Sleep Study Recommendations?
March 8, 2023 2:23 PM Subscribe
I suspect I have sleep apnea (I fit several characteristics - weight, sudden bouts of sleepiness, data from my Apple watch which I wear most nights) and have come to the realization it's time to do something about it. I'm looking to do a sleep study, but have no primary care physician to make a referral, and for comfort and family reasons, I'd prefer to do it at home anyways. Does anyone have experience with the at-home self-ordered sleep studies to the point that they have a recommendation?
I went through a sleep doctor, but the sleep study was a take-home thing. I thought it worked pretty smoothly.
posted by catquas at 8:09 AM on March 9, 2023
posted by catquas at 8:09 AM on March 9, 2023
Sleep test and CPAP world is a bit of a racket.
A home sleep study does not track as many markers as doing one in a lab, but it will give you some of the basics.
Resources:
http://www.apneaboard.com/sleeptest.htm
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/Sleep_Testing_-_Types
If you want to do an at-home study, some dentists will lend you the device at a modest cost, like $200. The "must have a prescription" requirement is dumb - and going through a dentist may help you avoid it.
The above forum has a wide range of information on everything sleep apnea-related.
posted by 4midori at 3:16 PM on March 9, 2023
A home sleep study does not track as many markers as doing one in a lab, but it will give you some of the basics.
Resources:
http://www.apneaboard.com/sleeptest.htm
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/Sleep_Testing_-_Types
If you want to do an at-home study, some dentists will lend you the device at a modest cost, like $200. The "must have a prescription" requirement is dumb - and going through a dentist may help you avoid it.
The above forum has a wide range of information on everything sleep apnea-related.
posted by 4midori at 3:16 PM on March 9, 2023
P.S. If you strongly suspect sleep apnea, and you have crappy insurance, there is a DIY route: simply purchase a CPAP machine secondhand, fine-tune the settings, and use it. With some models, at least, you can export the data they collect and review it in a program like OSCAR (also available via apneaboard.com). Just using a CPAP machine is not high risk, but IANYD, etc. Depending on which healthcare/insurance racket you are part of, it might be cheaper to just get a machine and use it vs. dealing with appointments, prescriptions, and equipment and supplies which carry a high markup.
https://www.secondwindcpap.com/product-category/refurbished-cpap-machines/
posted by 4midori at 3:20 PM on March 9, 2023
https://www.secondwindcpap.com/product-category/refurbished-cpap-machines/
posted by 4midori at 3:20 PM on March 9, 2023
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posted by kschang at 4:32 AM on March 9, 2023