1. What to expect on the night of your home sleep apnea test?

On the night of the home sleep apnea test, you should reduce water consumption before going to bed to avoid going to the toilet in the middle of your sleep, which may affect the test result. You should also avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, and avoid strenuous activity, to prevent insomnia or affect sleep quality. You should not take sleeping pills as well, since medicines may affect the accuracy of the test result.

During the home sleep apnea test, it is recommended to turn on the air conditioner to keep the sleeping environment dry and comfortable. You don’t need to try keeping yourself in a single position all night long, you can change your sleeping positions you want as your daily sleep. Please remember that at least 4 hours of sleep data must be recorded (calculated after falling asleep) for a successful test result. If you have a cold or the flu or any other illnesses, you should make a new appointment after your recovery. If multi-night sleep test is required, a new battery must be replaced each night to prevent sleep data from being recorded due to battery drain during the test.

2. Why the cost of the home sleep apnea testing services are so different on the market?

As some sleep test devices on the market do not meet the international standards, and the reports have not been manually reviewed by a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT), those reports maybe just simply automatically generated by a computer program, which means that there are some data should not be counted, such as the events before falling asleep or going to the toilet in the middle of sleep, will also be counted in the report. This may affect the accuracy of the result, and this is why those companies’ offers are cheaper. In addition, the companies with cheaper offer may not submit the reports to the Hong Kong specialists for confirmation, so the accuracy of the results cannot be verified. Therefore, please don’t ruin your health and make decision which just based on the price, you should do researches and seek medical advice before the home sleep apnea test.

If you are looking for a home sleep test, here are some friendly tips about how to choose a good one:

-It is essential to know if the sleep apnea testing device meets the international standards.

-You must need to understand the sensitivity and specificity of the sleep apnea testing device.

-It is important to know whether the recorded sleep data has been manually reviewed by a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT).

-You must also need to know whether the sleep apnea test report will be reviewed and signed by a Hong Kong specialist for confirmation.

-It is important to understand if the sleep apnea test cannot be successfully completed on the first night, will that company offer a free multi-night backup test until the required sleep data is successfully recorded.

-You must need to know whether there are professional biomedical engineers and technicians provide you with technical support, explain the operation of the device and the whole sleep test process in detail.

-Last but not least, it is necessary to know whether there is a professional consultant to explain and analyze the content of the report to you after completing the sleep apnea test.

If you have any questions when choosing home sleep testing services, please call our professional sleep health consultant at 6188 3890 (Sharon).

3. What should I need to be careful of when choosing a home sleep apnea test?

Many customers only focus on the price when choosing a home sleep apnea test. Of course, the price is important, but what is more important must be the accuracy of the test! The sensitivity and specificity of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of our home sleep apnea test compared to the in-lab sleep test are 100% identical. This means that our home sleep apnea test can successfully and accurately define whether a patient has sleep apnea.

In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to whether the report of the sleep apnea test is recognized by Hong Kong medical professionals, which means the sleep apnea test report must be signed and confirmed by a Hong Kong specialist. This is very important for the future treatment of the customers, and it will help the medical professionals to follow up the progress of the treatment to ensure that you have received a proper treatment and no unnecessary medical products were misused. If you are looking for a home sleep apnea test, it is important for you to keep in mind the above practical tips.