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Sleep studies at Sleep and Lung Care
A sleep study records your breathing, oxygen levels, heart rate and sleep pattern overnight to diagnose obstructive sleep apnoea and other sleep disorders. Sleep and Lung Care provides home-based sleep studies — bulk billed with a GP referral and available at Epping, Brunswick, Doncaster East, Braybrook and Kilmore — and arranges hospital-based sleep studies when a more detailed overnight study is needed. Every study is reported by one of our sleep physicians.
Home sleep study or hospital sleep study?
Home-based study: you collect the equipment from the clinic (staff fit it and show you how it works), sleep in your own bed, and return it the next morning. It suits most adults being assessed for snoring and sleep apnoea and is bulk billed. Hospital-based study: a full overnight study in a sleep laboratory with a technician present, used for complex or unusual sleep disorders, for CPAP titration and for patients with significant heart or lung disease; it is arranged through our physicians for privately insured patients.
How to get a sleep study
Your GP can refer you directly for a bulk billed home sleep study if you meet the Medicare criteria (an Epworth Sleepiness Scale score of 8 or more and either a STOP-Bang score of 3 or more, an OSA-50 score of 5 or more, or a high-risk Berlin score). Otherwise, ask for a referral to one of our sleep physicians, who will decide which study you need. Upload your referral and reception will book you at the clinic closest to you.
What happens after the study
A sleep physician reports the study and the report goes to your GP. If sleep apnoea is found, we discuss treatment — CPAP, a mandibular advancement splint, weight and positional strategies, or a review of other causes of poor sleep — and organise follow-up.
Frequently asked questions
Is a sleep study bulk billed? Eligible home-based sleep studies are bulk billed with a valid referral. Fees and eligibility for hospital-based sleep studies depend on the hospital and your insurance arrangements, and reception will confirm these before booking. Where do I collect the equipment? From any of our five clinics. Can I sleep normally with the equipment on? Most people do; the sensors are lightweight and the study still works if you wake during the night. How long until I get results? Reports are usually completed within two weeks and sent to your GP. What if I already use CPAP? Bring your machine or data card to your appointment.