A polysomnogram (PSG) is an overnight sleep study that records brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, body movement, and more. Polysomnograms are used to help diagnose a wide variety of sleep disorders including: breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, sleep-related seizure disorders, movement disorders, etc. Tests usually begin around 9:00 p.m. and conclude the following morning between 5:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. and are administered and monitored by a registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT). A lab sleep study has a certain connotation that suggests white lab coats, sterile machines, and a general twinge of discomfort. As such, sleep study patients often complain that they are unable to relax during their study. However, most of these notions are easily debunked once visiting a sleep study clinic. Sleep clinics are “often furnished with high-quality bedding, warm and homey furniture and décor, and minimal hospital equipment in the room.” All of this is designed to relax the patient and make them feel more at home. An in-lab sleep study will also use more sensors and gather more accurate data. Sleep professionals will also monitor your progress throughout the night to ensure everything is running correctly. This ensures that the patient is following protocol throughout the study. This is superior to a home sleep test in that a home test cannot measure brain wave activity. This means that a person lying in bed awake or asleep shows no noticeable difference in a home test.

For those of us that are conscious of the cost of an in-lab sleep study, almost all insurances cover sleep studies. According to our research, insurance providers may require a home sleep test before conducting a more accurate in-lab test.