep Study Device
At St. Joseph Hospital, we are one of the only facilities in the Southern New Hampshire region that utilizes the WatchPAT sleep study device, an advanced piece of technology that provides significant benefits to both our patients and providers.
The WatchPAT sleep study device is simple, utilizing 3 points of contact for outstanding patient compliance with 98% success rate. It is also clinically validated with an 89% correlation to a Polysomnography. Providing thorough results, it has the ability to measure sleep stages, apnea episodes, oxygen rate, heart rate, snoring, and body positions.
How to Prepare
We recommend that patients eat their usual evening meal prior to putting on the recording equipment. We ask that patients avoid caffeine after 2pm, and take their regular medications unless told otherwise by their healthcare provider. Any nail polish or artificial nails must be removed on the pinky finger of your non-dominant hand for your appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be common that you did not sleep the same as usual while wearing a home sleep device. A great deal can still be learned from just a few hours of sleep. If you are concerned that you will not be able to sleep, we recommend discussing this with your provider.
You will be free to move from side to side and onto your stomach or back as much as you desire. If your provider requests seeing any sleep on your back, this will be discussed with you at your appointment.
The home sleep study device must be worn for a minimum of 6 hours.
All equipment used for a home sleep study is portable. Equipment should stay on throughout the entire study.