Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.
Sleep studies are non-invasive - no poking or prodding or waking you up throughout the night. It's just like normal sleep except you sleep at the sleep center connected to some monitoring equipment. They monitor:
The results from the sleep study will help either provide a diagnosis or clarify what, if anything, may be causing concern related to your sleeping habits.
The following outlines the basic process of a sleep study:
Most of what happens is done with computers that automatically monitor your sleep data.
Usually, people get a sleep study either when they are struggling with sleep or to formally diagnose a sleep disorder. Some symptoms (often in combination) that are common reasons to get a sleep study are:
Doctors may make a referral to get a sleep study during a checkup, which can come as a surprise because sleep problems don’t always manifest as being obviously sleep related.
First, it is a good idea to visit the sleep center before your sleep study. This allows you to understand and visualize what the sleep study will entail, as well as get comfortable with the sleep environment.
Other good practices you can do to prepare for a sleep study:
Other than this, the idea is to study your sleep as if you were at home.
The best rule of thumb is to pretend you are having an overnight stay at a spa. Bring things like:
Beyond basics, there is nothing special to bring.
While there are many different insurance options, most insurance companies provide coverage for sleep studies. This includes Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, and healthcare purchased through the Healthcare Marketplace.
Before you sleep study, you can check with us to verify that insurance covers you.
Sleep studies do need a referral. This can happen after expressing concerns to your doctor and receiving a referral, or you can simply call your doctor and ask to fax a referral.
We have patient referral forms available on our website.