Clinic-Based Sleep Testing
Sleep tests are non-invasive, pain-free procedures conducted to observe what your body does during sleep and to determine the cause of your sleep problem. Common sleep disorders include:
- SLEEP APNEA – commonly associated with loud snoring and excessive tiredness during the day. What is Sleep Apnea?
- INSOMNIA – difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at night. Can be caused by stress, depression, pain or another sleep disorder
- PERIODIC LIMB MOVEMENT DISORDER – repetitive limb movements during sleep, occurring every 20 to 40 seconds
- NARCOLEPSY – a neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. The main features of narcolepsy are excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone)
- SHIFT-WORK DISORDER – the disruption of the body’s 24-hour biological clock (our circadian rhythm) due to irregular work hours, causing excessive sleepiness
- UNUSUAL NIGHT-TIME BEHAVIOURS – such as sleepwalking, night terrors or REM behavious disorders
We offer a whole range of sleep testing, the most common of which are:
- FULL SLEEP STUDY OR POLYSOMNOGRAM (PSG) – this is the “gold standard” for sleep studies and generally requires spending a night at one of our sleep clinics. During the PSG, a sleep technologist records multiple biological functions during sleep, such as brain wave activity, eye movement, oxygen and carbon dioxide blood levels, heart rhythm, breathing rate, airflow, snoring, and body movement via electrodes and monitors placed on the head, chest and legs.
- CPAP TITRATION STUDY – CPAP stands for “continuous positive airway pressure” and is a non-invasive and non-surgical treatment for sleep apnea. The patient is fitted with a small mask which goes over the nose only. This mask is hooked up to a CPAP unit, which delivers an air pressure through the nose into the back of the airway to splint the airway open during sleep with air. During the course of the study, pressure is adjusted (titrated) to keep the airway open and to ensure the patient is apnea-free in all stages of sleep and in all body positions.
- MULTIPLE SLEEP LATENCY TEST (MSLT) – this test measures excessive daytime sleepiness by recording how long it takes a patient to fall asleep. Patients are given several opportunities to fall asleep during the course of the day when they would normally be awake. For each opportunity, time to fall asleep is measured. It is used to rule out certain sleep disorders.
- MAINTENANCE OF WAKEFULNESS TEST (MWT) – this test measures a patient’s ability to stay awake and consists of a series of 40-minute trials, during which the patient tries to stay awake.
Depending on your sleep complaint, your doctor at Centurion may recommend you undergo one or more of these tests. The data from your sleep test will be tabulated by a technologist and presented to a sleep specialist for analysis and interpretation. To arrange an appointment at Centurion click here. How to see a doctor at Centurion
Home-Based Sleep Testing
Ambulatory Sleep Study
Centurion also offers the latest in ambulatory sleep study equipment to diagnose patients in the comfort and privacy of their homes. Ambulatory devices are small enough to be transportable for patients to take home.
For a select group of patients, ambulatory sleep studies are also appropriate. Patients meeting our clinical protocol summarised below, can now choose between undertaking a PSG sleep study at our clinic or having their sleep study conducted from home. If appropriate, the patient is given a device and instructed how to put it on by a sleep technologist. The patient returns the device back to our clinic the following day. The study is tabulated by a technologist and interpreted by a sleep specialist.
Ambulatory sleep studies should be used only as part of a comprehensive sleep evaluation program. Centurion can conduct an evaluation to determine if an ambulatory sleep study is appropriate for a patient.
Criteria for Home Sleep Studies
While there are currently no published guidelines by Australian authorities, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has published suggested guidelines for the use of ambulatory sleep studies in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They recommend that ambulatory sleep studies be used only in the context of a comprehensive sleep evaluation and for the following patients:
- Patients with a high pre-test probability of moderate to severe OSA.
- Patients with no significant co-morbid medical condition. Examples of co-morbid conditions include moderate-severe pulmonary diseases (cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, active asthma, COPD), congestive heart failure and neuromuscular diseases (ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease).
- Patients suspected of having no co-morbid sleep disorder other than OSA.
- Patients unable to be undergo a PSG.
- To monitor response to non-CPAP treatments after the diagnosis has already been made.
The AASM recommended that ambulatory sleep studies are not appropriate for general screening of asymptomatic patients.
CPAP Management Program
One of the most common types of treatment (and generally considered as the most effective treatment) for obstructive sleep apnea is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). A CPAP device delivers a gentle stream of air through the nose at a pressure to the back of the throat in keeping the airway open and preventing apneas.
Centurion is a full-service CPAP provider offering independent advice for prospective and existing CPAP users. If proper education and encouragement are not provided at the outset, it is easy for CPAP patients to become overwhelmed and frustrated with treatment, resulting in poor compliance. As various studies have demonstrated that the first month of CPAP treatment is crucial to long term compliance, Centurion has developed a unique CPAP management program. It offers comprehensive patient education at the commencement of treatment, intensive monitoring for problems and compliance during the first month and regular follow-ups thereafter through clinic visits and phone calls. We have a team of specially trained CPAP consultants who provide patients with guidance throughout the entire process.
CPAP compliance for sleep apnea patients is important in maintaining good health and preventing the onset of more serious consequences such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, arrhythmia, neurocognitive dysfunction and increased mortality.
By choosing an integrated CPAP provider, you will receive coordinated treatment as your Centurion doctor and CPAP Consultant are in constant communication, which ultimately maximises long term CPAP compliance.
Our full services include:
- CPAP Management Program for patients commencing CPAP treatment for the first time;
- Education sessions for existing patients experiencing difficulties with CPAP;
- Sale of first and second-hand CPAP devices and accessories;
- Rental of CPAP devices;
- Trade-in of selected CPAP devices;
- Download and interpretation of CPAP smart data;
- Regular CPAP workshops for patients interested in learning more about sleep apnea and meeting other CPAP users; and
- CPAP membership club offering members exclusive benefits including sale discounts, notification of new products and clinical research, as well as clinical trial involvement.