SLEEPSOMATICS CLOSED EFFECTIVE APRIL 2023. SLEEPSOMATICS NO LONGER ACCEPTS ORDERS FOR SLEEP TESTING.

This page is for the Sleep Fairy home study device. Click here for the ApneaLink Air.

For detailed photo and written instructions, review all instructions below the video.

If you experience an emergency during your home sleep test, do not call or return to SleepSomatics. Please immediately call 911.

THE ‘NO-NO’s’ LIST:

• No use of unapproved chargers (you may only use the SleepSomatics-provided charger for your Sleep Monitor Device).

• No removal of SD Card, tampering, or accessing of data from the Sleep Monitor Device.

• No intoxication, inebriation, or similar altered state while using the Sleep Monitor Device.

• No eating, drinking, bathing, or smoking (in any form or with any product, such as tobacco, marijuana, vaping/e-cigarettes, or other) while wearing the Sleep Monitor Device.

• No smoking in the same room (in any form or with any product, such as tobacco, marijuana, vaping/e-cigarettes, or other) by other people (including spouse, bed partner, roommate, or other).

• No animals or children in the same bed during testing with the Sleep Monitor Device.

• No bare-chested or nude sleeping with the Sleep Monitor Device

• No exposure to liquids with the Sleep Monitor Device.

• No exposure to the vicinity of an MRI device or an explosive atmosphere or in presence of flames, fire, flammable anesthetics, or gases.

SANITATION AND DISINFECTION:

Your multi-night home sleep study kit contains the following items:

1. Disposable, sealed nasal cannula (three total) for your single use.

2. Reusable fabric belt that has been laundered and subjected to 60 minutes of high heat following laundering.

3. A Reusable Type III home sleep apnea test device, Reusable pulse oximeter, and Reusable charging adapter plug. These three items have been subjected to 30 minutes of disinfection with Citrus II, a EPA-Registered Bactericide, Virucide, Fungicide, and Mildewstat, formulated to disinfect hard, non-porous surfaces without use of bleach, alcohol, or phenols.

4. Exposing your multi-night home sleep study kit to liquids or moisture may damage the device and subject you to a $1,750.00 charge.

ATTACHING NASAL CANNULA TO DEVICE (PHOTOS):

HELPFUL INFORMATION (AFTER NIGHT 1):

The first night of sleep testing is commonly the poorest, least-representative of a patient's average sleep. This is a known phenomena in diagnostic testing known as 'first-night effect.' Be at ease if you are concerned that last night's sleep was more disruptive or poorer than usual. Our multi-night, contiguous testing protocol is designed with this phenomena in mind, and we expect your second night of testing to be more representative of an average night of sleep.

The two most common issues we see patients experience after their first night are forgetting to turn the study device off when not sleeping/testing and forgetting to charge their device for eight hours prior to their second night of testing. Please also make sure you are completing your study questions in the provided paperwork for return to the doctor with your test device kit at the end of your procedure.

HELPFUL INFORMATION (AFTER NIGHT 2):

As you prepare for your final night of evaluation, please make sure your three pages of testing surveys are completed and returned tomorrow with your home study kit. You are scheduled for a curbside return, and due to current COVID restrictions from Travis County for medical providers and medical testing equipment, we do ask that you remain in your vehicle upon arrival.

When you arrive at the sleep lab at your scheduled return time, please park in the first SleepSomatics stall in front of our front door and remain in your vehicle (or second stall if there is another patient already parked in the first stall). A member of our team will come to your vehicle's window at the scheduled date and time with a red bin to accept  curbside return of your home study kit. You may either place all of your returned items into the red bin through your driver-side window or motion to your backseat or trunk for our team to remove. Please refer to your home testing paperwork for your scheduled return date and time and the specific items that must be returned.

If you experience any issues during tonight's third and final night of testing, please still return the equipment at your scheduled date and time tomorrow and include notations in your returned survey paperwork of the issues experienced. The doctor will then review the data to confirm if the third night's issue requires repeating of your testing or not. Thank you.

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• When do I turn it on/off?

  • The Device should remain ON when you are asleep and OFF when you are awake (or out of bed for more than a couple of minutes). The Device data does not erase when you turn it OFF. The Device ON/OFF switch is on the top of the Device (not on the front of the Device). The Device remains OFF when it is not in use for sleep or when it is charging.

• How should I sleep during my test?

  • Try to maintain as normal and usual of sleep and lifestyle routine as an average night of sleep during your testing. Making dramatic changes may reduce the validity of the testing results. However, the above items on the ‘No-No’ List are for safety reasons and must be adhered to regardless of whether they represent a normal night of sleep.

  • Sleep in a position that is most comfortable for you (on your back or your side). However, we recommend against sleeping on your stomach (or prone) due to the increase in potential data errors with prone sleep.

• What if a sensor comes off while I’m asleep?

  • It is quite common for sensors to become dislodged during unattended home sleep testing. The purpose of multi-night, contiguous testing is to collect sufficient data for analysis when accounting for periods with signal loss. If you awaken and find one or more of the sensors is not in the correct position, please return the sensor to the correct position and resume testing. Patients have the option of using hospital tape to tape their sensors down across their hand (if the oximeter) or across their cheeks (if the nasal cannula tubing). However, SleepSomatics does not recommend this as standard practice as a safety precaution, for if a patient gets out of bed and stumbles or gets the device or its sensors caught on something (like a piece of furniture), one would want the device and its sensors to freely pull away or fall away from your body. If you choose to you hospital tape to secure one or more sensors to your person, please understand this concern and exercise caution. When your device is returned at its scheduled date and time, the sleep specialist will review the data, exclude periods of time where primary, secondary, and tertiary sensors were dislodged, and re-aggregate the total data.

• Can I take a sleep aide during my test?

  • You should maintain your normal routine (including prescription and over-the-counter medication usage). Changes to your normal routine may reduce testing validity. Please note any medication or supplement usage on your testing paperwork / survey.

  • You are permitted to take an over-the-counter sleep aide such as Melatonin during testing. Please note any medication or supplement usage on your testing paperwork / survey.

• What if alcohol / marijuana usage is my normal sleep or lifestyle routine?

  • Minor alcohol usage may be consumed in the evening if this is part of your normal sleep or lifestyle routine. Please note any alcohol usage on your testing paperwork / survey.

  • This is a medical diagnostic procedure. Intoxication is prohibited and may present safety risks or issues for patients who disregard these directions.

  • However, the above items on the ‘No-No’ List are for safety reasons and must be adhered to regardless of whether they represent a normal night of sleep.

• How do I fall asleep with the device on?

  • To assist with acclimation and reduce anxiety, it can be helpful to setup your Sleep Monitor Device on your person (but leave it turned OFF) and sit upright in a chair and relax while reading or watching television 1-2 hours before your normal sleep time.

• How long does the battery last?

  • Your Sleep Monitor Device will be pre-charged for 4 hours of recording, and you should charge for 2-4 hours before the first night of recording and 8 hours prior to each subsequent night of testing. The Device has a ‘fail-safe’ feature that prevents it from being turned on if there is insufficient battery charge for a sleep testing period. For this reason, it is important that you re-charge your Device each day if you have another night of testing. The more frequent a patient moves around, snores, stops breathing, or presses the front display button, the faster the battery will drain.

• I charged my device for 8 hours but the power light remains red. Is it charged?

  • The device front display will provide a battery percentage indicator when you turn the device on. There are rare instances when the device’s power light may remain red following re-calibration at the sleep lab or due to data size saved to the device. When in doubt, charge the device for 8 or more hours during the day and confirm the device’s battery power percentage on the front data display when you turn your device on before bed.

• Why is the device only charged 4 hours by SleepSomatics?

  • Your Sleep Monitor Device will be pre-charged for 4 hours of recording, which is the technical minimum for home testing. Due to patient late returns, we are often limited in our ability to same-day re-charge devices for the next scheduled patient. However, we recommend an additional charge of 2-4 hours prior to your first night of testing and 8 hours for each subsequent night of testing to provide patients with maximum evaluation periods.

• How do I know if I put device on properly?

  • Patients do not need to ‘verify’ or ‘calibrate’ the Sleep Monitor Device for usage. The front display will initially show that data is recording after you turn the Device on and then fade to dark. Pressing the button next to the front display will bring the data display back up, but repeatedly pressing this button to display the recording data will drain the battery faster than usual. We suggest you secure the 3 sensors, turn the Device on, and go to sleep.

• Why does the finger sensor light stay red?

  • The device may provide a red, blinking light on your pulse oximeter finger sensor. This often occurs due to excess humidity, sweating, or finger swelling (such as due to a salty dinner). As long as your finger sensor has a visible red light within the finger sensor itself, your device is correctly recording data.

• Does the device blink or make light all night?

  • The device buttons may have green light (solid or blinking) throughout testing, as these devices are also utilized in-lab or hospital for clinicians performing vitals checks during sleep. If any light bothers you, consider wearing a sleep mask or keeping a bed sheet cover over the device when sleeping.

• What is the paperwork / survey used for?

  • SleepSomatics analyzes both quantitative and quantitative data when evaluating your sleep during testing. The included paperwork / surveys provides us with subjective feedback on how each night of testing went and what (if any) changes to your normal sleep routines and patterns occurred which may increase or reduce testing validity.

• Why do I have to complete the paperwork / survey?

  • Your home sleep study is evaluated by our board certified sleep specialist usually within 7 days following return of your device. Providing partial, incomplete, or conversational feedback to our staff (instead of thoroughly completing your paperwork / survey) may reduce testing validity.

  • We have many patients picking up or returning Sleep Monitor Devices to our clinic at any given time. Please complete your paperwork / survey prior to returning to SleepSomatics to ensure testing validity. Please ensure your name and date of birth is recorded on every page returned.

• What does this device test / what are the sensors detecting?

  • Take-home sleep apnea testing is a screening tool and estimation of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, oxygen saturation, and heart rate. Home sleep testing does not diagnose or treat any other sleep disorders. Home sleep testing does not measure or quantify neurological sleep, sleep continuity, or restorative sleep indices.

  • The Sleep Monitor Device and its chest belt record the pattern of your breathing and the position of your sleep.

  • The nasal cannula records the pressure of your breathing and snoring.

  • The finger sensor records the saturation of oxygen in your blood and your heart rate.

• May I sleep nude / partially-nude during testing?

  • For both male and female patients, please wear at least a t-shirt or pajama top and bottom to sleep with the device.

• What do I do in an emergency?

  • If you experience an emergency during your home sleep test, do not call or return to SleepSomatics. Please immediately call 911. This is an unattended procedure, so there is not a sleep technician monitoring your Sleep Monitor Device usage during your at-home testing, nor does the device transmit wireless data to SleepSomatics for monitoring or technical assistance.

• When do I take the device off?

  • Please remove the Sleep Monitor Device from your person before smoking, vaping, eating, drinking, or bathing.

INFORMATION ABOUT MY KIT:

• The device has been calibrated and confirmed operable as of your setup appointment.

• The device surface as been cleaned with a germicidal disinfectant and gentle soap.

• Each single-use, disposable nasal cannula is provided unopened for your sole use for one (1) night of testing.