Ask your facility, but in general, pack as you would for an overnight stay at a friend’s house. For the benefit of your privacy and comfort, you should bring appropriate and comfortable nightclothes (such as T-shirts and sweat pants or pajama top and bottoms). Review your facility’s recommended checklist to insure that you have everything you might need.

The facility may or may not have a private bedroom,  You should inquire when your test is scheduled.  Facilities that do not have private sleeping rooms should avoided.

The facility may or may not have a private bedroom,  You should inquire when your test is scheduled.  Facilities that do not have private sleeping rooms should avoided.

Almost always you will take your medications as usual and bring them to the sleep testing center if necessary. You should discuss your medications with your physician. For most sleep test, your scheduled medications are not changed for the test.

If you wear nail polish (particularly reds and dark colors) it might have to remove it from at least one finger to obtain a good signal from the oxygen sensor.

You should expect that you will need to eat dinner before arrival. You may want to bring a snack. Snacks and meals are generally not provided.

It is important that you avoid napping on the day of the study.

You may find that a shower before arriving at the sleep center will make you feel more relaxed. Wash and dry your hair and it is best to not apply any sprays, lotions, oils, gels, or make-up.

Be prepared.  Allow ample time.  Have the evening contact information for your facility.  If running late, contact the facility directly and let them know of your approximate time of arrival.

Light modifies our sleeping cycle.  The brightness and the whiteness play a role in those effects.  Quality sleep is best achieved sleeping in a dark room.

Dim, indirect lights called ‘night lights’ usually do not affect sleep.

Each of us has a biological need for sleep.  The amount is different for each person.  The average adult needs 7.5 hours of sleep to feel good the next day.  But, that number can range from extremes of 9.5 to 5.5 hours.

Light from most of these devices is of the type that can affect the brain’s regulation of sleep potentially delaying onset or altering its pattern.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that can lead to diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, strokes and an early death.  It is extremely common.  Treatment controlling the condition leads to medical benefits and a longer, healthier life.

Caffeine containing products like coffee are consumed widely throughout the world.  Caffeine is a stimulant to the brain promoting wakefulness. It is absorbed rapidly after ingestion with duration of action of 3-4 hours and elimination from the system 6-10 hours.   

Ingesting caffeine near time for sleep may interfere with it.  Large amounts even earlier may take longer to eliminate.  Some individuals may be slow to eliminate it from their systems and as a result, be affected by lesser amounts earlier in their day.

Choosing the best light for your home can help with sleep.  Light bulbs can be assessed by brightness (lumens or watts) and whiteness (Kelvin scale).  Brightness is a personal choice for the use of the bulb, but dimmer lights are more conducive to drowsiness.  Kelvin scale bulbs of 2500 or 3000 will have minimal affect on your sleep.

The Kelvin scale is a way that a light’s emitted color can be rated.  For light bulbs it ranges from 2500 to greater than 7000.  Bulbs with ratings of greater than 3000 can affect sleep.  Bright white lights with 4500 -6000 ratings are used in work areas to promote wakefulness.