Having a sleep study at home

A sleep study is a test to see what happens to the body when it is asleep. When we’re asleep, we aren’t usually aware of what is happening with our basic functions. For example, our breathing can become laboured, we can snore or make funny movements. A sleep study helps us see what happens.

A doctor might suggest that your child has a sleep study if they suspect they have a sleep-related disorder, like sleep apnoea or hypoventilation.

It is important to diagnose sleep-related disorders. If they are left untreated, they can impact the heart, brain or mood and behaviour in the long term. For example, disturbed sleep can make your child tired the next day and make it difficult for them to concentrate at school.

There are also conditions (ENT, craniofacial, neuromuscular, metabolic and others) which may mean your child is more vulnerable to sleep-related breathing disorders. A sleep study can give us information that can help us manage these conditions.

A sleep study can also be useful if your child uses ventilation or supplemental oxygen. It can help us check that this is helping with sleep and we can adjust the settings if required.

An advanced nurse practitioner will call you around one week before the sleep study to confirm the appointment. They will also go through some questions about your child’s medical history to help the doctors when assessing your child’s sleep.

A sleep physiologist will then call you the day before the sleep study. They will go through some infection control screening questions to check it is safe for you and your child to come into the hospital and that they are fit for the study.

Please complete the sleep questionnaire on MyGOSH. If you don’t have access to MyGOSH, you will be able to fill this out at the collection appointment.

The collection appointment will take place at the respiratory sleep unit on Alligator ward. Alligator ward is on level 4 of the Premier Inn clinical building at GOSH.

A map is included at the end of this webpage.

During the appointment we will:

• Explain how the home sleep study works.
• Show you how to set up the sleep study equipment.
• Give you a written manual and a video guide of how to set up the sleep study.
• Give you the bag with the equipment to take home with you.
• Discuss what time your child goes to sleep and wakes up so we can set up the recording device to start and stop at an appropriate time.
• Agree on a time for a courier to pick up the equipment the morning after the sleep study.
• There will be some paperwork to fill out, including the sleep questionnaire if you have not already completed it via MyGOSH.
• You can ask any questions you have. Some people find it helpful to write a list of questions before the appointment.

It can be helpful if your child can come to this collection appointment so they can get used to the equipment and we can check what size sensors will work best.

The appointment takes around one hour.

Please ensure that you arrive at the time stated on your appointment letter. Please contact us if you think you are going to be late for your appointment.

The equipment bag is a similar size to a laptop bag. It contains:

• All the equipment you need to carry out the sleep study at home.
• A step-by-step written guide to setting up the home sleep study.
• A QR code for a video guide to setting up the home sleep study.
• Contact details for the sleep team if needed overnight.

While your child is still awake but ready for bed, set up the sleep study:

• Wrap the soft probe around your child’s toe. This is to monitor their oxygen levels while asleep.
• Place three sticky ECG pads on your child’s chest to measure their heart rate.
• Put the two stretchy bands around your child’s chest to record their breathing.
• Place the small prong on the edge of the nostrils to monitor their breathing.
• Attach the recording device around your child’s waist. Make sure the sensors are plugged in. This device records their sleeping position as well as all the other signals. The device will automatically start and stop recording at your agreed times - you don’t have to do anything to start the recording.

Once these sensors have been attached, your child can go to sleep.

You will be given a contact number for the sleep team working overnight in case you have any issues whilst setting up the equipment at home.

When your child wakes up, remove all the sensors and place them in the equipment bag provided.

A courier will collect the equipment bag from you at the agreed collection time and return it to us at GOSH.

No. Sleep studies are painless and there are no needles involved.

There are no risks or long-term side effects. Your child will be able to return to your normal routine once you leave.

Sometimes we may not get a good enough recording for the doctors to make a diagnosis. If this happens, we will contact you to discuss why the study failed and what your options are moving forward. This may involve coming into the sleep unit for an overnight stay to attempt the sleep study here.

If you have any questions or concerns and wish to speak to one of the Sleep Physiologists, please call the Sleep Unit on 020 7405 9200 ext. 0462 or 0599. The office is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

If you are unable to attend your booked sleep study, or your child has an illness that is affecting their sleep or breathing (such as a cold), or your child or anyone in your household develops any symptoms of COVID-19, tests positive, or comes into contact with anyone with COVID-19, please contact the Sleep Administrator on 020 7405 9200 ext. 6948 or 5974.

If you have any questions or concerns in regards to your child’s ventilation (CPAP/BiPAP), please contact the NIV Nurse Practitioner Monday to Friday: 8am-4pm on 020 7405 9200 ext. 1726

If you require urgent out of hours support in regards to your child’s ventilation please phone the Sleep Unit on 020 7405 9200 ext. 0462 at these times ONLY: Monday to Sunday: 7.30pm-8am, excluding bank holidays. Otherwise phone Kangaroo Ward on 020 7405 9200 ext. 4109

For more information, please visit our webpage:Respiratory Sleep Unit