Home Sleep Apnea Test or Sleep Lab?How Clinicians Choose

Sleeping in your own bed sounds appealing. It doesn’t settle which test you need.

Home testing versus the laboratory

Situation	Guideline direction
Uncomplicated adult with signs suggesting moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea	A technically adequate home test or laboratory polysomnography
Home result negative, inconclusive or technically inadequate	Laboratory polysomnography
Significant heart or lung disease, certain muscle-weakness disorders, suspected hypoventilation, chronic opioid use, past stroke or severe insomnia	Laboratory polysomnography

These are clinical selection rules. Ask the clinician which situation fits your history.¹

Why a negative home test needs follow-up

Home devices have limits. They can underestimate breathing events, including because conventional devices don’t measure sleep time the way laboratory studies do. A negative home result doesn’t close the investigation when apnea remains a concern.¹

And a questionnaire by itself cannot diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. The AASM¹ recommends evaluation, an appropriate test and follow-up.¹

Questions to take to the appointment

• What makes this test suitable for my medical history?
• What should I do if a sensor comes loose?
• Who reviews the result?
• What happens if the result is negative but symptoms continue?

Read further about your nights

The project’s Did I Do That in My Sleep? page covers snoring, night sweats, drooling and nighttime waking. Consider the book for that broader educational coverage. Diagnostic testing and treatment decisions belong with your clinician. See the book.

Keep the follow-up question on the page until you have an answer.