Sleep Center General Frequently Asked Questions
While in-lab sleep studies check for sleep apnea, there are a variety of other conditions that can also be picked up during sleep studies done in the lab. Expect to have wires for EEG (brain waves), eye movements, facial movements, EKG (heart rhythm), and leg movements attached. Also expect breathing sensors on the nose, near the mouth, and on the chest and belly.
While many patients find it difficult to get the same quality sleep in the lab as they do at home, we don’t need a good night’s sleep to get good information about how you sleep with a high-quality sleep study. Even four hours’ worth of sleep is enough to take adequate measurements to help guide diagnosis of sleep disorders!
No. While the sleep lab is housed inside the facility, it is located in a separate area from the inpatient wards. You will be registered upon arrival for the study, then will proceed to the sleep lab on the third floor, which is a quiet area with private rooms equipped with private bathrooms, televisions and regular beds. You will not be in a semi-private room with another patient separated by a curtain, nor will there be any of the usual disruptions to sleep that may happen while admitted to the hospital (IV’s, lab draws, nursing checks, et cetera).
No. There will be registered sleep technologists (RPSGT’s) in a work area of the lab separate from the bedrooms with you on the night of your study. They are available if you need them! For example, you will be able to call them to disconnect your monitors if you have to go to the bathroom during the night. They may come into the room to adjust sensors if need be. Otherwise, no staff will be with you in the room while you sleep. There is no one-way glass looking into the room. Video is recorded during your sleep study for physician review after the study (if sleep talking, sleep walking, et cetera are of concern).
Our sleep center is accredited for pediatric sleep studies (starting in infancy!) and parents MUST accompany their children during the night of the study and will be provided separate bedding in which to spend the study night.
We ask that you show up at 7:30 pm to allow for adequate time for registration and set up of monitors for your test.
Yes! Sleep studies typically end by 6 am at the latest, but if there are circumstances that require you to be woken up early, our staff is happy to accommodate. Most rooms have a private bathroom with a shower so you can get ready and leave for work right from the lab without having to stop at home to get ready.
Yes! The St. Vincent Hospital Sleep Center is happy to offer sleep studies on Friday and Saturday nights.
Unless specifically told not to by the physician who ordered your sleep study, yes! Please note that medications are not provided in the sleep lab, so you will have to bring all of your regular medications with you to take at your usual times on the night of your study.
You may feel free to bring your own CPAP mask to your sleep study if you are happy with it. Otherwise, our sleep technologists will be happy to fit you for a new mask to your liking and provide it for your sleep study (if need be). Each of our sleep center rooms is equipped with a state-of-the-art CPAP machine, so there is never a reason to bring your machine with you to your study.
