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What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition where the pharyngeal muscles in the back and sides of your throat relax so much when you sleep that your breathing is blocked for a few moments.
When this happens, your brain notices a lack of oxygen in your blood, wakes you up just enough for your conscious mind to tense the muscles and take a breath. Then you fall into a deeper sleep again and the cycle continues – usually without you even noticing. The pauses are followed by gasping, snoring and/or restlessness. People with untreated OSA can stop breathing hundreds of times per night. A 2013 study showed that almost one in ten Australians have undiagnosed moderate-severe OSA.
What should I do if I think I may have sleep apnea?
If you think your may have sleep apnea, first book a consultation with a hub.health clinician. They will be familiar with sleep apnea, can assess your symptoms and refer you for a home sleep test.
Sleep study referrals and treatment options
Sleep Study Referral & Home Testing
Book a consultation with a hub.health clinician for a referral to conduct a sleep study in the comfort of your own bed.
If your symptoms clearly point to obstructive sleep apnea, your doctor may request a home based sleep study test.
You will be contacted by the diagnostic bookings team, who will take your relevant medical history, explain to you what sleep apnea is and what is involved in a home based sleep study test. You will be given a wireless testing device and be shown how to fit it and wear it while you sleep.
The portable equipment will record your brain activity, cardiac activity, breathing, breathing effort, oxygen saturation, and body position. This information paints a clear picture of your sleep quality which independent sleep physicians will review for evidence of sleep apnea and provide a diagnosis as well as treatment and management recommendations about the next steps.
Price breakdown
Initial consultation for Sleep Study Assessment
$80
What’s involved in a home sleep study?
Once your referral has been sent, a member from the Air Liquide Healthcare team will reach out to you to confirm the details of your sleep study appointment. There may be additional fees associated with your diagnostic test, these will be advised during your first phone call.
The sleep study is a record of your night’s sleep, so it is important to maintain your usual routine as much as possible. You will place the sensors on your body as instructed at your appointment, while the Somfit device is used to record your sleep overnight. Following your sleep study, you will pack and return the device to us as per your booking instructions.
More information about the home sleep study process can be found in these short Somfit instructional videos.
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Frequently asked questions
No you don’t. A hub.health clinician can refer you for a sleep study during your initial consultation.
The sleep study is entirely covered by Medicare if the pretest questionnaire requirements are met.
Your sleep study appointment fee can vary. Air Liquide Healthcare clinics charge $80 and this fee is not covered by Medicare. We kindly request 48 hours notice if you need to reschedule your appointment.
As of 1 Nov 2018, any patient wishing to have a home sleep study done will need to complete a series of questionnaires with their physician. The scores of those questionnaires will determine if Medicare will fund the study or not. If the study is not Medicare funded the patient can choose to pay for the sleep study privately.
Our home sleep study measures; total sleep time, sleep latency, sleep stages, arousals, snoring, body position, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, apnea hypopnea index and breathing patterns. These results will give us an indication of how many times per hour your airway is restricted throughout the night, and a measure of how severe these events were when they occur.
Once set up for the study, a minimum of 9 hours wearing time is recommended. This is to obtain as much data as possible and to fullfill Medicare requirements. You do not need to be asleep for the 9 hours, but you do need to be wearing the device with everything attached to your body for this period of time.
Home sleep studies are very accurate because the sleep study device measures various biometric data points which are then sent to our team of independant Sleep Physicians to analyse. Even if you sleep for only a few hours we will be able to gather a sufficient amount of information. It only takes a few hours of sleep for a breathing disturbance such as apnea to be detected, even with less restful sleep.
Can’t find what you need?
Take a look at our complete list of FAQs here or contact us with your questions.
hub.health partners with Air Liquide Healthcare to offer an integrative approach to Sleep Apnea, with a program designed to both diagnose and treat patients.
Early detection of your sleep apnea means that it can be treated before it damages your health, relationship or work performance.
Consult with an Australian-based medial team, from the comfort of your own home, and gain convenient access to GP referrals for a patient sleep study assessment with Air Liquide Healthcare.